Shelter Blog

After certain seasons or weather disturbances, it ...

2012-01-11T01:04:20.431-05:00

After certain seasons or weather disturbances, it is not surprising to have fallen trees or tree branches in the yard or near the house. Lawn maintenance is an important part of having greenery around you. It sure is significant especially for the safety of the inhabitants to follow such tips to avoid accidents as we cannot control wind, rain or snow and other natural happenings.

Storms and tornadoes are getting stronger it seems...

2012-01-05T04:50:34.620-05:00

Storms and tornadoes are getting stronger it seems that having fallen trees is a common thing. Your tips regarding insurance is a good idea. Forces of nature will always be upon us and trees are significant for this world in spite of accidents it can be associated with, it is always better to plan where to plant trees or where to build a home to avoid such incidents.

The stoves must have a thermal efficiency rating o...

2011-10-10T04:17:22.806-04:00

The stoves must have a thermal efficiency rating of at least 75% as measured using a lower heating value, an efficient stove.

nice article about the wood stoves. when purchasin...

2011-09-02T05:40:30.289-04:00

nice article about the wood stoves. when purchasing a wood burner,you have to compare among different suppliers.

That is a great tool to have.

2011-07-20T03:09:48.092-04:00

That is a great tool to have.

If you are planning to replace your old roof with ...

2011-07-19T08:27:36.473-04:00

If you are planning to replace your old roof with new metal roofing, it would be very cost-efficient if you do it yourself. All you need is to learn the basics of tool-handling and pay attention to detail.

We're so glad that you've become one of ou...

2011-06-03T10:26:20.668-04:00

We're so glad that you've become one of our newest milk paint dealers! Keep up the great work at the Institute.
Anne Thibeau, President
Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co., Inc.

Thank you David for pointing out a labeling mistak...

2011-03-08T17:34:29.686-05:00

Thank you David for pointing out a labeling mistake in our blog. We incorrectly stated “The International Residential Code’s energy conservation code allows an ACH50 of 7 cfm; Energy Star requires an ACH50 of 5 cfm or less; the first production production-built zero-energy home in the southeast has an ACH50 of 2.3 cfm.” When we meant to say “The International Residential Code’s energy conservation code allows an ACH50 of 7; Energy Star requires an ACH50 of 5 or less; the first production production-built zero-energy home in the southeast has an ACH50 of 2.3.” The numbers 7, 5 and 2.3 respectively refer to the number of total air changes per hour at the 50 pascal negative pressure created by the blower door. Our SIP house had an ACH50 of 2.5; 525 cfm refers to the homes’ CFM50, or the cubic feet of leakage that occurred at the 50 Pascal negative pressure. We regret any confusion and have made the corrections in the copy of the blog article.

Best,
Blueberry Beeton and Gaius Hennin

Hi Thanks for the informative article. It appears ...

2011-03-06T19:06:22.593-05:00

Hi
Thanks for the informative article. It appears from your article that the home that was tested and you built the shell for using timber frame and SIPS had an ACH50 of 525cfm, but that a good number to shoot for is 5 to 7 cfm. What am I missing?

Dear Xavier, Thank you for your inquiry. The saw...

2011-01-03T11:04:16.191-05:00

Dear Xavier,

Thank you for your inquiry. The saw featured here is a Zorin. We have been using and selling this saw for timber frame construction for over 20 years and still think it is the best handsaw available. The large teetch cut quickly and allow you to cut both with the grain (a tenon) and across the grain (squaring off your timbers). Here is a link to it on our web site. We have them in stock and are happy to ship anywhere in the world.

http://www.shelterinstitute.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2_27&products_id=64

Best,

Blueberry

Hello excuse me for my poor english, i'm fren...

2010-12-24T03:59:59.298-05:00

Hello

excuse me for my poor english, i'm french.
I'm a carpenter and working for sustainable building.
I just would like to know what type of japanese saw you used during a stage that we can see on a video-Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOUtMsoZHpw&feature=BF&list=PLF0C4BB4B31169B35&index=72).
I'm interesting in number of tooth and special angle handle.

Thank you a lot

xavier
ix.em(at)laposte.net

These screws are not cheap! However they are grea...

2010-09-27T12:25:59.700-04:00

These screws are not cheap! However they are great. I've used them and love them. Where do you guys buy yours? I get mine online at www.ustoolandfastener.com. Let me know if you find them cheaper somewhere else.

this is a better way, having mats which are recycl...

2010-03-22T12:51:30.628-04:00

this is a better way, having mats which are recycleable :)
i love your post :)

http://www.goecostore.co.uk/door-mats-5327-0.html

Dear Dan, Thank you for your comment. Certainly ...

2010-02-19T09:07:07.799-05:00

Dear Dan,

Thank you for your comment. Certainly not all windows are created equal and some, with the inclusion of argon gas and low-e glass are able to acheive a higher R-Value. But for those who have windows existing in their homes the R-value can be as low as those I provided. I would strongly encourage each consumer to look critically at what they have or at the current options available in windows before making a decision. Regardless of what window you have the R-Value of that window cannot compete with the R-Value of a section of wall and the window could certainly be improved by an insulated shade. The question is by how much and that is determined by the components involved. Certainly SHOP and learn about the products -- our goal in providing these free workshops and blog posts is to make the information more accessible to more people.
--Blueberry

I like insulated shades and support efforts to imp...

2010-02-19T09:00:47.861-05:00

I like insulated shades and support efforts to improve energy efficiency using them. I have several in my current home. However, I believe your R-value quotes for windows are a bit misleading. Those are probably true for simple glass with no e-coating, gas fill etc. However, most companys aren't selling crap that bad these days. Or at least they offer much better options. Here's just one example from a high end company. http://www.seriouswindows.com/SeriousWindowsTechnicalPerformanceSpecsFiberglass.pdf

I'm currently making decisions on what windows and/or shades to put into my new home. Wish I could make your talk. Hope you will acknowledge that there are much better window options than you've implied in this email so people can make an informed decision about what the best way to spend their money on windows and shades.

Dan

Thanks Kevin- Phillips head screws still have a pl...

2010-02-03T11:19:52.388-05:00

Thanks Kevin-
Phillips head screws still have a place and use-in gypsum wall board installation where the screws are only 1 1/4" long and require little torque. There are specialty drivers that can be used which have a large face that hits the gypsum surface and prevents the driver from advancing further; this causes the bit to cam out and prevent over-driving of the screws and tearing of the paper.

Great post, Gaius. Given the failure rate of a Phi...

2010-02-01T16:06:21.198-05:00

Great post, Gaius. Given the failure rate of a Phillips head screw, why are they sold at all any more? I shudder to think back on the hundreds of screws I've damaged and the hours of frustration. After reading this post, I don't think I'll use a Philips head screw again.

Dear Anonymous, We will post the workshops ahead...

2010-01-29T13:06:01.455-05:00

Dear Anonymous,

We will post the workshops ahead of schedule -- thank you for the suggestion. Our full schedule is available at http://www.shelterinstitute.com/classchedule.htm

Hi,Would it be possible to have the classes listed...

2010-01-28T20:37:18.062-05:00

Hi,Would it be possible to have the classes listed 2 weeks in advance?I might like to attend a class or two but I only get notice 2-3 days in advance.thanks

Fortunat: Thanks for the note and kind words. Yo...

2010-01-21T16:12:10.446-05:00

Fortunat:

Thanks for the note and kind words. You're correct about the roof pitch. We'll probably try angling it up another year. Flush mounting has great advantages for durability, but a bit of an angle adjustment probably would give us noticeably more hot water.

We've found that hot water evacuated tube designs are hindered by the fragility of the glass. Two have already broken, partly because the fit into the manufacturer's mounting platform was too snug. The installer didn't know what to do when they wouldn't just pop in.

Happily, however, the wood stove heat exchanger provides us with plenty of hot water in the winter.

James

Thanks for a great write up. One comment though: y...

2010-01-21T07:24:48.909-05:00

Thanks for a great write up. One comment though: you wrote, "disappointingly, Maine winter sun in insufficent to heat our small 40 G hot water tank to bathing temperatures, so..."

From the photos, I suspect that this has less to do with the Maine sun and the collectors, and everything to do with installation angle. That solar hot water collector appears to be installed at about a 25 degree pitch which means that in the winter when the sun is low in the sky(just 21 degrees above the horizon on the winter solstice) the collectors are producing less than 50% of what they could be if they were optimally oriented. With 30 evacuated tubes and a 40 G tank, you could almost certainly heat that little tank just fine through most of the winter.

best of luck.

Ah, the endless uses of an architect's scale ....

2009-12-10T16:44:22.789-05:00

Ah, the endless uses of an architect's scale . . . And I think it's the perfect "green" house because you can eat it when you want to move! (PS -- Hershey chocolate bars make great solar panels.)

They are on order but there was some issue with th...

2009-12-09T13:37:27.945-05:00

They are on order but there was some issue with the Skittle solar cells so there was a slight delay but they are coming soon.

Nice house, looks well insulated and small, but wh...

2009-12-09T13:34:11.553-05:00

Nice house, looks well insulated and small, but where are the solar panels????????

This was by far the best experience that I have ha...

2009-10-29T11:56:56.098-04:00

This was by far the best experience that I have had in many years. We had a great group, nice weather, a lot of good hard work. I have started planning my barn for a next summer raising hopefully, and have spent the last three weekends working with a builder friend of mine cutting and raising his barn. We set it up last Saturday with 2+ inches of rain but when the crane is onsite, the show must go on. I will forward a few pictures taken Sunday with the sheathing crew and frame. The stuff we learned in class has proved very useful in the recent project and has been passed on to my friend who is very skilled craftsman and well read on the subject of timber framing but had never actually cut a frame until now. Every time you get around these buildings you discover something else that matters. I well keep in touch and stop by the next time I’m in the area.

Doug Damon Fall Class 2009
Sent via Email on 10/26/09