Air sealing is the first line of defense against wasting energy in your home and protecting your indoor air quality. Air sealing is the practice of filling all those gaps, cracks, and holes in your thermal envelope. This tightens the home’s air pressure giving you a solid...

Mincer’s has expanded! We originally introduced the project here. Let us know what you think of their new location.

Our clients for the Crossroads Farm home we finished a couple of years ago sent us some new pics of their home. We posted about the home here and here and here and here in the past. This home features a vegetated retaining wall, rainwater harvesting system, and high performance...

As of 2010, according to National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), there are almost 99,000 public K-12 schools in America. In 1999 (the most recent data available), the average public school building in the U.S. was 42 years old. We build our public building, particularly...

The rain screen is an important element of your wall system that is very often forgotten in home construction. A rain screen is the air space behind your cladding that gives a second line of defense against moisture intrusion. This allows moisture that passes through the cladding...

The perception of an architect through film and book often is in a negative light. While teachers and doctors are seen in pop media almost always as heroes most, the architect is a creative mind removed from reality. The architect is seen as someone removed from any understanding...

Solar is sexy. You see it on television, read about it in newspapers, and see it on roofs. Going green and adding solar walk hand in hand in the mass media. However, many don’t understand all the options and implications of using solar energy in building structures. Passive...

“A rotary phone is to codes compliant building as a smart phone is to a high performance building…” When you are thinking of your next project, hire an architect. Buildings are complicated, perhaps the most complicated and expensive machines you will ever...

We hear about Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) all the time in marketing of paint. That new paint smell that we have suffered through for years in the construction industry, well it turns out, is not good for you. Who would have thought all those air fresheners we added...

The mind of an architect is a maze of thoughts, criticisms, designs, dreams, songs, and wonder. Going through a design project, architects are constantly reminded to look for the problems that can be solved, to dream big, and dare to test the limits. This approach to life can be...