Archives: Design & Planning

Insulating Tools

By Todd Fratzel on Energy Conservation, Insulation, Power Tools

Tools For Insulating Basement Walls It seems with the current cold weather of winter that many people are searching for information on insulating their homes. A growing number of people are looking for advice on insulating their basements so I thought I’d write an article on the tools that you’ll need to effectively insulate your…

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Does Your House Have Insulation?

By Todd Fratzel on Energy Conservation, Insulation

Don’t Assume Your House Is InsulatedShortly after we bought our first home we started some major renovation projects including a complete kitchen remodel, master bathroom remodel and replacement window installation. The house we bought was a 1960’s ranch style home that was very well built. I just assumed the house was properly insulated. When I…

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Insulating A Basement With Cellulose

By Todd Fratzel on Basements, Energy Conservation, Insulation

I’ve written several posts about how to insulate basements, How To Insulate Basement Walls and Basement Insulation. One of the best ways I know how to insulate a basement is using a combination of polystyrene foam board insulation and spray-in-place cellulose insulation. I get so many emails and questions about how to properly insulate a…

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Testing Generator Voltage

By Todd Fratzel on Electrical, Power Tools, Safety

Testing a generator with a Voltage Meter is very important before you plug in valuable equipment so you can prevent possible damage. Depending on the rpm’s of the generator and other issues with the gas motor you may not be generating a sufficient amoun t of voltage with your generator. Many pumps, motors, computers and…

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Air Sealing Homes Saves Energy Costs

By Todd Fratzel on Energy Conservation, Insulation

Air sealing homes saves energy costs. This makes so much sense but it’s rarely done and it’s something we’ve only just begun doing to homes in order to meet certain Energy Star guidelines. Air sealing is very easy and it’s something that anyone with experience using a caulking gun can do. If you look closely…

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Spray-In-Place Cellulose Insulation

By Todd Fratzel on Energy Conservation, Insulation

Here are some more photos showing the spray-in-place cellulose wall insulation that’s being installed in the Energy Star home we’re building for a client. Installing cellulose spray-in-place insulation is a very effective way of insulating a home and almost completely stopping air infiltration. As you can see in these photos the wall cavities between studs…

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Installing Cellulose Spray-In-Place Wall Insulation

By Todd Fratzel on Energy Conservation, Insulation

Today was another productive day for the crews building the Energy Star home that I’ve been writing about. Today a crew from Murphy’s Cell-Tech started installing the Nu-Wool spray-in-place cellulose insulation in the walls. Nu-Wool spray-in-place cellulose insulation is an amazing energy efficient insulation product. In addition to being such a great air barrier and…

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Home Owners Insurance During Construction

By Todd Fratzel on Safety

Today I heard the sad news that a co-workers house burned to the ground last night. As I heard the gut wrenching news it reminded me to mention that houses should be insured from the minute the first piece of lumber hits the ground during construction. If you’re about to build a new home or…

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