Blog
Why Water Vapor is Bad for Your Health
Even if your house is sealed up nice and tight, water vapor issues can still exist in your home. The simple act of living in a space creates water vapor from things like breathing, showering, washing dishes, cooking, and washing and drying clothes.Typically, the ideal...
Crystal Balls…
Mystifying, Magical, Curious Unknowns... Want to know what Better Building Works does? Better Building Works does not own a “Crystal Ball”. If we did, we would love to use it but we would not really trust it. What we do use and trust is building science, math and a...
Why Building Science Is Important to Incorporate into Every Level of Building Design and Construction
We all want to live and work in beautiful buildings, but just because it looks good doesn’t mean it works well. Designs that fail to take building science into account and don’t use a whole building/systems approach are often uncomfortable, unhealthy, inefficient, and...
The Virginia Building Code, A Catch 22
The Virginia Residential Building Code allows two options for verifying air tightness in new construction. The first option is a Blower Door Test and the second is just a visual inspection, which as you can imagine, is the most commonly used method as it is generally...
Natural Capital: Perception, Reality and Conversation.
Engaging with our community is a favorite past time at Better Building Works. We have partnered with Hannah Godsey on her project: “Natural Capital: Perception, Reality and Conversation.” The project is her final Thesis towards her Masters of Natural Resources in...
Here They Come Again…
...Those Pesky Bugs are At it Again. They will find any penetration in your home so that they can get in and hibernate for the winter. You know, you will find them in the Spring or if you are like me, when I am making up the guest bed - there they are. I have to shake...
The Natural Capital Protocol
“Natural Capital is the World’s stocks of natural assets including geology, soil, air, water and all living things.” 1 Nature is a form of capital that ALL businesses impact and depend upon. The Natural Capital Protocol creates a standardized framework for businesses...
Physics and Fire
This image of a house struck by lightning reminds us of the awesome power of Mother Nature. Easily enough power to explode a metal roof and set a house ablaze in a mere instant. But for all her raw power she is still subject to the Laws of Physics. Since fire and...
Baby It’s Hot Outside
Baby, it's hot outside! And air conditioners are running on high. Do you still feel the heat? Have you had your HVAC systems checked and all is well? It just may be a problem of air leakage from places you could never imagine. What do we mean by air leakage? No matter...