Documents and Downloads

This a continually growing library of useful documents and information about houses.  Feel free to download any of these documents.

Chicago Porch Construction Guidelines

This  is the City of Chicago document for rear porch and deck construction.

Tyvek Flashing System Installation Guidelines

This document describes the flashing details that must be installed before installation of the Water Resistive Barrier (WRB).

Tyvek Water Resistive and Air Barrier Installation Guidelines

This document provides descriptions of how to install house wrap on a residential building.

Mold and Health Issues

This document is authored by Suellen Pirages PhD of the International Center for Toxicology and Medicine,  a respected authority on mold related health issues.  You may be surprised by some of her findings, and how they contradict much of the current myth to mold in our homes.

Vinyl Siding Installation Guide

After reading this, most folks are surprised to find out that their vinyl siding was not installed properly.  If you are anticipating installing new vinyl siding, read this.

ADA Guide for Accessible Design

This is the Federal Gov’t’s. basic guideline for barrier free design in buildings.  It’s a valuable tool for those considering building or remodeling to accommodate access challenged individuals.

Building Science Corporation Documents

The following are all Building Science Corporation documents.  Building Science Corporation graciously permits these documents for download and review by visitors to this website.  All the documents are copyrighted and are only for non-commercial use.

LEED Certification : What Does It Mean?

This document is a must read for anyone considering building an energy efficient structure, as it offers a critical overview of how the current rush to “all things green” can be subsumed by gimmicks, fads, and ignorance of the underlying principles that should be guiding us.  Building Science Corporation has worked for the last 2 decades at researching and educating us about how buildings actually work.  Read this!

A History of the Building Envelope

This digest provides a brief overview of the development of the building enclosure and can serve as an entry point into a deeper historically-informed study of buildings and building science.

Remodeling For Energy Efficiency

This is great information if you are contemplating remodeling or updating your home.