Garage Wall Analysis

Garage Wall Analysis Roughly half the homes in Fairbanks and Anchorage have an attached garage. Many garages are filled with exhaust from vehicles and heating appliances as well as VOCs. The current building technique in Alaska is to build an exterior wall between the home and garage sealed with an air/vapor barrier, such as 6…

Little Ventilation Project

Little Ventilation Project This project looks at ventilation systems that can improve indoor air quality in small homes while limiting energy use. While the average home in much of rural Alaska is smaller than 1,500 square feet, current ventilation systems are not always well-suited for thise size homes. Because they sometimes deliver too much cold…

Slab-on-Grade Foundation Best Practices

Slab-on-Grade Foundation Best Practices On-grade foundations are a popular design in Interior Alaska. This project uses modeling software to address these questions: A shallow frost-protected foundation  relies on heat loss to the ground to keep the soils beneath the footing above freezing. What’s the optimal amount of subslab insulation to use to achieve this goal while…