Such a gorgeous book - each shed is unique and inspiring, and I love all the tiny details Kotite features to help readers imagine how to create their own She Sheds kzread.infoUgkxe9yi0sulKgsp0VJJCIrLWWkvVqcU7LFR . The feature on Dinah's Rustic Retreat is like something from a fairy tale. It's really inspiring to see how creative all these ordinary people are in making beautiful and useful spaces on a modest scale.

As an amateur with woodworker, i typically feel overpowered with the entire arrangement kzread.infoUgkxrYREG3-7f1Aqk9ams3ZESRNzGnfdUtyQ . Be that as it may, this arrangements drove me through with much clarity and effortlessness woodplans. Works i now work like a genius. That is great!

So nice to see attics that have usable space! The home I grew up in had a walk in attic and was great for extra storage. Love the look of the house!

Great video: You not only mentioned history, but you showed pictures. You not only talked about design, but you lead the watcher through with pictures, diagrams, and examples. Thanks for the info. It gives me ideas for when I build a retirement home in Arizona some day.

$250/sf is sounding cheap these days. Got quoted $265/sf last month (August 2022), so I’ve decided to GC it myself. I’m a licensed home improvement contractor working on my GC so I’m not ignorant by any means, but I’ll definitely be leaning heavily on your videos over the next year or so. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

This was great!, I love when you get down to the details, keep it coming!

Matt, thank you for taking the time to make this video. I had watched your previous video, but disregarded it because of the lack of explanation and evidence. This gives me more leads for research and explains the logic quite well. I appreciate the followup!

Really enjoy your no-nonsense approach. I always learn something new from your video's, and I like that you methodically take the time to do things the right way.

This is a really really cool house. I love all the exposed interior studs and beams.

Thank you so much for sharing. Your content is incredibly valuable and appreciated.

Love these videos! Always making notes and wish list for a future small home on our southern Oregon property. Love building science!

After reading the articles from Green Building Advisor & Energy Van Guard it looks like best practice to avoid damp roof issues in a closed attic that has open cell foam in Texas is to have both supply & return vents in the attic with a dehumidifier thrown in to complete the system. All this science is beginning to hurt my head.... Keep up the good work.

I love to see foamed attics. Your on the right track on informing others on this. As a HVAC contractor I HIGHLY appreciate this!!! However, I don't wanna see any rafters what so ever... I want to see the rafters totally encapsulated. Go look at those exposed rafters with a thermal camera on a hot summer day, to check the heat transfer through those exposed rafters.

@buildshow

6 жыл бұрын

Yes, I totally agree. I’ve gone to a much thicker install of foam (10” now) but I need to upgrade my photos. These are from a few years ago. I’m doing an insulation job next week that I’ll probably do some video on and get some good photos. Stay tuned

I am enjoying your videos very much. I will be building a barndominium near Taylor this year, and you are giving me good ideas on how to make my house very air tight and energy efficient. I also am going with the little mini air/heat units instead of central AC to cut down on cost. I also thing after the place is done, I won't need much heating and cooling in order to maintain a constant temp.

@ericvanzeyl4483

6 жыл бұрын

Fredrik thanks for the input.

@yaleye2280

5 жыл бұрын

Fredrik “

Thank you, Matt Risinger. I've been planning a custom home for the previous two years. Your principles explained here has allowed me to spec certain details into my plans that I would have never had known to ask for prior. As a result, my energy calculations are a full 60% less than a typical custom home in Phoenix. I should be able to go Net-zero with PV in the future if we choose.

@gracilism

6 жыл бұрын

If you were going to do a book/ manual, I would market it to the owners, not the pro's. Educate them on what they don't even know that they don't know. They can create the demand for these techniques. Call it something like "A Homeowner's Guide to Energy Efficient Custom Homes: Principles to incorporate into your new build"

Matt, love the video. Appreciate you always having these very well-informed discussions.

at 7:12, where is the tie-down straps holding the roof trusses to the headers/2x4's? or is this built AWAY from coast line? Very far away from a coastline?

That was cool Matt, I learned even more. I like the "fluffy stuff" reference. ( joe Lstiburek)

Thanks a lot for putting out this video. i just recently bough a 1951 house in the Brenham Texas area, and my attic looks like the house at the start of the video. Your videos helps a lot as a research and plan on how I want to bring my lovely old house into a modern century.

Informative video like always Matt thanks for sharing. I hear people say that "Quality Costs" and may be true but peace of mind and time are priceless.

it is funny watching these past few videos, I have always wanted to buy an older home (CHEAP) gut it and make it extremely energy efficient and all that you talk about are the things I wanted to do to it.

@kareno8634

6 жыл бұрын

As in Goals vs Systems? ; ) Old homes are great - they even speak.

@markg7963

5 жыл бұрын

Me too, because I love the older big trees, and then I see the crappy layout, cut up floor plans, small closets, low ceilings, and shitty mechanicals, and then I decide to build another brand new house😀

@flukedogwalker3016

3 жыл бұрын

It's hard to retrofit a old house and get anywhere the insulation efficiency and benefits of the newer ones, specially if it was built with 2x4 walls and 24" centers, narrow, tall windows,small rooms with up to 4 doors per room, small or no closets and no bathroom to begin with and very crappy foundations with plumbing added much later along with the electricity in the 50's and is over 100 years old and had coal stoves in 1912 to start with. I would have been better off in a double wide.

Is there any thought on what happens if/when the roof fails and sheathing starts to get wet? Will the spray foam need to be cut out and replaced? Also $250 per SF is very expensive in my neck of the woods. I can build a 2,000sf ranch style home that meets all of California’s building and energy calcs for about $125 a foot. Your permits, and labor rates must be through the roof.

@tmiranda1379

6 жыл бұрын

Just think: Crazy California! Haha, you are correct. I’m just wondering what caused that home to have a built cost double what it costs here.

@jasoncougar194

6 жыл бұрын

NO house is over has to be demolished you are will not find a leak you will find mold everywhere before you see the leak.

@markg7963

5 жыл бұрын

I’m guessing he can build it for a lot less than 250 a foot, but I doubt he wants to advertise that fact to his clients. Which are probably willing to pay in that range. Not that unusual in my neck of Texas for a nicely build home on some property.

@adjusterneal1439

11 ай бұрын

As a claims adjuster/ inspector here in Louisiana. I’ve done many roof and attic inspections after storms. The attics with spray foam are the worst and hardest to find where the water entered because it runs underneath the foam and drips in a completely different area. Al’s to replace the damaged you have to rip off the entire area decking. Many times people discover rotted sheathing and rafters which mean it did start from the storm. The storm just revealed it. Many insurance companies are starting to not cover this stuff and exclude it.

These long form educational videos are great Matt! Keep em coming :)

Love your videos, im a hvac installer in spokane wa. been learning lots of cool stuff from your videos that are making me a better installer.

At 6:24. The exhaust is ran incorrectly. The change from 2" to 3" has to be on a vertical rise, not horizontal. That's a water trap and will hold water. Bushings are a cheap way to do it. A standard reducer is called for in the venting specs.

@WorBlux

6 жыл бұрын

Good eye.

I think I like the idea of the outside insulation roof on icf walls. No spray foam, no drywall.

I always enjoy your videos. I'm a TREC Home Inspector in Corpus Christi and it just blows my mind that builders moved the HVAC from a closet in a conditioned space to inside an unconditioned attic. All of my ductwork is in furdowns in my duplex (I have a flat roof that I absolutely hate, but that's another topic). I've been taking notes on your builds to apply what I can to my low income housing construction jobs. So far I'm going to go with roof trusses and open web trusses for the second floor, use Proseco liquid applied vapor barrier, open cell in the attic space. We're doing mini split ductless and a few other things.

Great follow-up video. Makes much more sense now on how to condition you attic space.

Matt....any thoughts on retro fitting older homes? Is it viable? 1962 ranch.

@edhorsegolfer4784

6 жыл бұрын

Do your retrofit when you are about to replace your roof and maybe go with a standing seam metal roof like matt did on that monopoly house. Your walls? are you brick? Just sticking my nose in your business.

I absolutely *_love_* that last house! And why are people criticizing you for building expensive houses? You get what you pay for. Either pay the premium now and get quality that will last, or go cheap now and end up paying the premium anyway, later on down the line, when everything starts rotting, molding, or just falling apart in general.

@coedshowers

6 жыл бұрын

Its also the prices, my 300K ( just bought ) house in the 80s cost a ton less to build, if I were to try and build it today the way it sits It would be probably around 1.2 mil. The prices and labor have went up so buying a house is a lot cheaper than building around my area anyways.

@taohcipher

6 жыл бұрын

Umm I swear ! I’m umm , I hearing this right, no ventilation to roof!!! Ummm well first I am curious as most people put roof vents but forget soffit vents to circulate the air, keeping continuous air flow and no moisture problems and no heat problems as I would like to see the life of those shingles as asphalt singles life can be cut down drastically by overheating, ask any roofer what curled shingles mean, over heated... moving air through the attic is to keep it within 10degree of outside air... I’m wondering if he doesn’t fully understand how a vented roof works and it’s purpose... I am not doubting anything about him straying foam into trusses as I have not done any testing but I would guess keeping the heat pushed up against the singles cut la the life just like a poorly built and designed circulation (vented attic) as it’s not just roof vents, it a whole system of flowing air, cool air comes in soffits and hot air flows out roof vents, cooling your singles and adding life (maintaining the existing warranty on life of shingles) Now I have worked for 30 years redesigning roof (attic) ventilation system as yes in 70 and back there is lots of design flaws.... You should never keep heat up against the roof shingles because a roof cost lest say $10,000 and should last 30 years... now to much heat will cut the life down to as little as 10 years costing you lots of money as a $10,000 roof the way he is saying could have to be replaced 3x now costing $10,000plus as you have to tear it off twice.... Ughhhhh it’s scary when people don’t research stuff and understand the true intentions of a vented (circulation of an attic) I really hope he gets engineer to explain things to him he is saying is old or out dated... yes just roof vents is a problem but that’s why you install soffit vents and move air through the attic, removing hot air and cooling the space... adding life to your shingles and saving tens of thousands of dollars... I did see he showed a metal roof and venting inbetween metal and roof, yes that can be done and if that’s what he’s doing than ok that’s done right, but the soul purpose of a vented roof is to circulation cool air in soffit and hot air out top of roof, if done 100% right with proper vents at both ends, the roof (atttic) is within 10 degrees of out side air not 130-140 degrees ....70 degrees out side (roof/attic space is between 60-80 degrees and if all flows right no moisture problems at all. I have worked on installing proper ventilation on roofs for 30 years and yes some of the stuff he has said is improvements, but also some of the stuff is going to cost people ten of thousands if some of the problems he’s causing are not properly dealt with... I hope everyone the best of luck as it sucks when someone gives out bad information or does not understand a situation or system.. I have had to teach many contractors, roofers, siding guys, insulation guys the importance and why it’s called a system, it’s been a huge problem when people get the wrong information or when a builder don’t understand the purpose of something... Now if he understands venting a metal roof, why is he not venting asphalt and other roofs and trapping air up against shorting the life of the singles.. so hopefully this reaches him and he further studies and understand why there is a ventilation system for a roof, attics and it serves a huge purpose to add life (or not let heat shorten the life) Hint if your singles are curled up it’s the most severe case of too much heat, there are many other signs but that’s the most noticeable... Huh well at least this won’t be such a huge problem in the future as people get to point out people when they obviously have no understanding or confused (he sounds confused, venting metal roof but not others) Any further information feel free to contact me as I have dealt with this so many times and have had to help fix so many new built homes as some contractors thinks he has a new way and you need to fully understand the old way before you improve on it.. Yes you can spray foam trusses but you still need ventilation (well it saves tens of thousands over the life of your roof, among other costs) not sure what education he has or what degrees he has in engineering but if you speak to any engineer that knows how, why houses where design a certain way, than you would understand.. Oh I will also ad, a lot of times in construction under trained workers that don’t know why something is done will sometimes not do it right... especially when a siding guy, don’t know his soffit vents are of importance or insulation guy covering up vents or roofing guy not putting in proper amount of vents to create the flow based on square ft, volume of attic, so on and son on... Well hopefully people will look into the right way and understand you can improve but first understand how to do it right, don’t base improvements on something done wrong as I have heard all his reason of being better as being based on the wrong way to vent (circulate air in a attic) so hopefully he can learn the right way to vent an attic and than improve... Just hope his customers are not having issues as he is long gone as the problem come up about 8-10 years after in southern states and in cold climates the first winter can cause major problems with ice dams, water leaks so on... it’s better to think smarter work less.... education is very important and sad in construction as most contractors have no schooling only on job training and if it was taut wrong or not taut at all than you will Get this video and lots of guys saying stuff that sounds good but is deceptive and costly to homeowners

@benjaminblack5888

6 жыл бұрын

Expensive houses are great. Most of Matt’s videos have great advice and are very educational. It is just that as a professional I found this particular video to be well intended, but of poor advice. Radiant heat (long waves) goes through spray foam and blown insulation quite easily. Having airflow next to a radiant flow barrier that is under the roof decking will block most of the radiant heat waves from entering the attic and keep the attic temperature within 8-10 degrees of the outside ambient air temperature and help reduce the heat load to the roof decking which is better for asphalt shingles. I have see too many roofs where the asphalt shingles were destroyed from the thermal mass buildup due to lack of ventilation below the deck and moisture that got trapped underneath. Moisture destroys everything. That being said, now you can go about sealing, insulating and conditioning the attic space where you don’t spend a lot of your time. Just don’t short circuit the airflow under the roof deck. Kudos to Matt for all his fun and educational videos.

@mysticjbyrd

6 жыл бұрын

you almost never get what you pay for... naive idiot

@av8rbri473

6 жыл бұрын

HickoryDickory86 Bullshit. 250/ft^2 is about 2.5 times the avg here in N. TX. My home would cost me 912k to build with those figures!!! do you know approx how long it would take to recoup the 5-550k delta??? please......

You're changing the way people think about building in a BIG way. Excellent video!!!

Matt, I have a 17 year old house that has conventional blanket insulation on the floor of the attic. When I bought the house 2 1/2 years ago, I was going to add insulation but ran out of budget after re-doing the inside. Now I don't think I will do anything. Whoever built this house insulated the basement in an unusual way. Curtain drains around the foundation leading to one of three sump pumps that never run - one is a grinder pump so I can put a bath down there, one is a sump pump required by Ohio law and the third is a water powered back up pump if we need it and have no power. Then on the outside (poured concrete foundation with brick pattern in and outside) he sprayed the foundation with an asphalt product, applied a mesh product, sprayed again and then use 4" of rigid foam to the dirt line. On the inside I used two coats of Ultra Drylok followed by two coats of SW brilliant white paint and two coats of SW concrete on the floor. No dehumidifier needed, constant 68 degrees year round. Replaced the furnace and A/C system courtesy of my home insurance with a high efficiency system. No round ducts, all rectangular old style but easy to clean. 2,800 useable square feet with utilities

Here in the Northeast, you'd have serious problems with your lender at $250/gsf.. The local small custom builders are ballpark $125--150...excluding land, fees and the Architect. And the large production builders are $110--125/gsf ...including the Architect. This is unless you are building a "trophy home" well in-excess of the local real estate market...and self-financing. Gone are the days of mortgages in excess of estimated appraisel.

@Arminas666

4 жыл бұрын

I have to hire you for 125- 150

what about roof venting for passive cooling?

Always like seeing details of sprayfoam attics. Want to do that to my 1969 home. These are great!

@hightechredneck8587

5 жыл бұрын

I replaced the Bat insulation in my attic with R60 closed cell spray foam back in august and got new 95% efficiency furnace. This year was the coldest year we've seen in 40+ years in Alberta and my bills were half of what they were last year during a very warm year. In fact the last month we've been around -10C to -15C at night and my records show the furnace didn't kick in till 3am. It is so worth it.

@VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

4 жыл бұрын

You could have also just loaded up another foot or two of fluffy insulation and it would have had the same affect for way cheaper.

Thanks for the tips I'm getting ready to remodel my early 50s home and was going to do expanded foam glad I saw this video first cuz I was just going to lay it or my trashed insulation was in the roof

I see small vents at the base of your “perfect wall” house. Is that a vented crawl space? I thought you said that was dumb to do?

@hetfieldofjames5261

3 жыл бұрын

@Baylor Gerardo stfu

Matt what is the process when you have to replace a sheet of decking and the underside has spray foam. Does that foam have to be cut out and reapplied?

@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, pretty much anything with spray foam has to be demo'd. Seen entire reroofs chainsawed off because the sprayfoam formulation wasn't correct and the house was a toxic hazard and nobody was able to live inside.

@shadowopsairman1583

3 жыл бұрын

Yes

Your knowledge is incredible and it's excellent that you share it.

Great video, very clear footage and really in-depth explanatory commenting. Thanks very much

Thanks Matt for everything you do. I've watched you for years now, and every little repair or upgrade I do is based off of your expertise and recommendations. Keep up the awesome job! My question is would you recommend converting a "production" home in San Antonio with a vented attic, into an exterior insulted home? Or just stick with converting the vented attic into a condition sealed space? Home was built in 2008 and is coming due for a paint job, and most days I'm a few minutes away from ripping all of the Hardie board off the exterior, so I can beef up the air sealing and insulation. Should I invest in this current home, or invest in a new home? The house is two stories, slab-on-grade, with radiant barrier/foil board roof with asphalt shingles.

@MustardMade

Жыл бұрын

What did you do?

I'm in florida, and I had always heard insulating between the roof rafters, under the roof decking, increases the speed of deteriorization of roof shingles, because there is no ventilation under the shingles to help carry away the heat. Is this not true in your understanding?

@asherdie

6 жыл бұрын

Skip Watson so he gets to put a new roof on every 15 years...

@skipwatson1951

6 жыл бұрын

grumpybill ... instead of 20 ... yeah, I guess that's a good point. Blessings.

@rwbz28

6 жыл бұрын

it will. Go metal.

The amount of knowledge in your head amazes me.

Fascinating stuff Matt. Thanks for sharing this...gives one much to think about.

I love this channel and watch every video. This one brings up a few questions though. Wouldn't spray foam insulation in the rafter bays prevent roof leaks from entering the house and cause a roof leak to go unnoticed until the roof partially caved in from dryrot? Don't you want roof leaks to drip on the ceiling drywall and make water stains to warn of a roof leak so it can be fixed before causing structural damage to the roof sheathing and framing?

@activechaos128

4 жыл бұрын

Not to mention that you cant recycle wood that has spray foam on it. And imagine that a house full of spray foam catches on fire. There would be a huge column of black smoke billowing off.

@Roobiekun

4 жыл бұрын

A good question, but consider the average homeowner who doesn’t go into their attic space regularly. I recently noticed a roof leak near my plumbing vent pipes, but the decking has already begun to rot. Why didn’t I notice ceiling stains? Because of the partial flooring, and items I had stored up there. Lessons learned, I suppose. In a conditioned attic space, though, it sounds like a hygrometer would be a good idea to detect roof leaks, since it’s open-cell foam. What do you think?

would conditioned attics be ideal in cold climates?

@mon-ti6bx

6 жыл бұрын

hi, I'm in a cold climate with a sealed attic using spray foam. I have moisture issues which lead to mold on Windows and closet clothing. I have baseboard heat and ductless A.c. units. what's my best option to remove moisture.?

@johnclark7406

6 жыл бұрын

Ventilation if your home isn't new construction (if it is new construction the moisture is normal so buy a dehumidifier and rum it for a couple of months or until humidity levels drop). Tight homes need supplemental ventilation.

@mon-ti6bx

6 жыл бұрын

thanks, I can run my ductless units in dehumidifier mode 24/7. it's a shame cause it seems counterproductive, having to run a compressor waisting power.

@leehammond3289

6 жыл бұрын

Have you looked at an ERV to get some ventilation air?

@brandon3514

6 жыл бұрын

I was under the impression that insulating the bottom of your roof deck will reduce the life of your typical asphalt shingles, because they get too hot not being able to dissipate heat. Let me know if im wrong please

Winners have systems! Heck yeah! Love your stuff Matt. I watch them over and over again.

Matt, would you keep the original blown in insulation in your first example or remove it after the spray foam is applied?

Yikes who would thumbs down this video?? Anyway great info!! I am going to see if spray foam insulation is feasible for my attic. I am wondering though if when I re roof my house whether it would make sense to put the insulation on the exterior and then re roof.

@buildshow

6 жыл бұрын

Don’t be bothered by the thumbs down. Almost any video I Post gets 10% thumbs down and 10% of the comments are how I’m “an idiot”. If you’re going to reroof the house, consider and Insulation upgrade on top of your roof, then a layer of nail base and your new roof. No spray foam necessary. The only thing you’ll have to do is seal off your vents and in sure there’s no outside air leaking into your attic. Thanks for commenting! ( and the 👍🏻)

@justaworkeryup636

5 жыл бұрын

Matt Risinger its prob mostly contractors that thumbs down. He is a very whiny person who complains for no reason. The first attic he showed obviously had some work done after build and they never put back the insulation in that spot. He likes to spend a lot of money that the average person cant afford. I would really love to see him build a budget house.

Learn a lot with every video

I sprayed closed cell right to the bottom of my roof deck in Canada. 1890's home. Allowed me to get rid of the attic all together and open up the ceiling, add skylights. It's been an absolute dream.

These are great Matt. Keep em coming.

Have you done a cost comparison between exterior insulation on the roof to open spray foam on the inside of the attic?

@TheAxecutioner

6 жыл бұрын

^^^ That is the million dollar question !!! If it doesn't translate into substantial savings, then these videos are much ado about nothing. And when there are no efficiency numbers to accompany the videos, that's fishy.

@williamfritzsche33

6 жыл бұрын

Don't rule out structural insulated panels. They are strong and very energy efficient.

Hey Matt great video. I’ve been a long time fan. Big question though if you’re using a spray foam on to the decking of the roof how do you handle venting for the roof?

@DTWCT

3 жыл бұрын

You don't. The increase in temp of the shingles is negligible compared to a vented attic

@rob214

2 жыл бұрын

I prefer a baffle between the roof decking and insulation this allows air flow from the soffit to the ridge line to keep any moisture water vapor and condensation to vent and dry out it also prevents mold mildew and it keeps the decking the same temperature on both sides to prevent these problems great question ⁉️

Is it possible to do a "perfect roof" with overhangs? I've seen other vids where you endorse zipwall; how do you feel about zip roof? since vapor and moisture is on the decking, can you add the polyiso on top or would that cause issues?

Appreciate the informative videos, the house at the end looks great

I've slowly come to the conclusion that floor plans should have machinery space and narrow halls to house HVAC duct/plumbing/electrical built into the inhabited levels. Adding 400 sqft into the average home is pretty cheap up front and will pay off massively over the life of the home between energy savings and much easier maintenance.

@TheOysterjam

6 жыл бұрын

i'd prefer the box style he showed, where you give up a foot of ceiling space for the mech space

@jayceesse

6 жыл бұрын

Totally agree!

@member5488

6 жыл бұрын

Those ideas certainly cost less and conserve floor space, and are a big improvement over what is done now, but I just like the idea of being able to easily inspect and work on the vitals, also easy access for potential upgrades or future changes. I guess I've seen too many instances of rodents, who can amazingly manage to appear and be in places never thought possible, chew up insulation and flexible duct work. Having all that duct work effectively sealed from view could well mean chewed up ducting with 5 pounds of rat turds inside it. Maybe these newest very tight and sealed homes are completely rodent proof, but I have a hard time believing that. Also having as much of the plumbing and wiring in an easily inspected area adds to the over all safety factor, but where I'm at, square footage gets pretty cheap once you pass a certain point, and the land to build on is cheap as $5k an acre would be a high price a few miles out side of town. In more expensive markets, it would be a much more costly proposition to surrender so much floor space to machinery.

With spray foam, what happens “WHEN” roof decking needs replacing? It seems like it could also hide a roof problem?

@peteyou2325

2 жыл бұрын

I'd also like to know if your roof shingles would be adversely effected by spray foaming your roof sheathing. Wouldn't the shingles tend to get a lot hotter in the summer and cause them to curl? A question for a roofing contractor or a shingle manufacturer perhaps.

@enkrypt3d

2 жыл бұрын

if u have to replace any wood, u can remove it or cut it out. Or just put a new roof deck down on top of the old one as long as it's not rotted.

@enkrypt3d

2 жыл бұрын

@@peteyou2325 no there is no impact on the shingles whether or not you have spray foam in the attic

@rob214

2 жыл бұрын

You're absolutely correct it should be done with baffles between the rafters so you have a small air space between the roof decking and the insulation or put a water screening material on top of the rafters before the roof decking goes on

@rob214

2 жыл бұрын

@@peteyou2325 this has absolutely no impact on the shingles or any other roofing materials but a good question ⁉️

That last house looks absolutely beautiful!

As an engineer and builder in the northeast, I have always tried to have the air handler and distribution in the conditioned space. This is an energy efficient approach that is easy on the equipment.

Roofs should be vented underneath THEN insulation to isolate the space. Mike Holmes covered this. The top and bottom surfaces of a roof should have equal temperature (or close to it). Moisture is reduced and can evaporate. Snow cover will not ice-up... PLENTY of advantages. Space lost is inches, you just want a channel between rafters, outside the house envelope from wall to roof peak.

I’ve heard foamed roofs can make the shingles and wood buckle due to heat. Any truth to this?

@JarvisElian

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, talk to you territory representative from GAF/Certainteed/Owens Corning

@hvacmike1175

4 жыл бұрын

Yes spray foam sucks over the long term. Asphalt shingles have little or no warranty when installed over a spray foamed deck. In hot humid climates it will cause the decking and shingles to buckle. Spray foam is the best worse thing you can do to your home. Run from any home that has it especially in a high humidity location. Additional mechanical systems are required to remove moisture from the attic space these systems will add $10,000 to the cost of the home and require regular maintenance and have a expected life span of 10 years. At which time you will spend another $ 10,000. The best bang for your buck is R-38 insulation and a well ventilated attic. I only have experience in Florida with the spray foam. This stuff is a maintenance nightmare will be compromised at the first roof leak that needs to be found. Your roof will probably have a shorter life cycle due to the heat building up in the decking and roofing product instead of dissipating into the attic space and then vented out. DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT ON YOUR HOME THE ONLY POSITIVE IS A COOL ATTIC EVERYTHING ELSE IS A NEGATIVE. So for 1/20 the cost of foam go with R-38 batts or blown insulation and use the savings for a pool, man cave vacation all led lighting outdoor kitchen,solar panels etc etc the solar will pay you back for years to come. The foam will cost you for years to come. This is my opinion only from over 40 year in the HVAC trade. Google spray foam and roof warranty. This alone will cause you to run from this stuff

Hey Matt! Great video as usual. Always entertained by negative posters and people who do like the videos... wondering if you might do a video on strength of using foam and also a video for us down here in the south of strengthening the building for hurricane resistance?!

“Do the right thing” should be the operating rule for every builder. Unfortunately it is not always the case when expensive mistakes are made in choice of materials or construction techniques. But, when the wrong thing gets done, “Do the right thing” means fix it at your expense, not the customer. You passed the test of a builder with integrity. If I were building in your area, I would try to contract with you. Well done, sir.

how long do the shingles last . We know that lack of ventilation will shorten the life of shingles in a 70's type attic. How do you detect a leak in the roof? The ceiling foam looks like it could create other problems.

@aduptuniform2647

4 жыл бұрын

15ish years. And u should be able to detect a leak.

@AnthonyBrusca

4 жыл бұрын

The unvented attic does not always mean unvented roof.

$250.00 sqf is very north of most custom home budgets. I really like your videos but that statement sounded more in line with a money's not a concern build!

@BigHappysPlace

6 жыл бұрын

I was thinking the same. 250 is very high. most builders are around 80 to 90.

@buildshow

6 жыл бұрын

I would expect a lower cost in other parts of the US. But we need to set higher expectations for performance on our homes. Gone are the days of a home built for $xxx/ft (Insert local average cost). A well-built home with good systems, a thoughtful design, and good tradesmen should cost 1.5x (local average cost). We should be building homes that last a few generations without problems, that are healthy, durable, efficient and long lasting. Build better not bigger.

@michaelamick8295

6 жыл бұрын

Matt Risinger, that's great if you can recover the premium cost within a 5-7 yr window but the resale price of the home will only bring $ average of "like" homes recently sold. Unless the owner can document real utility saving to project forward the home will likely not resell for a premium.

@hkgonra

6 жыл бұрын

Michael Amick yep, have seen this happen to many people that custom built there home. Then bank comes in and says I don't care about your upgrades or how well you insulted, a house in this area is worth x per sq ft and that is all we will grant a loan for. It's a sick feeling to spend $250k on a house where you did a major part of the labor yourself because it was your profession and the bank says it only appraises for $180k.

@Niccodemure

6 жыл бұрын

Hard to say "most" when referencing anything. Our client base covers homes primarily $1.2 -$15 M and we are just south of Austin. Everything is relative .

How much does it cost to add a walk-up attic with attic truses and floor? We want to build a colonial with an attic games room. It seems like quite a bit of wasted space.

Cool deal! I love the last house that you showed. My whole life I have been wondering why we always had to put insulation on the inside of buildings. It never made any sense to me. Thanks for showing that you really can insulate out side of the box. :-D

@zac0912

3 жыл бұрын

Cause hail and storms.

You didn't cover blue tarps, those are popular downsouth... 😂

@JeromeBill7718

6 жыл бұрын

xephael - just in the guest house.

@VertigoGTI

6 жыл бұрын

They're also used frequently in Ohio. Who needs shingles when a tarp and cinder blocks will do the trick? #ihatemyneighborhood

@CHixon

6 жыл бұрын

Except for your budget design #3, these designs are not practical along the Gulf Coast for a number of reasons

@blueyblack2793

6 жыл бұрын

what reasons? (just wondering - I live in utah lol, so it probably won't apply to me.)

@atywood

5 жыл бұрын

Lizard King right!

So it's ok to put spray foam directly under the decking of the roof without an air gap?

@gregphillips7969

6 жыл бұрын

No it's not ok, 1) voids shingle warranties, 2) tends to trap moisture or condensation against wood, problems 5 years down the road. We are just beginning to see issues with spray against roof decks sprayed 5-7 years ago.

@benjaminblack5888

6 жыл бұрын

I do not agree with Matt on this spray on insulation direct to the sheathing. The APA (American Plywood Association) specs out requiring that one side of the OSB or plywood have an air space next to it to allow moisture to escape away from the wood. Radiant sheathing will also require that there be an air space next to the foil laminated side. I would recommend a ventilated radiant barrier roof deck using a double deck with furring strips or installing a full coverage baffled underside to a continuous vented soffit and up to ridge vents to achieve a 1/150 nfa. Then a foamed underside could be achieved. The direct foamed decks are a nightmare for finding leak issues and if the decks have to replaced, oh boy. I believe that GAF has a really great vented roof decking product that would offer the best of all worlds.

@buildshow

6 жыл бұрын

Not true. It doesn’t void warranty and even if it did when was the last time you heard of a collection on a shingle warranty.

@buildshow

6 жыл бұрын

The only issue with Moisture is with high humidity in the house. Use a dehumidifier if you are in the South and/or add a small amount of AC supply

@buildshow

6 жыл бұрын

Yes it’s ok.

Awesome video. I always remind people to put in roof vent baffles before spray foaming.

We where always told if you insulate the the upper under roof area the warranty would be void on the the roofing material, any answers would be appreciated !

Fire codes?? That much closed cell foam needs to be covered for fire codes in our area. Plus it would cost $20,000 to $30,000 the house will never make up that cost.

@jamesnj3454

5 жыл бұрын

What about intumescent spray paint?

@ethanlamoureux5306

5 жыл бұрын

@Ego Twistick Not all of us live in California and Texas! Where I live, two story plus a basement is a very common building plan. I grew up in such a house, and I would probably build that way if I were building a new house.

How do you find a roof leak? How do you even know you have one? All roofs leak it's just a matter of when.

@robertgordy7002

4 жыл бұрын

Open cell foam doesn’t hold water ...water will come through it and you’ll see where it is coming from. Open foam is easily removed so you can repair that area. Closed cell foam is NOT to be used in the attic because it will not let the water through which will cause rot in time.

If you are in the process of putting on a new roof would it be cheaper to updated 1960s home with foam above the deck before the roofing goes down? Is there any reason this is not a good way to do it?

In the case of retrofitting an existing attic with vented soffits, would you just block and foam all spaces between roof joists at the upper story top plate? Any concerns with leaving the vented soffits in place?

Florida is starting to ban or extremely limit any spray foam. You can not spray directly on any exterior wood structure, from the inside. They are finding that when a leak does occur, the water runs into the nail or exterior fasteners and fills the foam with water in those spots. And this develops Black mold. Also, some insurance companies are not insuring homes that have spay insulation on the under side of the roof, if they had a new roof put on after the insulation was sprayed. Because of all the nail penetrations in the foam.

@flashstar99

5 жыл бұрын

Would probably consider nailing up some higher-density fiberglass instead. Better than dealing with the foam nightmare.

@HWY66

5 жыл бұрын

so glad someone is finally talking about how foam can be a huge problem

@jimrusch22

5 жыл бұрын

I always wondered about this as well. Besides high density fiberglass, what other alternatives are there?

250$ / sq ft!? Wow thats more than double any house I know of!!

@1974jrod

4 жыл бұрын

Not to mention slab on grade. Lol

@OldTrekkie23

4 жыл бұрын

Ah, you must understand this is Austin, TX, where Matt lives and works. Average home price is now north of $400k. My 1982 vintage ranch is appraised at $180/sq ft.

@HowToGetMoreMetal

4 жыл бұрын

That’s what a quality home cost now adays

@HistoricHomePlans

4 жыл бұрын

It's all about where you live. I worked in the San Francisco Bay Area 20 years ago and $250 sq.ft. was bottom of the rung home construction cost. I can't imagine what costs must be like there now.

@ACoustaDC

4 жыл бұрын

I'm sure half of that is permits

I have a modular home that i just replaced the roof and im going to finish the up stairs with 2 bed 1 bath. I was thinking of spray foaming the whole roof in stead of insulated the framed walls. But there is vented soffits. Should i cover and foam around or do i leave open an insulate the exterior walls?

would it make sense to spray foam an attic when the house has central heating and air? My ductwork is ran through the crawlspace so I'm not concerned with hot air around the ductwork. But I have that ratty attic insulation and I feel like the spray foam would be much better for energy efficiency. I have an outside AC unit.

4:21 you talked about doing it, but it wasn't done, so really you've created a conditioned space which is not ventilated. A closed sealed area, with no ventilation. Professionals like to call that a man trap, where people go to die from asphyxiation. Good rebuttal.

I'd like to share my experience with high efficiency furnaces in unconditioned spaces and the lack of local codes and knowledge. It's almost comical but these poor home owners are the ones having to pay for mistakes made during the new construction process.

@rob214

2 жыл бұрын

You're right they pay the cost of contractors short cuts poor engineering and poor quality in craftsmanship it's all about as cheap and quick as possible for as much profit as possible they don't care about their customers even after the sell in resolving problems it's a cheap bandaid fix maximize profits is all they are concerned about

Hey Matt, Love the channel. We viewed the perfect wall house during the AIA tour, and really loved the attention you gave to the house's longevity. Could you ever see a system like that working with a CLT panel system for a home? It would allow for an easy air tight construction along with a fast construction timeline. Would love to hear your thought. Thanks, Logan

Matt, I rarely agree with you as much as I did on this video. I loved the concept on your "monopoly house". I totally agree with conditioned attic space with radiant barrier and a breathing roofing system. I probably would have kept the house a bit lower to the ground and had covered patio, porch where the large windows were to cut down on direct light even though it was a wooded lot. loved the open floor design. People sometimes don't understand cost and quality along with speed of build. you will always pay good money for a real craftsman and more if you want it fast. A well built home like that 1 keep the buyer happy for a very long time only needing to change out the water heater in 12 to 15 years and maybe a paint job. Maybe hire out a reputable handy man to clean the gutters and check your caulking every year. It will hold value and peace of mind is priceless.

what about the health issues from isocyanate..the spray foam..aka polyuethathane..not saying it not great for insulating..but that is only part of the story..

Spray foam is fine unless you get a roof leak.

@999raiderz

4 жыл бұрын

Or a fire!

Can you recommend anything for building in the Midwest where we get very cold and very hot with high humidity? I'm going to try building a mid sized home but want it extremely efficient.

So, when insulating a finished attic with spray foam between the rafters, do you need to provide ventilation from the soffit to the ridge similar to batt insulation?

Unvented attic will make comp shingles deteriorate much more quickly, also makes leak detection and diagnosis/repair much more difficult. Something to consider! IMHO It's a trade-off Mr. Risinger

30-50 years ago we did not have the foam sealer

@Signorconstructionandroofing

4 жыл бұрын

Robert Fulton we sure did

@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb

4 жыл бұрын

And your family's health was much better for it.

I have open-cell foam under my roof sheathing of a 1945 walk-up attic in Massachusetts. Seven years ago the closed-cell was double the price but was informed that if/when the roof ever leaked (using closed-cell) I wouldn't know until the walls showed signs of moisture. With the open cell the leak would pass through the foam and show on the attic floor or spot on the ceiling downstairs. I know many houses don't have floored attics throughout the country but it was one of the reasons I bought it.

Really liked the plenum space in the trusses. I’ve designed trusses for 30 years and have not seen this detail before. I’ve learned a lot on this channel. One of my favorite! Keep em coming.

Gasp! Toward the end of the video, did Matt really say $250/sq. ft. was a cost efficient figure???

@TheAxecutioner

6 жыл бұрын

"North of"

@OvertravelX

6 жыл бұрын

williamhoodtn Yeah, that might be typical in California or New York, but it's damed expensive in Texas.

@edhorsegolfer4784

6 жыл бұрын

Here in Ga too. You could probably cut cost with 2 x 6 exterior framing and using that 3" of insulation board he used but the wood will telegraph some outside temp to the inside. The roofing system was spot on.

@VindicatorFFXI

6 жыл бұрын

I payed 150k for my 2080sqft house.....yes i have the fluffy stuff....that means i payed 72.11/sqft......with his math id pay 250/sqft.... Or 520k for the same size house....a 370k difference....over 30 years id need to save 12,333/year in energy savings(this doesn't even include the financing of that extra 370k over 30 years)

@edchaos2679

6 жыл бұрын

williamhoodtn nothing this guy does is cost effective

Matt, you could write a book . I suspect people would be queued up to buy it.

@buildshow

6 жыл бұрын

Very kind! I’ve been thinking of doing some in depth Training Videos. Think the market would respond to that?

@HickoryDickory86

6 жыл бұрын

Matt Risinger I think it might, though I'm certainly no expert in the construction field. But I think that even if just DIY-ers pick them up, there is bound to be some market for such videos. That said, I would hope that the more respectable contractors would pick them up as well, and maybe use them to train their new recruits (or even the old hats for particular, challenging jobs).

@adrielrowley

6 жыл бұрын

Matt, how about putting in a few numbers so they know the why? Even then, still an uphill push (currently having difficulty enacting ECMs that I have shown to be very effective using eQUEST). I would watch, never know what you missed and could learn.

@johnclark7406

6 жыл бұрын

Martin Holiday of GBA has a great book.

If a home has ridge and soffit vents can spray foam still be applied? The HVAV system is in my attic and I would like to control the heat and cold in the area. I am in the North East. Thank you

My place is about 12 years old. We just moved in about a year ago. We are in the Waco, TX area. I have a very voluminous attic and the builder used "fluffy stuff". We just replaced all 15 windows with a very good product that uses argon exclusively in the double pane windows. The window areas are very tight now and I can tell already my cooling bill with me significantly lower this summer than last. The home is a single story 1650sqft home. Mostly brick and some Hardy Board. I'd love to go to foam and "conditioned" attic design AND convert that huge attic space into some living space. I don't want to overbuild for my neighborhood from a value perspective, but we're going to be here for a while and would like to add value and equity with such a conversion. What would you guess might the cost of doing that type of conversion? I might be able to get as much as 400sqft of living floorspace out of our attic. I'm just trying to conclude if it's worth it.

Inexpensive @ 250 sq ft??!!!!? What the

15:54 looks like a tuna can to be honest with you, great video about insulation though

What do you think about a house made of concrete prefabs held together with flexible epoxies?

What happens when your sealed up tight like that and you turn your bathroom fan on? It’s gotta pull air from somewhere right? Have you had any issues with that?