Sealing the crawlspace is one of the innovations that allows the Green Idea House to use 70% less energy than the old house that was here.  It also ensures that the air we breathe is safe.

Crawl spaces are useful to allow access to mechanical parts of the building.  But as a result of antiquated building codes, they can end up being spaces where heat and cold, moisture, termites and rodents all enter through poorly designed vents.  That can rot the building, make them harder to heat and cool and contaminate the air you breathe.

This weekend we completed the last step in mitigating all those elements.  Wes Harding of Harding Construction on behalf of Efficiency First California (Formerly the California Building Performance Contractors Association) taught a class at the GIH.  In addition to getting a tour, the class focused on why crawl space sealing is so important and the proper methods for applying and sealing the Stego vapor barrier.

The end result is a clean and dry space that will perform beautifully throughout the life of the building.  The bigger bonus is that five students now have a much needed skill and can start businesses based on that knowledge.

We had to update the post with a note we received from one  of the attendees of the class:

“I wanted to take a minute and follow up on the Green Idea House Crawlspace Sealing event last Saturday and say thanks for making the sealing of your crawlspace a training opportunity for the building performance community. It takes people like you and your family to push the industry forward and what you two have done is admirable. It was a pleasure to meet you and your house is awesome

Thanks again,”

Tags: Affordable, Case Study, Community, Life Cycle, Net Zero Energy, Zero Carbon

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