Good Building Score: 47

Recommendation: Nopal Favorite

This recipe starts with locally made open wood trusses. These get more strength out of small dimension lumber while leaving open space for services such as plumbing, electrical and ductwork. In this case we went a step further and kept those services fully inside the thermal, air and moisture barriers in what are called service cavities.

The trusses are filled with blown in Blown-In Woodfiber Insulation insulation and protected by a Vapor Variable Membrane . This is totally airtight and adjusts permeability based on the season. Keeping moisture out during the winter when warm, moist interior air wants to travel to the exterior and increasing drying during the summer when any built-up moisture wants to get pulled into the interior.

This system balances moderate complexity with the fewest possible layers for a 100+ year old system that won’t break the bank or bring on excessive risks if the install isn’t perfect.