Cold Climate8 min
How to Insulate a New Home in a Cold Climate — What We Learned Building in the Midwest
We made mistakes so you don't have to. This is the insulation strategy we'd use again — and the one change we wish we'd made before drywall went up.
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8 min read
Cold Climate9 min
Best Insulation Types for Extreme Cold: Spray Foam vs. Fiberglass vs. Rigid Board
R-value per inch, moisture resistance, cost — all three types compared side-by-side for the Midwest's freeze-thaw conditions. One clear winner for rim joists.
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9 min read
Cold Climate7 min
What R-Value Do You Actually Need in the Midwest?
Zone 4 minimum code requirements versus what actually keeps your heating bill under control — the difference is larger than most builders will tell you.
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7 min read
Cold Climate8 min
How to Prevent Ice Dams on Your Roof (and What Causes Them)
Ice dams aren't a roofing problem — they're an insulation and ventilation problem. Fix the cause once instead of pulling ice every February.
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8 min read
Cold Climate10 min
Cold Climate Windows: What to Look For and What We Chose for Our New Build
U-factor, triple pane versus double low-e, and the frame material question that tripped us up — with the exact windows we chose and why.
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10 min read
Cold Climate7 min
Why Your Garage Gets So Cold — and How to Fix It
An uninsulated garage door destroys everything else you've done. Here's the right fix — and it costs less than a single heating bill.
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7 min read