Kevin...thanks for giving us all hope! It's encouraging to hear from one who has come through the experience with a positive outcome. My DH was likewise VERY insistent that the windows be properly flashed, despite the GC's assertion that it's overkill. Same with the attention to detail regarding caulking, sealing and insulation, so I am hoping for the same energy-saving results as you described! But for those of us who haven't been hanging out on this forum for that long, can you share any other examples of good things that came out of your build? Any photos for us voyeurs here?

Kevin,

Thanks for the update! I'm glad it all worked out for you.

The thing about working with you, is that you understood early on that there is not one miracle thing that you can do to make a home perform like yours does. It is a multitude of different systems, materials and theories working in harmony with each other to achieved the final goal.

I'm glad I was able to help!

Coffeehaus:

Other good things? Let's see.....
--we also put a fireplace insert in(essentially a stove in the fireplace) that sealed that hole off and can heat our house if it isn't too cold out. We didn't turn the heat on until the end of November this year(Northern Illinois).
--No bugs! You get that side benefit when you seal things up.
--Even without using a humidifier, we never have a problem with dry air. Proper humidity keeps things like floors and doors from shrinking/swelling and becoming ill fitting
--The air is fresh inside with the ERV's running
--Even heat throughout the house
--It's quiet, referring to both the inside being quiet as compared to outside, but also room to room. I would have done more insulating and sealing of inside walls if I could go back because it really helps to keep individual rooms quiet from the others. I only did it in some rooms--should have done all!
--When we first moved in, we were without heat for 24 hours, and the outside temp was near zero. Inside? The coldest we got was 59. Not bad for no heat!
--Our builder changed his build techniques after our house, and added a proper flashing step, various sealing techniques, and fresh air.
--We keep a slight positive pressure on the ERV(more air in than out) which ensures the fireplace doesn't smoke us out.
--On a sunny winter day, no matter what the temp, the furnace doesn't need to run. Solar gain is a great thing in a south facing home. Trees block the sun in the summer.
--We did a R-10 on the outside of the basement walls, with permeable foamboard inside, and our basement is super comfortable.

There are more I am sure, but that's a start!

Rollie--Very true. It takes a lot of reading and researching to get the basics, and some helpful folks like yourself to put it all together so it works! We were the first to use spray foam in our county, as well a first ERV install for out HVAC guy. That proved to be a problem as they didn't seal up the intake pipes, nor the insulation over them. So, after a couple years, I accidentally hit the insulation with something sharp and it started dripping water. It had condensation and was soaking wet and moldy. I pulled all that out and redid it myself, and no more issues.

I have plenty of friends who battle wet basements or leaking windows from their new builds, and I feel for them. It's MUCH harder to deal with after the build is done.

All in all, I think it is well worth the effort and expense to build a home the RIGHT way.

Thanks again

We are at the roofing stage and I would love to know what and how you insulated your home. I am very concerned about air coming through the windows and doors. Could you please give me advice?

Kevin...thanks for all of the pointers! What do you mean by permeable foamboard? Did you install it between furring strips? Is it covered with drywall or some other material? Also, are your ERV intake pipes metal or flexline? How was it insulated that you had subsequent problems with it?
We've got an ERV with insulated flexible plastic lntakes entering the basement thru a conduit in the poured concrete foundation.
See what happens when you do something nice like give feedback on this forum? We swoop in for more info!
Cheriepres...have you looked at Rollie's Delores House website? Lots of great information and illustrations there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Delores House

Coffeehaus:

The white(polystyrene? I think) board is semipermeable to moisture. We glued it on all surfaces of the basement walls directly. You don't want your warm moist air hitting cold basement wall and condensing. Also, the basement wall will move moisture into your house, so you want a permeable foam board there(NOT a barrier--it's wet outside, dry inside, so moisture moves in). We then went out about an inch and built our finished walls(drywall and unfaced fiberglass insulation).

The ERV intakes were metal, but the installer didn't seal the joints with mastic as he was supposed to, nor did he seal the insulation around them. I admit that I missed that mistake. I put flexible in to replace it and made sure it was sealed airtight at both ends.