Podcast Episode 654: Functional Shutters, Attic AC, and Lime Wash Recipes
Listeners write in about saving frogs, attic ductwork, lime wash, and energy ratings for real estate.
The Podcast crew talk about the beauty and benefits of functional shutters. Matt shows us how to save wildlife from window wells. Richard explains how to improve attic air handlers and ductwork. Matt Millham shares his favorite lime wash recipe.
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Note: The Fine Homebuilding Podcast team is always looking for ways to improve, so we’re switching up our video strategy. But don’t worry—you’ll still be able to watch all your favorite clips from the show. Check out our YouTube channel or keep scrolling to see more!
Mike’s Trip to Italy: Mike shares photos of Italian shutters.
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Listener Feedback 1: Richard answered our call for folks with expertise in attic air handlers and ductwork
Richard writes:
Virtually no one down south has basements. As a result, air handlers/furnaces and flex duct in the attic(s) are common in everything from spec to high-end custom homes. One advantage is that no living space is lost and there’s room for a supply and return plenum.
Sometimes new construction uses wide hall closets for the equipment with returns directly below the elevated air handler/furnace. Occasionally, attached garages are used in a similar configuration. In both cases, supply ducts rise vertically into an attic space and spread like an octopus. Returns are often adequate and short but not carried to separate rooms. Supply runs can be undersized and rarely have equipment-mounted dampers to balance air flow.
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One advantage of flex duct is it rarely leaks except at the ends. So a day of sealing those ends and maybe adding manual dampers feeding oversupplied rooms can be effective. The attic air handlers and attached plenums leak when used but can be taped, siliconed, or mastic-sealed. Generally, filter housings are 1 in. but often can accommodate special return filters like the Honeywell FC40R1029, which has a 1-in. lip but a 4-in. to 5-in. media filter body.
An adequate retrofit is to take the air handler or furnace out of the attic and place it below in a closet. Leaving plenums and existing ductwork as is. This is efficiently accomplished when the air handler/furnace is being replaced. A better solution is to encapsulate the attic with spray foam (open or closed). Foams are now available with built-in ignition barriers. Foams has many advantages, including lower HVAC loads, equipment and ducts in a conditioned space, reduced bugs, etc. Retrofit spray foam is easy, quick, and effective as long as existing soffit vents are sealed first.
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- 8 Strategies for Effective Ductwork
- Hiding Ductwork in Architectural Elements
- Keeping the Ducts Inside
Listener Feedback 2:
Matt writes:
Hello FHB podcast crew (specifically Brian and anyone with a terraced window well),
During Episode #650, Brian described his terraced egress window well as a “torture chamber for frogs.” I also have a terraced window well and used to struggle with trapped critters. In addition to frogs and toads, I have rescued mice, baby rabbits, and a baby bird. One would think that any one of the critters listed above could have easily jumped up the terraces, but the rescues seemed like a weekly chore, and it finally got tiring enough that I came up with a solution. I call them my Critter Stairs.
I took some scrap pressure-treated 4x4s and built 4-in. staircases in the corner of each terrace. And magic! No more stuck critters! Although, I have never witnessed a critter actually using the stairs, the fact that I have yet to have to rescue anything since installing them means they must be working.
Attached are some pictures and hopefully a solution for turning your “Frog Torture Chamber” into a Critter Obstacle Course.
Thanks for all you guys do!
Best regards,
Matt
Brighton, Mich.
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Question 1: How do you make a lime wash?
Paul writes:
Hi,
What is the lime wash recipe?
I have a 100-year-old poured-concrete basement. There are no leaks, but the walls are always damp, and I have a lot of efflorescence. I remember an episode from a few years back when you talked about mixing a certain kind of lime powder in a liquid to paint on interior foundation walls. Can you remind me the recipe for this paint, or direct me to the right episode?
Thanks so much!
Paul
Matt Millham answers:
When I make lime wash, I use Type S hydrated mason’s lime. It’s already hydrated so you don’t need to slake it. It’s pretty much ready to go for any purpose. I plop it in some water and mix it up. You want to have a bunch sitting at the bottom of your container, so you can put in quite a bit—like one part lime to two parts water. Then just keep mixing as you paint. Add more water as you go/use it up, and add more lime if you don’t have a pile of it sitting in the bottom of your container. Paint as many coats as you’d like. It will probably take a few coats to get the buildup you want, but it goes/dries quickly, and since this is a basement you maybe don’t have to worry about being sloppy. Good luck!
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Discussion Point: The value of energy retrofits for resale
Matt writes:
Hi FHB Crew,
I have been wanting to write in about this for a while. There are many people out there who want to improve the efficiency of their homes, but they don’t want to “over-invest” in their houses, especially when it comes to resale value.
The real estate pricing norm is based on location, square footage, and lot size. Given similar houses in the same neighborhood—one with energy retrofits and one with original, leaky everything—both would probably sell for around the same price because the square footage and area are the same.
Education and awareness have been discussed as the best solution for getting a return for energy-efficient upgrades. But I think, until now, little has been done to improve either. Ann Arbor, Michigan, implemented a new law requiring a Home Energy Rating Disclosure before selling a home.
The city of Ann Arbor describes this program as follows:
“The Home Energy Rating Disclosure (HERD) Ordinance provides consumer protections by requiring that a Home Energy Score (HES) assessment be conducted before a home lists for sale. The HES Assessment will generate a score and a report that will provide home buyers information on a home’s potential energy use and costs. HERD makes a home’s energy use easy to understand, like a miles-per-gallon/charge rating for a vehicle.”
I think this is a great first step in educating people of the—often hidden—costs of owning a home. In addition, it gives a quantitative value that people can use to compare similar homes. In the long run, it should help push the demand for energy efficiency, or at least reward energy upgrades with higher selling prices. It may even allow banks to factor energy usage into their lending practices, allowing people to afford slightly more expensive, yet more energy-efficient houses.
It will be interesting to see how programs like this affect the real estate market and the demand for energy-efficient housing.
Love the podcast and look forward to listening every week!
All the Best,
Matt
Brighton, Mich.
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Well, unfortunately that is all the time we have for today. Thanks to Mike, Brian, and Andres for joining me, and thanks to all of you for listening. Remember to send us your questions and suggestions to [email protected], and please like, comment, or review us no matter how you’re listening–it helps other folks find our podcast.
Happy Building!
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