Vapour Barrier Electrical Box: Pans, Airtight Boxes and the Seal Before Drywall
For builders: what OBC 9.25.3.3.(6) asks at every outlet on an exterior wall, pan or airtight box, the cable seal that gets missed, and the cheaper fixes.
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Blog & Resources
Plain-English guides to insulation, R-value, air sealing and keeping an Ontario house warm — written by the people who install it.
Pot Light Vapour Barrier: The Surround, the Seal, and Who Does It When
For builders: what OBC 9.25.3 asks at a pot light, why the IC or airtight label doesn’t seal the ceiling, and who owns the surround.
Open Cell Spray Foam: Where It Earns Its Place, and Why the Poly Stays
For builders: why OBC 9.25.4.2 keeps the poly over open cell, where it earns its place, and when BIBS fills a 2x6 for less.
Insulating Basement Walls: The Assemblies That Pass, and Where Moisture Gets Trapped
For builders: SB-12’s R20ci or R12+10ci, the OBC 9.13.2.5 rules on what goes against the concrete, and when foam plus batt beats full foam.
Exterior Insulation: What the Board Outside Changes Inside the Wall
For builders: the OBC 9.25.5.2 ratio, why a cavity upgrade lowers it, and when the poly behind foam board should go.
RSI to R Value: The Conversion, and the Column That Decides Compliance
For builders: multiply by 5.678, then read SB-12’s nominal and effective lines, and what the 22% wall gap changes on site.
Rigid Air Barrier: Where Taped Sheathing Actually Leaks
For builders: what OBC 9.25.3 asks of sheathing as the air barrier, the four transitions where it leaks, and why the poly still goes on.
Closed Cell Spray Foam: Where It Belongs in the Assembly, and Where It Does Not
For builders: the five places 2 lb foam is the specified answer, where batt or BIBS hits the same number for less, and the flash-and-batt detail that fails inspection.
Ontario Building Code Insulation: What SB-12 Actually Requires
The rafter bay has to be insulation, ventilation and structure at once. Vented or unvented is the decision that drives everything else — and it has to be made before the framing closes in.
Cathedral Ceiling Insulation: Getting the Assembly Right the First Time
The rafter bay has to be insulation, ventilation and structure at once. Vented or unvented is the decision that drives everything else — and it has to be made before the framing closes in.
Thermal Barrier Over Spray Foam: What the Code Actually Wants
Spray foam in an occupied space has to be covered. Drywall handles it in any room you were boarding anyway — the trouble is the spaces nobody planned to board.
R-Value Explained: What It Measures, and What It Quietly Ignores
R-value is the number everyone shops on, and it only describes half of what keeps a house warm. Here is the other half.
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Spray Foam vs. Blown-In vs. Batt: Choosing in a Simcoe County Home
Three products, three different jobs. A straight comparison of where each one wins — and where paying for the expensive option is a waste of money.
Read the articleIcicles on the Eaves Are a Symptom. Here Is What They Are Telling You.
Ice damming is not a roof problem, a gutter problem, or bad luck with the weather. It is heat and air escaping into your attic.
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The Rim Joist: The Biggest Air Leak in Most Canadian Basements
It is a strip of wood about ten inches tall running around the entire perimeter of your house, and in most homes it is doing almost nothing to keep the cold out.
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Attic Insulation: When to Top Up, and When It All Has to Come Out
Adding a foot of new insulation on top of a bad attic is the most common money-wasting decision in this trade. Here is how to tell which situation you are in.
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Turning a Three-Season Cottage Into a Place You Can Use in February
Cottages were built for July. Using one year-round means solving a specific set of problems that batts were never going to solve.
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Soundproofing Between Rooms: What Actually Works, and What Is a Waste of Money
Insulation in an interior wall is the cheapest sound upgrade there is — and on its own it will not fix a room where you can hear a conversation through the door.
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Drill and Fill: Insulating the Walls of an Older Home Without Gutting It
If your walls are cold to the touch in February, there is a good chance there is nothing inside them. You do not have to tear the house apart to fix that.
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Insulating a Garage or Shop You Actually Want to Spend Time In
Heating an uninsulated shop is like heating the driveway. Here is how to make a garage, shop or outbuilding practical to keep warm.
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