BUILDING BASE STRUCTURES—WHAT IF YOU HAD TO START OVER?
- Worked on a retrofit last year where the client insisted on triple-pane windows. Their house was in a pretty mild zone, and honestly, the numbers didn’t justify the cost. We did a blower door test before and after—air leakage was barely improved because the rest of the envelope was leaky as a sieve.
- If I could start over, I’d always prioritize:
- Continuous insulation (even cheap EPS makes a difference)
- Air sealing—tape, gaskets, whatever you can manage
- Dealing with thermal bridges at framing, especially around headers and rim joists
- Triple-pane is great if you’ve already nailed everything else. Otherwise, it’s like putting racing tires on a rusty old sedan.
- On tracking bills: one client actually did this after swapping out double for triple. Savings were maybe 5% over a year—not nothing, but nowhere near what the window salesman promised.
- If budget’s tight, I’d put that money into better wall assembly or even mechanical ventilation before splurging on glass.
Just my two cents—seen too many folks get dazzled by specs and miss the basics.
BUILDING BASE STRUCTURES—WHAT IF YOU HAD TO START OVER?
Totally agree on the air sealing and thermal bridges—those are always the trouble spots people skip, then wonder why their heating bills are still high. I’d add that sequencing matters too. If you’re tearing things back to studs, I’d go: 1) detailed air barrier (tape, caulk, gaskets), 2) continuous insulation (even if it’s just a couple inches of EPS or mineral wool), then 3) address those rim joists and headers with rigid foam or spray. Windows are sexy, but they’re rarely the weak link unless you’ve got ancient single panes.
Curious—has anyone tried exterior air barriers vs interior? I’ve seen mixed results, especially in wetter climates...
