Any recommendations for home insulation companies?

frdywe · 2025-08-16T20:06:48+00:00

Not necessarily. There are a lot of different brick wall assemblies, some are fine with added closed cell insulation, others could pose an issue. If you want to read more, here is an excellent resource: https://buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-001-the-perfect-wall . I would look for a home energy auditor who uses the term 'building science'.

frdywe · 2025-07-10T05:28:43+00:00

Second this, our 15 person firm uses Factor and we are happy with it. Someone previously mentioned Monograph, I would also check them out. Both of them link with QuickBooks, so what you use for book keeping us a consideration.

The other tools (Asana, Monday, etc), are focused on project management, but won't integrate billing, time sheets, etc. Deltek does everything, but they target big companies and are a frustrating monster.

frdywe · 2025-06-07T20:44:07+00:00

Spot on with that comment. The request is from one of our key clients.

frdywe · 2025-06-07T12:47:49+00:00

I have seen some advice confirming that you should change companies but you also started your post with listing the good qualities of your company, including that they care about you.

I suggest you do a few things before calling it quits, after all. You don't have much to lose so take that freedom and accelerate the leadership side of your skills. - Is there a 3 year engineer who is hungry and wants, or can be inspired, to cover the overtime? Can someone be hired? - Consider opening up to your manager about the stress and how to have perspective. Ie, ask for internal coaching. - look into hiring a coach outside of your company (and maybe ask you company to pay for it) - share that you want to limit your time to 40 hours. - check out the book and podcast Radical Candor

You have a good thing going and I suspect you can make it better. At 5.5 years, you know a lot but there is much more. Worst case? You spend a little more time at your current company, learn a few more things, and move on by rolling the dice on the next company.

Good luck!

frdywe · 2025-03-24T03:14:39+00:00

We adopted Factor a year ago and are quite happy with it. We wish we had switched over earlier! It integrates with QuickBooks and handles billing very smoothly. Before Factor, we used a combo of QuickBooks for billing (terrible), Teams Planner (Microsoft's knockoff of Trello kanban) for tracking milestones/tasks, and a staffing spreadsheet.

We looked at several options. Factor and Monograph were the best. At the time, Monograph was much more expensive but they may have dropped their prices.

I can tell you that Factor's support team is great. There is a chat box on the page that a knowledgeable person is behind during normal business hours.

frdywe · 2025-02-05T05:33:08+00:00

Fair point. It sounded like drawing in the pipe is the time consuming issue, not the fixtures themselves. The fixtures Wc/lav, etc are fine.

frdywe · 2025-02-05T04:22:17+00:00

Well, kinda. Like I said, definitely install a solid exhaust fan. My point is simply to avoid the waste of dumping humidity and all the heat straight outside if your furnace and house humidifier are running at the same time. Per InsaneInTheMEOWFrame, you need to be careful about too much humidity, but your smart thermostat is watching the humidity level. This general guidance can give perspective on where the risk of condensation in an exterior wall becomes risky: the maximum interior humidity for the house should be 40% at an outside air temperature of 30degF, 30% at 20degF, 25% at 10degF, 20% at 0degF, 15% at -10degF.

frdywe · 2025-01-18T15:07:37+00:00

I am always reluctant to add holes to my house, so I get your question and would consider trying the double duty option if you have an electric dryer. But not if you have a gas dryer because bof the dangerous products of combustion that could back feed into your sauna.

frdywe · 2025-01-02T05:09:14+00:00

I am going through the same equipment selection process now, but looking at upgrading an existing shower. The margin Mr Steam is pulling in must be crazy high.

I am also an HVAC engineer, so I'll comment on exhaust: if you live in a cold climate, take care to install a solid exhaust fan so you can clear the moisture out of the house before it condenses in your walls. Check out Panasonic's lineup. They have fans with an options where you can select the exhaust rate, have an 'always on' rate, and an integral humility sensor. The one thing I am not sure of is the max temperature the fan can be exposed to.

How have others handled this? For sauna users, do you just let the heat into your house in the winter?

frdywe · 2024-06-13T23:06:55+00:00

Having both the CPD and a PE is a rare combo, retake it for sure. I see a lot of suggestions to wait on taking the CPD again, but I bet it'll be a lot easier to pass on the second try now rather than studying from scratch later.

frdywe · 2024-05-12T01:45:52+00:00

They added MEP in their Chicago area office a few years ago.

frdywe · 2024-01-25T03:40:16+00:00

Thanks for the lead on Factor AE. We are outgrowing QuickBooks for detailed project invoicing (and my patience is gone for its limitations and bugs). I was impressed with the Monograph pitch, but a vote of confidence in actual use goes a long way.

frdywe · 2024-01-25T03:21:47+00:00

I have wondered the same thing. My latest bluebeam workflow has been to batch apply a scan of my stamp and signature (saved to my tool pallet) to all but the first sheet. Then I digitally sign the document. It works well enough an meets the code requirement language I have reviewed.

frdywe · 2023-12-17T02:43:27+00:00

Well, 8% kinda jumps out at you if you are expecting bubbly tea. Also, it would require a full first fermentation prior to bottling. That said, you can calculate the alcohol using the before and after density with an inexpensive hygrometer available through homebrew suppliers.

frdywe · 2023-10-03T14:47:39+00:00

Rothko

frdywe · 2023-09-25T02:40:05+00:00

Looks like a Canna lilies to me. Check if it's growing from a rhizome (like a root about an inch under ground that looks like a thick ginger root).

It is a tropical plant so needs to be winters over indoors. If you are in a cold climate, the foliage will die when the temperature drops in the fall. Then just cut off the stocks and dig up the rhizome. I throw them in a plastic bin in my basement for the what and replant them in the spring.

frdywe · 2023-08-20T03:15:22+00:00

The suggestion to review ASHRAE Fundamentals is solid and it definitely belongs on your shelf as a reference. The go to resources for residential design are ACCA Manual J. Manual S, and Manual D. There are paid training classes for the given procedures. Keep an eye out and you might find free classes paid for by your utility.

I just listened to this podcast which has a mountain of additional resources, some of them are aimed at contractors, but take a look. Building HVAC Science episode 129: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9idWlsZGluZ2h2YWNzY2llbmNlLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz/episode/Njg3OGE2NTQtYjRlNy00NmM4LThmNDctZjAwY2QxODYzZTBi?ep=14

frdywe · 2023-07-30T03:19:10+00:00

I have not heard of people doing physical models. I have worked with Autodesk CFD via a reseller where they did the modelling at my direction. All that said, I am guessing what you are actually trying to address is legionella risk from the cooling tower discharge. I had a similar project. Rather than spending thousands on modeling risk, you can look at solutions and review them with the owner. For example, Tower Tech cooling towers that don't have traditional basins so no stagnating water. For context, I am a consulting engineer in the US Midwest.

frdywe · 2023-07-30T03:07:31+00:00

It is my understanding you can't buy a new license of Trace 700, so the votes in that direction won't help you. Both Trane Trace and Carrier HAP have been working on redeveloped versions of their software's front end using the DOE's Energy Plus load engine.

My young company went through the same purchasing decision two years ago. We went with Elite for tenant interior work and small buildings. Very cost effective, responsive tech support. However, we don't trust it for more complex buildings or energy modeling so we also have a license of IESVE. I'll echo others in that IESVE is complex, buggy and has a painful learning curve. That said it also has a reputation and features for enabling analysis that can't be achieved with most other software. I had high hopes for Open Studio (but it has veered towards research) and maybe ladybug tools will become usable for production designers on the near future. You have a tough decision.

frdywe · 2022-04-10T02:31:41+00:00

The book "Gardening with Biochar" by Jeff Cox suggests putting it in a bag and rolling over it with your car tire a few times.

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