This is a clever, state of the art, solution for venting the roof rafters. It is a whole system carefully thought out and tested and well worth installing. The beauty of this idea is that it doubles as excellent insulation that will save you thousands in heating or air conditioning costs. It provides cross ventilation between rafters and around openings and seals that air from the rest of the rafter bays until it reaches the ridge vent. In addition, the components are made from recycled material. The best ideas are so simple. The website needs work, but all the information is there if you read it through. It is a much better idea than the flimsy foam solution most architects are using right now. Here is the link to Tom’s website, and a few photos of the products involved in the system.

Click Here : Corwin Industries Roof Rafter Ventilation & Insulation System

written by pencilman \\ tags: roof rafter venting

Please do not mistake this for a recommendation because I haven’t tried the following roofing product. However, it does appear at first glance to be an interesting solution to some situations. It looks a little bit plastic to me, but I might get used to it if it’s longevity added value to my home and peace of mind. I bet it’s tested for hurricanes and the snow slides off well. The point here is that you can have metal and have shingles at the same time.

Interlock Roofing

written by pencilman \\ tags: metal shingle roofing

I will admit, it is curiously difficult to find a building materials supplier in Maine who has any idea what a Termit Shield looks like, or a builder who ever installs them. Mainers are under the impression that they are unecessary due to the impression that termites seldom appear in Maine. Well that will change as they migrate north with population growth. However, we already have a severe problem in Maine with ants infesting homes and eating the wood frame of the house. What is traditionally called a “termite shield” will also work for ants. If you do not install one in your house, you are making a serious mistake. I found two companies online who supply termite shields. Print them and bring them to your builder or supplier and tell them you want these on your home. They are installed by laying them along the top of the foundation wall, under the sills. Here are links to their PDF brochures.

http://penciljazz.com/blogpdf/Flamco_termiteshield.pdf

http://penciljazz.com/blogpdf/Union_termiteshield.pdf

written by pencilman \\ tags: Termite Shields: Ant Infestation Prevention

Without going deeply into the electronic technical details, here is a diagram of the way the system components are hooked up. Ask your favorite solar system installer for his recommendations on particular manufacturers. The basic setup is really quite simple.

More describing the system concept.

written by pencilman \\ tags: Solar System Diagram components