The FHB crew is coming at you LIVE from the 2025 Fine Homebuilding Summit with a special episode of the podcast! Summit attendees emailed us their questions, and they didn't dissappoint. One asks how to explain the importance of the building envelope to clients while another wonders if we need to do away with one-off design choices in new builds. 

Tune in to Episode 706 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• The best tools for measuring indoor air quality
• The future of the standard wall assembly
• Engaging younger generations with the building industry

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at [email protected].  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 706

➡️ Sign up for a Fine Homebuilding All-Access Membership

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Pia and Stephen have thoughts on flexible floor plans. Mae asks about mainstream housing. Kevin asks about controlling humidity in an attached greenhouse. Austin asks if a sheathing with an integral WRB is worth the extra cost. Ian and Randy discuss home projects and help Patrick answer listener questions about flexible floor plans, building a home greenhouse and the pros and cons of sheathing with integral WRB.

Tune in to Episode 705 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Making the switch from strawbale to conventional building 
• How to control humidity in an attached greenhouse 
• The cost and benefit of using sheathing with a built-in WRB

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at [email protected].  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 705

➡️ Sign up for a Fine Homebuilding All-Access Membership

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

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Doug says that ground water is regional. Hunter asks about the effectiveness of two radiant barriers. Michael inquires about insulating a 200 -year old stone farmhouse. Chris is considering a ceiling update in his family’s’ A-frame.

Grant and Mike help Patrick help listeners address updating old houses dating from the 1700’s to the 1980’s. Insulation, water management and maintaining the historic fabric of old buildings is considered.

Tune in to Episode 704 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• If one radiant barrier is effective, is two better 
• Insulating masonry building without risking future problems
• Improving the thermal performance of a former seasonal home  

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at [email protected].  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 704

➡️ Sign up for a Fine Homebuilding All-Access Membership

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

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Will says a heat pump water heater was a no-brainer investment. David shares a story about attracting workers to the skilled trades. Evan has been thinking about the challenges of running wires behind baseboard. Jim wonders why the Podcast is suggesting propane for off-grid second homes.  

Ian and Randy help Patrick respond to listener feedback and answer their questions about home building, design and remodeling.  

Tune in to Episode 703 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Installation and payback of heat pump water heaters 
• The best ways to attract new trade workers
• Can you live a modern lifestyle off-grid without propane 

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at [email protected].  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 703

➡️ Sign up for a Fine Homebuilding All-Access Membership

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

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Doug describes the science behind soundproofing in theater spaces. Will gives Ian a timely “told-you-so”. Kevin wonders what’s causing his basement stairway to be wet. Dan asks about the future of forest products.

Grant, Brian, and producer Cari address reader feedback on sound-control in buildings and the importance of dedicated dehumidification in low-load houses. They answer listener questions about wet block walls and what building houses will look like in the future.   

Tune in to Episode 702 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Central ducted dehumidification systems 
• Why is an enclosed basement stairway damp
• How we will we build houses in the future   

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at [email protected].  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 702

➡️ Sign up for a Fine Homebuilding All-Access Membership

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

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Patrick, Ian and Grant talk about 700 FHB Podcast episodes, before diving into discussions on the importance of basement waterproofing, how water gets in basements, solving problems with indoor humidity, and figuring out why Chris’ cotton baseball caps feel damp.  

Tune in to Episode 701 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Keeping basements dry in wet places
• How water gets through basement floors and walls  
• Controlling indoor humidity for comfort and durability

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at [email protected].  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 701

➡️ Sign up for a Fine Homebuilding All-Access Membership

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

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In this best-of show the crew talks about bulkhead doors, metal roofing over SIPS, rebuilding Notre Dame, sealing mudsills, and insulating sloped ceilings.

Tune in to Episode 700 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Improving the efficiency of basement bulkheads 
• Details to get right when building with SIP panels 
• Effectivly insulating a new drywall ceiling with sloped and flat sections

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at [email protected].  

Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 700

➡️ Learn about Framing High-Performance Houses by Dan Kolbert, the new E-learning course from Fine Homebuilding 

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

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Patrick, Randy and Ian have a heated discussion about fire safety, including how to wire heat detectors. Scott wonders if an all-electric home is less resilient than one heated with fossil fuels or wood. Pia asks about using big doors to separate living spaces in a new build. Scott might be timber-framing a strawbale house and he wonders what the Podcast thinks about strawbale construction.  

Tune in to Episode 699 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Heat detectors and how to wire them for greater safety 
• Using large sliding doors to separate large interior spaces. 
• The pros, cons and cos of strawbale buildings   

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at [email protected].  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 699

➡️ Learn about the 2025 Fine Homebuilding Summit

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

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Marc says it’s tough to bid electrical work when copper wire prices change daily. Dan thinks we need to consider the carbon costs of every build. Andy asks for advice on building an energy efficient off-grid cabin. Jenna asks about finding conscientious contractors.

Grant, Mike and Patrick discuss listener feedback and questions about price volatility, finding a good roofer, and how to lower the energy demands on an off-grid house. 

Tune in to Episode 698 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Estimating the costs of construction when prices change near daily 
• Is it time to consider carbon accounting for every build 
• How do you find a good roofer or GC in a sea of mediocrity 

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at [email protected].  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 698

➡️ Learn about the 2025 Fine Homebuilding Summit

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

Instagram • Facebook • TikTok • Pinterest • YouTube 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate us on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you prefer to listen.

Ian and Randy help Patrick answer listener questions about building a quiet house and sound-control strategies for new and existing homes and then the Podcast revisits its roots discussing roof venting of low-slope shed roofs. Finally they talk about how to get more water from a low-yield well.

Tune in to Episode 697 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Residential sound control challenges and solutions 
• How to insulate and ventilate shed roofs and  
• What’s a low-yield well and strategies for increasing available water 

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at [email protected].  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 697

➡️ Learn about the 2025 Fine Homebuilding Summit

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

Instagram • Facebook • TikTok • Pinterest • YouTube 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate us on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you prefer to listen.