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An ERV is not required because of spray foam - any moderately well sealed house should have an ERV, regardless if it is sealed using spray foam or other measures. Spray foam generates fumes and aerosols while it is being installed and during curing while the volatile components evaporate...

It looks like there are a half a dozen service centers within 25 miles of me. But you can also buy parts online: https://powerplusparts.com/pages/parts I have several Ego tools and have been very happy, they are quiet, powerful and they just work. I wouldn't go back to gas for any of them.

Given your milder winters, the 17F numbers may be your best point of comparison - for the Mitsu the max output is 29.2 kBTU/h with a COP between 2.25 and 3. https://ashp.neep.org/#!/product/208894/7/25000/95/7500/0///0 For the Daiken at 17F the output is 26.1 kBTU/h with a COP between 2 and...

You are right - EV related tax credits end 9/30, heat pump credits are the end of the year.

Unfortunately that Daiken combo isn't on the NEEP cold climate heat pump list just yet. What it your 'typical' low temperature? At 5F the Daiken will put out 24000 BTU/h at a COP of 1.8 whereas the Mitsubishi will be 26,600 at a COP of 2.1 so the Mitsu low temp performance is a little bit...

I am in the process of installing ply on my walls at the moment and went with GRK trim head screws. They are pretty discrete, but still retain the huge advantage that you can easily remove any wall panel you may need to. Unless your ply is absolutely flat (which mine is not) then you will end...

That would be a good question for an architect. From the satellite image, it seems like this will be a very prominent feature of your property, so definitely worth putting some thought into. Just my personal opinion, but 3 double garage doors in the row will make this look very...

More architectural interest. I don't know how close this is to your house or how large your lot is, but if it is going to be a major impact on your backyard, work on making sure it really enhances your property. By the looks of your plans, it seems that you are willing to spend some money on...

Yes, the polyiso or XPS can be against the roof deck and sealed with can foam.

For an unvented roof assembly you want the impermeable insulation (the polyiso) closest to the roof deck and carefully sealed. The rockwool goes below that. If you are replacing the roof covering, have you considered putting a couple of layers of foam on the outside...

I have to say, this is a far better designed and implemented thermal envelope than 99% of garages and probably 95% of houses! Either way you do the batts, you will be doing well.

I think option 2 with the batts against the roof deck is the better option, but both are likely OK. With an unvented roof assembly, the issue you are trying to avoid is having a surface inside your vapor barrier that is cold enough to condense. Option 1 seems like it would have more air...

LiFePO4 batteries have been around for longer than 10 years. I have been usign a 200Ah 12v system in my camper since 2016, and that was built out of 4 year old second hand/used cells at the time. I haven't done a full capacity test in a couple of years, but the last time (in about 2022, so...

I was also stumped by how to best do this, until I stumbled on the Airex fittings. I am using the horizontal one. It is one of the few options that seals up fairly well and doesn't look like a kids play dough accident of foam and caulk.

Also in Colorado here - in our climate the heating performance is FAR more important than cooling performance. Comparing the heating performance of the Mr Cool units with pre-charged line sets to other 'hyper heat' units that require a vacuum pump/guage set makes it pretty clear you don't want...

I looked at the options at Home Depot today - yes the Sandeply is ****, the face veneer has to be 0.1mm thick. The prefinished birch at Home Depot also has a ridiculously thin face veneer. I ended up settling on AC Radiata Pine in 0.68"- 23/32" thick. It has a much nicer quality veneer than...

Any thoughts on Sandeply? I looked at some AC plywood today and was suprised by the number of repair plugs on the 'A' side. The veneer on sandeply seemed much more consistent. It is about the same price as AC Fir.

Thanks for the real world feedback. I use a lot of 'real' Baltic Birch with my CNC router, and I assumed the Menards stuff was not that, given the price point. Part of the attraction of plywood walls is their ruggedness - if the Menards birch isn't going to hold up, then that defeats at...

I called around our local hardwood suppliers, and they are about 50% more for unfinished birch (albeit Baltic Birch, not whatever the stuff a Menards is) than for the Menards pre-finished. A sheet of 12mm BB goes for around $110 here, whereas the prefinished at Menards is $80. This is part...

Most of the Coyotes and some of the foxes around here have pretty bad mange and other diseases - they also tend to have significant amounts of rodent poison (usually anticoagulants) in their blood. You are right that eating a poisoned mouse/rat generally won't kill a predator, but eating a...