Welcome to the Fine Homebuilding podcast, our weekly discussion of building, remodeling, and design topics aimed at anybody who cares deeply about the craft and science of working on houses. This is senior editor Patrick McCombe. I’m joined by Fine Homebuilding editorial director Brian Pontolilo, Fine Homebuilding contributing editor and production manager for TDS Custom Construction Ian Schwandt, and producer Cari Delahanty. Please email your questions to [email protected].

You can find previous podcasts and check out the show notes at finehomebuilding.com/podcast

Check In:

Ian: Perennial beds and vegetable garden

Brian: 2025 FHB Summit 

Patrick: Router purchase instead of Domino. Check out Tim Snyder’s: Strong Connections with Loose Tenons.

Listener Feedback 1: Experience with ground-source heat pump

Ryan writes:

I wanted to comment on the ground-source heat pump conversation in Episode 686.

Back in 2006/2007, I installed an open-loop (pump-and-dump) GSHP system to replace a 25-year-old oil hot-air furnace. The big reason for going this route was an inadequate water supply.

The house is a 2500-sq.-ft. ranch-style house in the lakes region of New Hampshire (climate zone 6a). We needed a new well and would need a new furnace within a few years anyway, so we combined the projects together. We drilled a 350-ft. well to get adequate water column and upgraded most of the existing ductwork. An unfinished basement meant easy access to the ducts, and while routing was maintained, the duct sizing had to be increased. The cost for installation was approx $18k.

We did have some cost savings with the change from oil; our monthly electric bill during peak heating months was around $400. It’s hard to accurately calculate, but that’s in the neighborhood of 25-30% annual savings. That’s a good saving percentage, but it would take 20+ years to pay off if you look at it only with a narrow, energy-savings view. The long-term goal goal was to follow it up with a solar array, but a divorce during the 2008 housing crisis killed those plans.

A big takeaway is that it delivered warm—not hot—air (80˚F is cool to the skin). Friends, family, and later a tenant had difficulty figuring out it was actually a heating system. Similar to a radiant floor system, it was best to maintain a constant temperature setting since it would take very long to bring a cool house back up to a comfortable temperature.

We would encounter the occasional issue where the sediment filter would restrict the water flow and create a system lock out. We didn’t install the emergency backup heat, so during a lockout the air would continue to circulate and cool the house, further compounding the problem. We had a woodstove for backup, but obviously that only works when someone is home. Eventually, we learned to clean the filter every three weeks in the winter to prevent the problem.

I’m told these systems are more efficient for cooling, but we only used the “AC” a few times during the hottest days of the summer.

I’m a longtime reader, and I’ve been listening to the podcast for a couple years now while doing an exterior renovation of my current house using Larsen trusses.

Ryan

RELATED STORIES

• How it Works: Ground-Source Heat Pumps
• A Geothermal Heat Pump Takes Care of Heating and Cooling

Listener Feedback 2: Installing bronze weatherstripping is challenging

Zak writes:

Hey guys,

Serendipitous timing here. I was listening to podcast 593 this morning, and there was a pretty healthy discussion around spring bronze, which is what I used to weatherstrip these doors (see photo). It’s the original method of weatherstripping on the exterior doors in my house, which I believe are from the ’40s or ’50s when the house was remodeled.

The spring bronze did not work as well as modern weatherstripping materials in my application and was pretty difficult to install. I had to predrill every nail and fasten them at 1-in. intervals. The oak is really tough stuff and the bronze nails are pretty flimsy. Getting a good seal between the two doors while maintaining smooth operation proved to be pretty difficult. I used some nail-on-trim with a vinyl bead on the sides, and that works great. You can see both details here. (Excuse the mess, it is still pollen season here in the DC area.)

Where the doors meet I also added a nail on astragal on both sides to cover the joint for aesthetics—but also maybe air-sealing?

RELATED STORIES

• Weatherstripping Door Frames

Question 1: How to replace vinyl siding and siding for an outbuilding and how to fix a wrong-way concrete slope

David writes:

Dear Fine Homebuilding Gurus,

I’ve been a longtime devotee of FHB, going back to the days when Rick Arnold, Larry Haun, Myron Ferguson, and, of course, the Duke of Decks, the Prince of Porches (and a host of other accolades for which I can’t come up with something clever) Mike Guertin, made regular appearances in the magazine. I’ve written once before, but given that I didn’t mention air-sealing, WRBs, roof venting, or minisplits, my questions weren’t answered. I’ll at least try to mention one of those things this time!

I’m honestly starting to panic. As of three hours ago, I finished listening to all 685 episodes of the podcast and am not sure what I will listen to as I continue restoring the 200-year-old plaster walls in our master bedroom (now that’s a project for the magazine). And I apologize in advance for the length of this.

Please consider this proof positive of the influence you have on some of us. At the very least, FHB inspires me to really dig into building systems so I can learn how things work, not just accept that they should, and to up my game with the confidence to tackle some projects that were beyond what I would have previously imagined. After 24 years and a whole lot of podcasts, I still have the drive to continue renovating, albeit at a slower pace, to finish off the last four rooms and two staircases. And to think, I had a full head of hair when I started working on this house. Oh, and I do have a couple of questions.

The vinyl siding I reluctantly installed 20 years ago (I wanted to install new cedar claps but my better half said no) is showing its age in spots, and I’d like to replace it with an engineered product. I’ve been going back and forth between Everlast composite siding and LP SmartSide, leaning toward the former.

At the same time, I’ll be replacing all the window and door trim and splash and corner boards with some sort of cellular PVC. Being a historian and wanting to respect the house’s history, I made the mistake of remaking all the window and door trim out of wood not realizing at the time that I wouldn’t be able to paint the sides once the J-channel was installed. Do you have any advice with regard to either of these siding products? I’m actually trying to find a contractor to take on this job as I’m getting too old and out of shape to re-side the house by myself for a second time. Unfortunately, the highest and hardest to reach areas of the house are inaccessible for a scissor lift, which I’d rent in a heartbeat (I own scaffolding but it’s no fun to set up). Alternatively, what do you think about replacing damaged sections of the vinyl and making pocketed cellular PVC trim to replace the wood?

The barn/shop is sided in painted vertical shiplap pine. My plan is to install a WRB to control water and an engineered lap siding as well. The pine siding boards are also the interior (i.e., the siding is nailed directly to the girts and is the wall you see on the inside). Everlast siding’s instructions state that fasteners should penetrate at least ¾ in. beyond the back of the sheathing when not hitting a stud; SmartSide wants 1½ in. overall penetration. I believe code says at least ¼ in. of penetration beyond the back of the sheathing. Given that I don’t want fasteners sticking through into the interior and that there are no studs per se, I can’t fasten the siding according to manufacturer’s instructions (or code?). The pine siding is a full 1 in. thick. Do you think that would be sufficient to hang new siding? Perhaps I could use screws instead of nails? Should I put up vertical strapping every 16 in., pad out windows and doors, and go that route (besides being a lot more work, the overhangs are minimal and would all but disappear if the vertical strapping is too thick)? Perhaps an engineered vertical siding because there’s more structure to hit? Once again, your advice is appreciated.

Last but not least, I have a masonry question for which I think I already know the answer but I don’t want to hear it. The mason who poured the pad for the shop addition sloped it the wrong way, so it slopes from the outside toward the inside. Every time it rains, water comes in under the garage door (see photos). I installed a glued down threshold seal that’s supposed to act like a dam of sorts, but water still finds its way in. I guess I could chase the leak with a tube of silicone caulk, but that’s not my style. Short of breaking up the new slab and repouring it, is there any way to fix this? I’ve seen exterior-grade, high-strength topping concrete mixes. Do you think it’s possible to repour from the edge of the apron to under the door and not have it break apart annually? The addition is a mix of woodworking finishing room and storage, but I do drive a small tractor in there to take out equipment.

Thank you all for the years of service and entertainment you’ve provided. Your contributions to both professionals and homeowners is invaluable. And again, apologies for the length. Be safe and be well.

David

RELATED STORIES

• VIDEO: How to Remove and Replace a Section of Vinyl Siding
• Installing Everlast Composite Siding
• VIDEO: LP SmartSide Siding vs. Fiber-Cement Siding
• Simple Screed for Sloping Slabs

Question 2: Why do commercial building have flat roof and houses have pitched roofs?

Jeff in Houston writes:

Greetings to you all and thank you for providing a valuable, entertaining podcast.

I wonder if you would discuss a building concept that has puzzled me for several years now: Why do most houses have pitched roofs while most commercial buildings have flat ones? I suspect aesthetics and costs are involved but hope you can help get to the bottom of this mystery.

Warm Regards,

Jeff

RELATED STORIES

• Flat Roof Rescue by Dyami Plotke
• A Flat Roof in a Cold Climate
• Guide to Low-Slope Roofing

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That is all the time we have for today. Thanks to Brian, Ian, and Cari for joining me and thanks to all of you for listening. Remember to send us your questions and suggestions to [email protected] and please like, comment, or review us no matter how you’re listening–it helps other folks find our podcast.

Happy Building!

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