Anyone living in a cold or wintery climate should already know how damaging "ice dams" are.   When your gutters clog up with ice and then water runs off from the roof, it gets trapped by the ice dam and backs up on the roof.  It can then travel under your shingles and leak into the house which in turn causes mold, mildew, and often structural damage.

Whether you have a newer home or older home, anyone living in a wintery climate suffers the same.  There are many myths on how to prevent ice damming and sorting through the myths and facts can be confusing.

One of the proposed solutions are to add more insulation to the attic or ventilating the area better.  While for other reasons, it is good to have sufficient insulation and ventilation, insulation is not actually designed to prevent ice dams.  In fact, too much of a good thing can actually retain moisture in this case, becoming compact and losing it efficiency.

How window selection, design, and placement can make a greater impact on efficiency.
By Rich Binsacca
Source: BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine
Publication date: 2011-08-15
Windows have come a long way from the single-pane, aluminum-framed units of 40 years ago. Today’s windows boast high-performance coatings, tints, gas fills, suspended films, spacers, and frame material options, with a variation of specs that enable pros to finely tune and optimize placement and performance depending on a wall’s orientation and exposure to the sun.

Consider a bump-out breakfast room facing east, surrounded by tall windows to capture views and morning sun. Specifying triple-pane, low-E windows with a marginal SHGC rating (perhaps 0.40 or higher, depending on climate) for that particular circumstance, says Gary Gaiser, an architect with Pella’s Architectural Support Services division, boosts the windows’ ability to retain heat and create a warmer interior surface (thanks mostly to the third pane) while also benefiting from some solar heat gain to achieve a comfortable morning environment, perhaps without the need to jack up the thermostat.

In the third installment of costly disasters to avoid, we look at some options that every remodeling and repairing project will encounter.

Disaster #1 – Installing New Windows. There are several factors that come into play when you choose to upgrade or repair your windows. First, there is the character of the window, and how it defines your house. This isn’t necessarily a problem in houses that were built after the seventies. Newer houses are all built the same, especially in subdivisions. Windows will not define your house. The only thing that differs between your house and your neighbor’s house is the siding color and how big your television is. But when you are working on older homes and changing windows, you need to take into consideration how new windows are going to affect the value and appearance of your home. Instead of just ripping out the new window, there are some cheaper methods available. These include new glazing, weather-stripping, carpentry work, and painting. There are also ways to improve efficiency with storm-window options such as fixed interior storms, custom wood exterior storms, and aluminum triple track storms. If you have the time and patience, you can even go as far as just installing an additional pane sash to preserve the look, feel and unobstructed view of the older window.

In following up in our four part series of remodeling disasters, we will look at some very preventable mistakes that are commonly made.

Disaster #1 – Not Coordinating a Team. Most people are not general contractors, nor have they ever been paid for services related to remodeling. You usually have to go outside of the household to get some professional, if not at least quality, work done around the house. The key, like much other disaster planning, is making schedules. You really need to make plans holistically. Say you’re working on remodeling that includes insulation, windows and HVAC. IF the mechanical sub does not know that the house is spray-foamed and you are getting storm windows, he will order the wrong size equipment. So be sure to keep everyone up to date and on the same page.