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 advisor Mike Guertin, Fine Homebuilding contributing editor and production manager for TDS Custom Construction Ian Schwandt, and producer Andres Samaniego. Please email us your questions to [email protected].

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

Check In:

• Mike: Takeaways from the Passive House Rhode Island BS*+Beer session
• Patrick: Spark Martha’s Vineyard

Listener Feedback 1:

Tim writes:

Hey Team,

Minisplits have come a long way from wall-mounted cassettes. Ceiling-mounted cassettes are the future for smaller homes. There are no duct losses; they’re very efficient; it throws heat and AC only where you need it; and it fits in a 10-in. joist space.

RELATED STORIES

• Mounting a Minisplit in an Out-of-Level Ceiling
• Recessed Minisplit
• Making Sense of Minisplits
• DIY Minisplit Installation

Listener Feedback 2: European shop equipment for small-batch production of custom work

Tom writes:

Greetings FHB podcast crew,

On a recent podcast short you discussed Casey Knips and his efforts to prep materials prior to delivery/installation, and invited listeners to write in with small shops.

I am in the process of shifting the focus of my business from general contracting to a focus on producing custom wood storm doors, as well as producing replacement window sashes, which requires extensive shop work.

Prior to purchasing our home in 2018, I had been running my business out of a mini-storage unit across the street from our apartment. When we bought our home, I was able to move production from the mini-storage unit to the detached two-car garage. One of the major advantages of the garage over the mini-storage space was that I was able to begin operating 240v machinery, which eventually led to my current state of running three-phase 240v industrial machinery.

My shop is set up for small-batch production of custom work. To that end, I’ve heavily invested in good quality, European shop equipment, including the following:

All of the above is carefully arranged in a 700-sq.-ft. detached residential garage. So, needless to say, I don’t have the capacity to produce dozens of windows or doors in a given day. That being said, I can quickly produce very good quality doors or windows in small batches.

RELATED STORIES

• Talking Shop
• Podcast Episode 651: Pretty Good Houses, Replacing Innie Windows, and Talking Shops
• A Small-Shop Survival Guide

Question 1: What is Building Science?

Carson from Oregon writes:

Hi FHB Crew,

Thanks as always for a great podcast. I keep hearing Building Science mentioned, but is that a real academic field, and if not, why? The top hit for Building Science is Joe Lstiburek’s private Building Science Corp. Is there a degree in “BS”? Are there academic conferences devoted to BS beyond trade shows, or are there equivalent fields? If one wanted to get into BS, what field or career path would they follow? When researching problems, I often struggle to find any academic resources beyond 20-year-old DOE papers or an occasional Texas A&M publication.

Thanks,
Carson

RELATED STORIES

• What is Building Science?
• Contemplating Building-Science Education
• 8 Building Science Mistakes to Avoid
• DOE: Building Science Education

Question 2: What is the best way to fill in a large pit in an unconditioned basement to bring it up to the floor level?

Michael writes:

We bought a house on Long Island that was built by a golf enthusiast. At one end of the unfinished, unconditioned basement is a rectangular pit that was a part of the original foundation pour. The pit is 12 ft. long, 8 ft. wide, and 4 ft. deep (meaning 4 ft. below the rest of the floor level). There are steps (also part of the original pour) leading down into the pit. When standing in the pit, the ceiling is therefore about 12 ft. above—the 4-ft. pit height plus the 8-ft. ceiling height. There is a drain on the floor of the pit. There used to be a 10-ft.-high metal frame in the pit, which had netting all around and a target for striking with golf balls. There is almost 4 ft. of basement floor around the perimeter of the pit, so the metal frame and net kept the golf balls in but also served as a safety feature preventing someone from falling into the pit if they were walking around the perimeter.

We’ve discussed many alternate uses of the pit—a sunken living room, a ping pong table, etc.—but none of them quite work, and they all effectively decrease the potential of this space because there is this unused 4-ft. path around the pit. We’d rather have the full square footage all at the same level.

So the question is: what is the most economical and appropriate way to fill in a 384-cubic-foot concrete space (12x8x4) in an unconditioned basement to bring it up to the floor level? Does the drain complicate the options? I’ll add that we could park a truck (e.g. a cement mixer, rock hauler, etc.) outside near a window not far from the pit, but the window is small (it’s more of a meshed opening for ventilation than a window and about 1 ft. x 9 ft.).  There is also a Bilco door at the other end of the basement, but the stairs are steep and we couldn’t park a truck very close to it. If we were to bring material in through the Bilco doors, the truck would have to be about 60 ft. from the pit and would have to pass through a gate and around a corner. What do you think is our best option?

Michael

RELATED STORIES

• Dealing with a Faulty Basement Slab
• Planning and Prepping for Basement Flooring

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Unfortunately that is all the time we have for today. 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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