Jon
@jonkatora.bsky.social
I think about buildings and the built environment a lot. Optimist. He/Him. Views are mine.
Took mine yesterday. I like watching the sunspots go round
January 17, 2026 at 12:46 AM
Took mine yesterday. I like watching the sunspots go round
I asked about interior and exterior vapor sealing and it gave me the the article. Better than most Ai. I got spray foam on the outside with this as my finished interior wall. Should be OK since we sealed the rim joists and top plates if next floor
January 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM
I asked about interior and exterior vapor sealing and it gave me the the article. Better than most Ai. I got spray foam on the outside with this as my finished interior wall. Should be OK since we sealed the rim joists and top plates if next floor
House is starting to look fancy. Next it gets a 3" spray foam sweater on the outside, a #buildingscience good practice.
December 6, 2025 at 4:04 PM
House is starting to look fancy. Next it gets a 3" spray foam sweater on the outside, a #buildingscience good practice.
Literal hours were spent explaining why we cant have a vapor barrier between the slab and subfloor after deciding to flash and batt in the crawl space. It's very easy to screw this stuff up.
November 21, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Literal hours were spent explaining why we cant have a vapor barrier between the slab and subfloor after deciding to flash and batt in the crawl space. It's very easy to screw this stuff up.
Thanks, Philip. Looks, I'll be installing a couple of these next month. Theyre among the most efficient AWHPs on the market. I'll buy you guys dinner if I average anywhere close to the stated COPs on the sell sheet.
November 21, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Thanks, Philip. Looks, I'll be installing a couple of these next month. Theyre among the most efficient AWHPs on the market. I'll buy you guys dinner if I average anywhere close to the stated COPs on the sell sheet.
I'm glad that my new dog respects me and understands who the master of the house is.
November 20, 2025 at 6:09 PM
I'm glad that my new dog respects me and understands who the master of the house is.
I love that my new dog is finally starting to trust me.
November 19, 2025 at 7:15 PM
I love that my new dog is finally starting to trust me.
Why are there no motorcycle spots at costco?
September 23, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Why are there no motorcycle spots at costco?
New hat... smells like dirt.
September 17, 2025 at 7:18 PM
New hat... smells like dirt.
Guess who worked outside all day?
August 30, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Guess who worked outside all day?
There's little 'natural' about this scene, unless we recognize humans are an intricate part of nature.
August 29, 2025 at 12:54 PM
There's little 'natural' about this scene, unless we recognize humans are an intricate part of nature.
#buildingscience tip of the day. Pick up a gallon of water. Heavy, right? Now, pick up a few thousand at once. This is the kind of force your basement walls experience when the water has nowhere to go. Dimple mats are cheap and solve this problem.
August 29, 2025 at 11:02 AM
#buildingscience tip of the day. Pick up a gallon of water. Heavy, right? Now, pick up a few thousand at once. This is the kind of force your basement walls experience when the water has nowhere to go. Dimple mats are cheap and solve this problem.
They fixed the hole in the wall. Getting there
August 11, 2025 at 12:03 PM
They fixed the hole in the wall. Getting there
No longer with us, but his boops were pretty memorable too
August 7, 2025 at 1:11 AM
No longer with us, but his boops were pretty memorable too
Guys are going old school with this wall. Multi-wythe is how we used to build. Those late 19th century houses are still holding up pretty well.
#buildingscience
#buildingscience
July 31, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Guys are going old school with this wall. Multi-wythe is how we used to build. Those late 19th century houses are still holding up pretty well.
#buildingscience
#buildingscience
My occupant is a real asshole, and he's also short and bald. Fortunately, though, he doesn't mind cold or warm air too much. The window is pretty high, and he's hoping it won't be too much of a nuisance. Range hood is about 8' away from the window.
July 16, 2025 at 8:07 PM
My occupant is a real asshole, and he's also short and bald. Fortunately, though, he doesn't mind cold or warm air too much. The window is pretty high, and he's hoping it won't be too much of a nuisance. Range hood is about 8' away from the window.
Okonomiyaki at home for dinner yesterday. Don't think we did too bad. 🍜
July 14, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Okonomiyaki at home for dinner yesterday. Don't think we did too bad. 🍜
We can still build durable, reasonably-sized houses. It's astonishing to me that too often size denotes quality.
Design question for BS. Since the insulation is on the exterior, would you cover the concrete walls with anything or leave bare?
Design question for BS. Since the insulation is on the exterior, would you cover the concrete walls with anything or leave bare?
July 14, 2025 at 1:29 PM
We can still build durable, reasonably-sized houses. It's astonishing to me that too often size denotes quality.
Design question for BS. Since the insulation is on the exterior, would you cover the concrete walls with anything or leave bare?
Design question for BS. Since the insulation is on the exterior, would you cover the concrete walls with anything or leave bare?
I just had this conversation with my carpenter. 2300 sqft is still big for what I want, but when I commented on the size of this family room, he said (jokingly), "we could always make it bigger". All he works on anymore is oversized SF homes.
July 11, 2025 at 7:15 PM
I just had this conversation with my carpenter. 2300 sqft is still big for what I want, but when I commented on the size of this family room, he said (jokingly), "we could always make it bigger". All he works on anymore is oversized SF homes.