Ways we collaborate with builders

Building codes are becoming more complex and detailed, homeowners are demanding tighter homes, better air quality, balanced ventilation, non-toxic materials, the latest technology, and future-proof homes. It’s tough to keep track of the ever growing list of details that can all affect building performance. Velum can act as your sounding board, second opinion, or expert help when you don’t know who to turn to.

  • Every project is unique and there’s no one size fits all solution when it comes to building assemblies. Builders often ask us for help finding the right combination and location to achieve continuitty of the four control layers – whether it’s understanding the vapor profile of sheathings and WRBs, air-sealing strategies, what tape or liquid flashing should they use, or the optimal combination of materials to achieve performance while staying in budget.

    We help answer your questions and can provide detailed construction drawings to make sure your trades in the field are clear on installation details.

  • Whether you need a blower door test and energy compliance report to pass your final building inspection or you just dried in the house and want to make sure you didn’t miss any points of air leakage, we can run a blower door test and fog the building to ensure no areas were missed in air sealing. Catching mistakes early on is much less costly than on a warranty inspection.

    Further, if you’re looking to quantify the potential effects of thermal bridging or simulate various combinations of materials and wall assemblies we can produce hygrothermal simulations to let you understand the optimal situation for your project.

  • Far too often HVAC installers on a project receive a duct design that does not fully contemplate the actual framing members of the home or decisions were made in the field during framing that materially alters the duct design. A few feet of extra ductwork and some elbows may seem innocuous, but can dramatically affect the volume or air and performance in the space. We can work with architects and structural engineers up front to design the duct layout and even produce a detailed BIM model of the duct system, if requested. From there, we field verify installation and can fine tune as needed to ensure the performance meets the design.

  • Managing the four control layers in existing buildings can be complicated. We can help assess and design the appropriate details and material selection when rebuilding to ensure durability and performance expectations are met.