From the yard and the job site

Notes on foam, slabs and code

What we learn supplying this material, and what changes in the codes that govern it. Written for the people who have to install it.

Code and Compliance

Slab Edge Insulation in Zone 7: R-10 Carried Five Feet

Minnesota requires R-10 slab edge insulation carried five feet in zone 7, against 3.5 feet in zone 6. The code table, the heated slab footnote and…

26 October 2026 5 min read

Code and Compliance

How to Prepare Your Duluth Home for the Cold Season

Duluth's first freeze averages 30 September. What climate zone 7 requires for attics, walls, slab edges and air sealing, and where the heat really leaves.

26 October 2026 5 min read

Material Science

Mold in New Construction: What Goes Wrong in Minnesota Homes

Mold needs a surface above 80 percent humidity for a month, not a leak. What that means for exterior foam, ZIP sheathing, concrete and HVAC in…

13 October 2026 9 min read

Code and Compliance

HUD Compliant Foundations Explained: Terms, and What They Mean in Duluth

What HUD, the HUD Code, a permanent foundation and HUD-7584 mean, then the Minnesota frost depth numbers that decide how deep you dig in Duluth.

5 October 2026 6 min read

Code and Compliance

Frost Protected Shallow Foundations: What the Code Requires in Duluth

Section R403.3, the air freezing index, and the Table R403.3(1) row that applies at Duluth's design index of 3,000 degree days.

1 October 2026 5 min read

Code and Compliance

Minnesota Insulation Rebates and Energy Savings: What You Can Claim Right Now

The federal 25C credit ended 31 December 2025 and Minnesota's rebates have not launched. What is still available in Duluth today, with a savings calculator.

30 September 2026 4 min read

Code and Compliance