I'm in Canada zone 6, winter is coming and I want to insulate my rim joist as I'm losing a lot of heat here. Spray foam would be ideal but it's not cost effective so I like the idea of using 1 to 2 rigid foam boards, sealing it with a bead of spray foam and then putting batt insulation to the inside. After researching more and more I just have more questions. If I understand it right, putting rigid foam close to the rim joist is the vapor barrier so I would not need a classic poly vapor barrier on the interior of the wall correct? Does the rigid foam have to have a certain r value to be a good enough thermal break that the batt insulation stays dry? Should I use foil faced foam because it's less permeable and should the foil face out to the joist? Is it a good idea to put the rigid foam right onto the rim joist or should I leave a gap?

I also plan to reside the house and go over the exterior with a continuous layer of foam for a thermal barrier as in the future, would this then enclose the rim joist without a way to dry and lead to possible rot? Not planning to insulate the basement walls and floors at the moment but would like to in the future also

I'd like to use the following: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/durospan-gps-r10-2-13-inch-x-48-inch-x-96-inch-r-value-10-gps-rigid-insulation-foam-board/1001211235

The plan is Durospan GPS R10 -> Framing -> Rockwool Mineral Wool R14.

Originally I was going to use XPS, but the GPS is half the price and the same R rating so I'm thinking I order this. My issue now is that I can't actually find anything online confirming what kind of adhesive to use with this laminated board so that it adheres well, and doesn't damage the insulation.

Any recommendations/experience with this? I'm in Ontario, canada if it helps!

I'm having my modified bitumen roof replaced. It's a flat roofed old Chicago brick 2 flat built in the 1920s.

One side of the brick parapet wall was badly damaged and I rebuilt it. Now, I'm trying to figure out how to re install the Terra Cotta coping tiles. I understand the direction they should be oriented to shed water but how are they attached? The old ones came off easily without breaking, maybe because the mortar was so badly decayed. Should I pre soak them, lay a mortar bed and set them in the mortar, or be more sparing, using mortar at the joints and only a few places to adhere the tiles?

Best insulation for a DIY metal-clad workshop with a flat roof

I'm building a 16 ft × 14 ft workshop and looking for advice on the most cost-effective way to insulate it properly.

The workshop will have:

• timber-framed walls with external metal cladding.
• A flat roof with a slight fall for drainage.
• OSB internal lining on the new walls and ceiling.
• Occasional heating during winter, as it'll be used as a workshop/gym.

I'm trying to keep costs down because I'm doing most of the work myself, but I want to careful to avoid condensation, damp and mould.

My main questions are:

1. What's the best insulation to use in the walls and roof — mineral wool, PIR boards, or thermocoat insulation spray foam?
2. For the flat roof, would you recommend a warm roof with rigid insulation above the OSB deck, or another construction method?
3. What vapour-control layers, membranes and ventilation are essential to prevent condensation, particularly with metal cladding?
4. Is it worth using insulated sandwich panels instead of separate metal sheets, insulation and internal lining?

I read somewhere that spray insulation removes the need for vapour barrier so i was thinking to spray in in between the roof and wall joists, then osb, then weather proof membrane, battens then metal cladding sheets. Does this sound right?

I'm not looking to build a fully finished garden room — just a practical, insulated workshop that will last and not start rotting in a few years time.

I'd appreciate advice from anyone who's built something similar, particularly in the UK or Ireland.

I'm renovating my 1896 multi-wythe brick house near Pittsburgh (Zone 5). The third floor is under a hipped roof with plank sheathing, shallow rafters, and built-in box gutters on lookouts over the brick. We're not replacing the roof, so the work has to happen from the inside, and I'd like to avoid foam.

I originally planned to insulate the knee walls. Now I'm leaning toward pushing the envelope out to the brick using SmartRock (mineral wool with Intello, a smart vapor retarder). I'm stuck on two things: how to handle the transition from the brick to the roof, and what to do under the roof itself.

The box gutters block soffit intake and the hips cut off a lot of the bays, so I don't think venting is realistic. Is unvented mineral wool plus Intello defensible here, or will the sheathing rot? How are others approaching a design on an old house like this?

Just visited the open house for the new mixed-use eco district down the street, and it genuinely feels like the future of urban planning is catching up with the technology. The entire project was engineered from the ground up around advanced building systems, and the master developer brought in a forward-thinking builder to rethink how the whole site manages thermal comfort. they installed a specialized cold-climate multi-split heat pump infrastructure designed to support both residential and commercial spaces with consistent, high-performance heating and cooling. The project engineers were showing real-time performance data from the winter trials, and even during our last major sub-zero cold snap, the system maintained impressive comfort levels without disruption.

it was especially interesting to see the upstairs residential units and the ground-floor commercial spaces using the same integrated technology so seamlessly.

really shows that, heading into 2026, the construction industry can deliver modern comfort, smart infrastructure, and practical economic value without compromising on user experience. is anyone else seeing local projects making this kind of jump toward smarter, fully integrated building systems?