2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
AIR SEALING 2
INSULATION 6
ATTIC
WALLS
BASEMENT | CRAWLSPACE
QUALITY CONTROL 12
HEATING & COOLING 13
HEATING
COOLING
WATER 15

3. THE HAMMER AND HAND WAY
Hammer & Hand is dedicated to stewardship of the built environment through craft and
science. Since founding Hammer & Hand in 1995, we have been guided by an ethic of
quality, durability and beauty embodied in John Ruskin’s words from over a century ago:
“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it be such work as our descendants
will thank us for.”
Hammer and Hand’s environmental ethos is foundational to our building practices. We
build to last, the most fundamental definition of sustainability.
Home Performance and the Whole
House Approach
At Hammer & Hand, we believe that
anything worth doing is worth doing
right. We build to the highest degree
of quality, durability, and beauty.
Physical comfort, structural integrity,
and aesthetic beauty are all essential
qualities to any home. Like a three-
legged stool, buildings become
inadequate if even one is sacrificed. We make no sacrifices. By Hammer and Hand, all
things do stand.
Hammer and Hand is certified by the Building Performance Institute. Our building science
technicians are always seeking out information on the latest building methodologies and
how they interface with old homes. Guided by a rigorous understanding of building
physics and dynamics, we provide clients with the highest quality home energy retrofit
possible.
Our home performance team always endeavors to optimize our work to provide the
greatest improvements in comfort, safety, and indoor air quality while maximizing the cost-
effectiveness of the project. We achieve this by scrutinizing each variable and fine-tuning
the scope of the project for optimal performance.

4. AIR SEALING: Basics
Stack Effect
Air sealing significantly reduces heat loss through stack effect. Stack effect occurs when warm air
rises and escapes from the attic and pulls cold outdoor air through cracks and holes in the
basement or crawl space to replace the air that escaped. Conditioned air escaping into an attic
can also carry moisture with it. This moisture will be deposited on the cold roof deck above and
can lead to moisture issues such as rot.

5. Infrared image of Cold Air Infiltration
Air Sealing
Improving the air tightness of a building
is the top priority and first step in
improving the comfort and energy
efficiency of the building. Without air
sealing, conditioned air, whether hot or
cold, will escape through gaps in the
building’s envelope. If insulation has
been installed without air sealing,
conditioned air can even escape
through the insulation. This is the same
thing that happens when you are
wearing a sweater without a jacket on a
cold windy day.

6. AIR SEALING:
ATTIC FLOOR FOR CELLULOSE INSULATION
Reducing air leakage is often
the single most effective step
you can take towards a more
efficient, healthy and
comfortable home. Minimizing
air leakage can reduce heating
and cooling bills, and improve
indoor air quality and comfort.
We air seal all air penetrations in
the building’s envelope for any
space we touch. This is best
building practice and we will not
cut corners to cut cost.
Ceiling penetrations are air
sealed and insulated with spray
foam. The foam expands to fill
all gaps and cracks, stopping
heat loss via both conduction
and convection.

7. AIR SEALING: BASEMENT
Much of the cold air infiltration
caused by the stack effect
occurs where the wood part of
the house rests on the concrete
foundation walls. This part of
the house is called the “rim
joist”.
Our professional project
managers will supervise
the project to ensure that
all areas not being spray
foamed are masked and
protected.
We always propose to air
seal the accessible rim
joists with spray foam to
reduce cold air infiltration
and heat loss from stack
effect.

8. INSULATION: ATTIC – SPRAY FOAM
Spray Foam Encapsulated
Attics
An un-insulated and un-air-sealed
roof deck leaks heat and warm
conditioned air in the winter.
On hot days in the summer, this
process is reversed: the un-
insulated roof deck radiates heat
into the uncomfortably hot interior.
When installed as a continuous
blanket across the roof deck the
spray foam insulation eliminates
any potential for conditioned air
loss and produces high
performance insulation that won’t
degrade over time.
Installing spray foam insulation is
often the highest quality, most
durable solution for attic spaces.
Hammer and Hand utilizes 100%
water blown spray foam
insulation with NO
formaldehyde, HFCs, CFCs or
HCFCs.

9. INSULATION: ATTIC – SPRAY FOAM
Insulating the roof deck with
high performance spray foam
To encapsulate attic spaces, spray
foam insulation is installed on the
roof deck. Insulating the roof deck
with spray foam has many
advantages over traditional attic
floor insulation:
 Eliminates the possibility of
conditioned air leakage
through conventional batt
insulation
 The spray foam will never sag
or become less effective as
opposed to typical batt
insulation installations which
provide no air sealing and can
quickly sag, thereby becoming
ineffective
 Insulating the roof deck: Stops
condensation from forming on
the roof deck, preventing long
term moisture issues
 Maximizes the amount of
usable space in your home
 Eliminates duct leakage by
bringing ducts into conditioned
space

10. INSULATION: ATTIC - CELLULOSE
Insulating Attics with Cellulose
Our cellulose insulation is the
most cost effective way to insulate
large attics at the very tops of
homes. Cellulose Insulation has
the lowest embodied energy of all
insulation and is composed of 85%
recycled content.
Insulation cannot work effectively
if it is not combined with air
sealing. After removing the old
insulation, spray foam is used to
fill all the gaps and cracks in the
attic space where costly air
leakage typically occurs. Once the
air sealing is complete, a thick
seamless blanket of cellulose
insulation can be installed.
Attic hatch is insulated with
4” of foil-faced rigid foam
insulation.

11. INSULATION: WALLS - DENSE PACKED CELLULOSE
Insulating Exterior Walls with
Cellulose
The cellulose insulation is dense
packed into exterior wall cavities to
a density of 3.5lbs/cubic foot.
Dense packing the wall cavity with
cellulose reduces conditioned air
leakage and heat loss and provides
a quieter more comfortable home.
Certified insulation technicians
install the dense packed cellulose
by first removing the siding.
Drilling into exterior sheathing
and dense packing into wall
cavity.

12. INSULATION: WALLS – DENSE PACKED CELLULOSE
Wall cavity is filled with dense
packed cellulose and ready to
be patched up.
Once the cavity is filled
drilled holes are patched
with original wood and
covered with Grip Rite house
tape.
The siding is reinstalled to
the homes original look.

13. INSULATION: CRAWL SPACE
Crawlspaces are the below-floor
spaces beneath homes that
generally have exposed soil and
un-insulated foundation walls. If
the crawlspace has ductwork or is
connected to the basement, it is
best to insulate the foundation
walls.
A seamless heavy-duty soil
barrier is sealed to the
foundation walls to improve
indoor air quality and prevent
long-term moisture issues.
Encapsulating the crawl space
yields the greatest increase in
energy efficiency and air quality.
When there are moisture issues
in the crawl space it may be
wise to insulate the under-floor
as opposed to the foundation
walls. This option will create
high performance insulation
directly under the floor and
allows homeowners to not have
to undertake moisture
mitigation.

14. QUALITY CONTROL
Infrared Quality Control
Our professional project
managers will quality control
all dense packed walls with an
infrared camera to ensure that
all wall cavities have been
completely filled.
The cold wall that appears
purple in the IR image
would have gone un-
insulated had we not
caught it with IR imaging.

15. HEATING & COOLING: GAS FURNACE
Many of the old furnaces in the Portland
area use outdated “natural draft”
combustion technology. This
technology takes air from within the
building, uses it for combustion, and
should send the byproducts to the
outside.
In order to exhaust the combustion
byproducts, the natural draft technology
relies on the tendency of warm air to
rise. Negative pressures created within
a home (like when the bath fan or the
dryer is running), can be enough to pull
combustion byproducts such as carbon
monoxide into your home. This process
is known as “backdrafting”.
Hammer and Hand always proposes to
upgrade outdated and old furnaces to
improve the safety, comfort, and
efficiency of the home.
Upgrading to a properly sized high
efficiency sealed combustion furnace will
decrease your heating bill and seals the
combustion process off from the home.

16. HEATING & COOLING: HEAT PUMP
Heat pumps are an extremely
efficient source of electric heat.
A heat pump extracts heat from
outside air and moves it inside
during the heating season. The
process is reversed during summer
to provide cooling.
Ductless heat pumps can be
installed in homes without costly
ductwork and can provide zonal
heating within the home.
In Portland’s mild climate, heat
pumps are both extremely
cost-effective and efficient.

17. WATER HEATING
Sealed combustion, tankless water
heaters seal the combustion
process off from within the home
completely eliminating the
possibility of backdrafting. They
are also much more efficient and
reduce water usage by up to 50%.
For homes with electric hot water,
the super-insulated Marathon hot
water tank is the most efficient
upgrade available. The tanks have a
lifetime warranty.

18. VENTING
Buildings must have adequate
ventilation to provide fresh air
for occupants and prevent any
long-term moisture issues.
Mechanical ventilation is hard
ducted to the exterior.
Inadequate ventilation can
lead to mold, mildew, and rot.
This can negatively impact
occupant health and destroy
building materials.

19. TESTIMONIALS
“Hammer and Hand [was] my contractor for the Clean Energy Works Oregon retrofit project.
They were receptive to our needs and gave me answers to all of my questions. I didn't feel like
I was being oversold at any time. My house has gone from damp and cold to delightfully warm
and toasty. I love my new furnace, tankless water heater, bathroom exhaust fan, external wall
insulation, and crawlspace encapsulation. The Hand H team managed the project and the
subs really well. I am so happy with the results and would recommend them to anyone looking
for a contractor that will provide you with quality work and dedication to sustainable practices
and materials.” – Julia, SE Portland Homeowner, February 14, 2012
“While I have had a few things done in my house in the past, no company did as good as
Hammer and Hand. They were on time, always let me know what was going on in the project
and came up with ways to get around the many quirks of my 1904 home. Kevin or Tom
contacted me every day of the project to let me know what to expect and to let me know that if
I had any questions I should contact them. All the subcontractors did an excellent job. They
even all looked out for my cat to make sure she didn’t get outside. So I went from freezing in
winter because the house had almost no insulation and expensive to run Cadet space heaters
to nice and toasty. The heat pump is quiet, the exhaust fan in the bathroom turns on by motion
detection (how cool is that!) and I am finally warm. Thank you Hammer and Hand.” – Susan,
SE Portland Homeowner, November 7, 2011
Update: ““My latest electric bill was for $85. Last year between firewood and the electric bill I
paid $205 (and the house is also way warmer this winter) so this has helped tremendously.
Again, thank you for all your help with my newly warm home.” – Susan, SE Portland
Homeowner, February 11, 2012
“Through this process I learned that Hammer & Hand and CEWO are highly knowledgeable
and up to date with trends in sustainability. I respect their honesty and using the best quality
materials. Immediately after the work was done, the first thing I noticed was that my home was
quieter. Now, I can take my hat and coat off when I'm home. I can't wait to see what summer
brings to the house and I hope I will see a big savings in my utility bills. I highly recommend
Hammer and Hand!”–Patty, SE Portland Homeowner, January 27, 2012

20. “What a great idea that was! … With the new insulation in, the temperature of the house stays
more even, so I'm comfortable at a lower temperature, and I'm expecting to see a big reduction
in my monthly gas bill, too. I really enjoyed working with all the H&H personnel, who are easy
to talk to and always ready to explain things.” – Margaret, North Portland Homeowner, January
24, 2012
“Wow! Our gas bill on the "Equal Pay" plan with NW Natural just dropped from $94 per month
to $37 based on the new usage averages!” –Terri, NE Portland Homeowner, March 2, 2012
“The work was clean and you would not be able to find the installation. My wife and I are
architects so had particular requests and schedules, and they handled everything with no
additional costs. The project manager was informative and on top of the subs, and managed
the CEWO process easily. I hope to work with them again soon.”
–March 16, 2012
“It’s Fantastic. Our Energy bill is half of what it was last month.” –Holly, SE Portland
Homeowner, March 19, 2012
“All my friends come over and notice the difference. It’s cozier and warmer.” – Julia, SE
Portland Homeowner, March 19, 2012
More reviews and references available upon request!