yno, My cost/benefit trade in this area resulted in a cellulose insulation package with geothemal heating & cooling. The second runner up was a foam insulation package with HE heat pumps. Both of the options were about the same total cost. I used Anderson A400 windows and patio doors with 3 point locks & 4 sided seals on the face of the doors. Many of the windows are casment and provide a very tight seal. I also have a lot of patio doors in this new home, and I found in other homes I have lived in that the doors were always a major source or air infiltration. We also had the entire house caulked on the inside - and we did use foam in areas where the cellulose would not stick well (like between ceiling joists at the walls) or between large gaps in the framing (like on the corners of angled walls - between the studs). After all of that effort, I am very pleased with the results for both consistency in the house temperature and the monthly bills. However, I discovered that i need to add a few additional components to the HVAC system which were not part of the original design ( but should have been). The first is a de-humidifier for the basement. We found that the moisture levels in the basement were very high during the summer and since the house is sealed tighly, no way for it to move out. We started noticing spots on the concrete floor when we would have temps in the low 70's but humidity levels in the 60 to 70% range. I bought a whole house dehumidifier and that cleared up that problem immediately plus got rid of a funky smell which we now know was related to the moisture build up. The second device that I will add soon is a whole house Energy Recovery Ventilator. We need one of these because the house is so tight we are not getting movement of stale air out and fresh air in like we should. The ERV provides a heat/cooling/mositure exchange so that it minimizes the energy losses when you bring in unconditioned air from outside. I plan on using IAQ thermostats (Honeywell makes a nice one) that provides integrated control for the HVAC unit plus any humidifier, de-humidifer, or ERV that is tied to it. On one hand I wish that my HVAC contractor and builder had included this in the design - or at least brought it to my attention. On the other hand, I have learned a lot (mostly from the GW forums) and have saved a lot of money by installing the humidifiers and de-humidifier devices myself. A good source for HVAC components and info is www.iaqsource.com. One of the best investments you can make is the purchase of a few good thermometer/hydrometers which cost about $25 each and can tell you what the moisture levels are - I have one on each floor. Any moisture level above 55% is high. In some cases we were tipping the scale at 75 to 77% - and that is very high. Best of luck.

It's hard to believe that an installer would neglect to put pad under a section of floor but I have seen stranger things. Maybe they ran out, wanted to finish and thought you wouldn't notice. Does it sound different if you tap on it? If it's at an edge, I suppose they can remove the quarter round and a row of wood and prove the foam is there. If it's there, could they remove the floor from the wall up to the line you describe and add another layer of padding? There are techniques for replacing boards in the middle of a floating floor. Hopefully you have an installer that is skilled at making repairs. How else would you suggest the issues be remedied? Consider that in the future, you may damage a board that requires replacement. Is the defective board near an edge? For the finish flaw, would it be possible to rough it up with some fine sandpaper and apply Minwax spray polyurethane? We use it for touchups quite often. It's a little tricky to feather it in right and to get the right sheen. It's worth a try before removing a piece. They might also be able to tape off the offending piece and coat the whole board. I am not aware of any company that offers prefinished 12' long trim. Most companies sell 78" long trim. A few have 84" or 96" trim. Ask the person who said they make 12' long trim for the name of this trim supplier. You could have a piece of longer trim custom made and finished to match but they would be justified to charge you more for it (and it would probably be quite expensive). If you don't like the look of the joint in the middle, would it be more acceptable to have a full piece in the middle with two equal size pieces on the sides? Or would that look worse to you? Floating floor trim IS glued to the subfloor so the floor will float underneath. I've seem some trim that has an aluminum extrusion that attaches to the subfloor and the trim snaps into it but that's the exception rather than the norm. I'm not exactly sure what you're describing with the quarter round. Are you saying they stopped the quarter round at the trim then put a little piece on top of the trim. That would look crappy. Is the vinyl floor lower than the wood? If it is, there may be no way to make it perfect and you'll have to put up what offends you the least. The transition could be butted into the base and quarter round could end at the trim and restart over the vinyl. Or it could be coped and lapped over the trim. Or the qtr.round could be installed first and the trim be cut to it. None of these options is ideal. The open seam sounds potentially to be the worst of your problems. It may require removing and re-installing a portion of floor. Nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. For me, the difference between a good company and a bad one is that the good company will fix their mistakes. If you picked a company to do your work, it's best to allow that company complete the work correctly unless they show they are unable. Good luck. This post was edited by JFCWood on Wed, Nov 20, 13 at 7:32

I had a nice chat with my client in California the other day trying to further describe the difference between a rubber membrane and a membrane like NobleSeal CIS. The largest difference is that NobleSeal CIS can be installed with thin-set over a tin ready substrate and then tile installed directly over it without the use of a mortar bed over a traditional rubber liner. The shower above is being ripped out and from studying the pictures I can see that the drain connection at the primary drain did not leak and only the water weeped out the edges and over the flap. With a little more proving we found that there was no pre-slope and not enough drop. So much for an experienced installer. And remember everyone - this shower was inspected and signed off on by the local California inspector. The shower did pass a flood test. The shower was supposed to be designed with a 1.5" drop down in the framing. Clearly this was not the case and from this demolition photo you can see how the water escaped by travelling out the left and by climbing up the edge of the wood. This staining showing how water can travel in so many locations and directions. What's worse is that the back wall there is also a pocket door and that by itself is not a tile ready substrate. We will need to investigate further looking for structure damage. I hope we find none. This photo shows that there was no pre-slope used under the liner. You can see some care was taken to get the lower flange of the ACO clamping drain tight or flush with the subfloor. But the photo shows as well this connection did not leak or we would see evidence of staining on the subfloor. Sadly the wall tile is going to need to come out next to replace the waterproofing liner. With such little drop in the framing I think the entire shower and perhaps the drain choice might need to be revisited. What a gong show.

"and im guessing you do not buid tile showers youself and have to navigate inspections" -- Guessing is what got you back-peddling in the first place, (and changing/ deleting your posts after I show you that you are wrong). You would be hard pressed to find something that I have not personally gotten a permit for, and passed the inspections. "as such It makes sense I confused you again." -- You are not confusing me. At best, you are confusing the issue at hand and the OP's original question of slope. I would be more concerned with this statement; And, how they had planned on getting the Oatey liner even 2" above the threshold, and behind the Durock without taking it all off. BTW, how much of the bottom edge of the Durock do you usually leave flapping in the wind without screws in order to not screw through that extra 6" of liner? The Durock also has to be screwed per MFG instructions. When trying to one-up the code, make sure you are not shooting yourself in the other foot.