Whally 2x6 framing with 2" of foam (I will use XPS in this example) does not get you an r40. Here is an example: dense pack cellulose has r of approximately 3.9, so lets say r22 for the 2x6 walls. 24" oc spacing will yield a slightly better framing factor. Typically the reduction is 20%, so lets use 15% here instead. r22 reduced by a 15% framing factor gets you around an r18-19 wall. Add 2" of XPS (r10) and you are sitting at just under an r30 wall. Going with 3" of XPS gets you around r35. However anything over 1" thick of foam with the use of Hardi board will require exterior strapping, which is a good idea over foam anyway to give you a drainage plane. The strapping is not expensive, however the labor and long screws required can start to add up. Going thicker then 1.5" then also starts to muddy window flashing details. You need to have a good builder and a good architect familiar with these types of designs to produce the drawings required. Thicker foams 2-3" can still easily be done, the screws get longer and labor increases. XPS foam is not overly cheap, and going 2-3" on the home will then most likely pass a true r35-40 double stud wall assembly. Getting to r40 is easily done with the double stud approach, and as stated above, requires little "training" on the contractors part. Urethane SIP panels is another way to get a super tight shell and high r value. A 6" urethane panel will hit an r40.

Gwendolynne, I LOVE your choice of colours. I wish my furniture and decorating could mathc your colours. They are soo soo nice! I am completely colour challenged, and I have seen all of these wonderful rooms posted with fabulous colours, so I need your help with choosing colours for my rec room, bathroom, and kitchen. 1. REC ROOM/LIVING ROOM: We live in a side split house and are wanting to redecorate our rec room area, which is half in the basement but with full windows and still with lots of natural light. The bottom half is with cedar / oak wainscotting and the carpet is a blue colour. I have no idea what colour to paint the top half. Our furniture conssits of beige couches, wood coffee table and end tables. Our theme is going to have bar and sports paraphernalia (and we have a foosball table). I dont want to go with a blue paint because two of our bedrooms are painted blue and I would like some different colours in the house. I love colours but have trouble picking out colours on my own. Since this is the main room where we watch tv and hang out while the kids play, I would like a warm colour that makes the room cozy but fresh and new/classy. Someone suggested yellow or beige to me, but I am thinking I want more colour. What about red (Benjamin Moore Northern Fire) or would that be too dark? 2. BATHROOM: For our bathroom, it has a "teal-like" colour for the countertop and gray-blue cushion flooring. I have no idea what colour to put on these walls. I know green is not good to put in the bathroom. Someone suggested white, but I want colour! However, I know that the green counter top probably limits my wall colours. Am I stuck with white walls? 3. KITCHEN: Our kitchen has wall paper on the bottom half and a beige on the top half. Our counter is a pink (UGH!) and our back splash has pink, browns. Our theme is a country kitchen. I would like a dark warm brown for the bottom and a lighter colour for the top, but I dont know if this would work or not with the pink countertop. Any suggestions are very much appreciated. I have pictures of all three rooms, but I dont know how to post them. (Can someone tell me how?) THANK YOU SO MUCH!

On the ceiling, what kind of plywood did you use? usually luan is cheapest good looking plywood in HD, so that's what I have used mostly. Did you paint the designs with a brush or stencil them? stained designs are painted with a very small brush. How did you keep the stain from bleeding out to surrounding areas? Fist I make a stencil and trace the design with pencil and then fill in with stain, making sure that I have very little stain on the brush. What brand of stain did you use? I have always used Minwax --------------------------------------- wondering what to do with them. I would love to do this! Have you written up any instructions for how you did it? Or could you tell us please? What product(s) did you use? Decosup How did you transfer your design to the concrete? I drew the design on the floor with pencil based on smaller scale design on the paper Did you mask off areas? it was not necessary, as My husband cut the lines around the design before I stained and that prevented most of the bleeding issues. How did you apply the product? with the cheap foam brushes from HD What do's and don't's did you learn along the way? Don't too it on a hot day, the stain dries too quickly and you will not get as deep color. Thanks very much for any help you can give me! Where did you learn to do all this? Trial and error ;) Do you do this type of work for your job? Not yet at least, I have thought about doing it professionally but I am really lousy sales person, so this might for ever be just my obsession and hobby :) PS. I have a long e-mail I send to people that ask about my concrete work, so if you want to receive it, drop me an e-mail.

I don’t see white walls as trendy, more of a classic, though the white itself used can really vary depending on mood you want from a stark white to a soft white, to a green white, yellow white, or pink white. Other elements can also really affect white (trim, natural lighting, indirect lighting, furniture colours, etc). I love white walls, I never bore of them like I do other colours. They are a great blank canvas for everything else and I find them just refreshing, especially at times or year where daylight is more limited. Even a very bright stark white can look warmer and inviting - I looked at a home recently that basically had High Reflective White everywhere (trim, walls) but added warm wood elements (bamboo) kept it looking warm rather than stark. It felt so open and bright. We are using SW Heron Plume on all our walls in new home. It a rather neutral white in that it does not seem to lean yellow or green but definitely still varies depending on lighting and other decor choices - sometimes more grey, sometimes more pink. Our trim is Cloverdale Standard White and cabinets are SW Alabaster.