Building Envelope

The physical separator between the conditioned interior and the unconditioned exterior — walls, roof, foundation, windows, doors.

The building envelope is the system that controls air, water, vapor, and heat flow between inside and out. Energy retrofits, weatherization, and waterproofing are all envelope work.

A breach anywhere in the envelope (a missing flashing, a poorly sealed window, a gap in vapor barrier) usually has outsized effects — water intrusion, mold, comfort issues, energy waste.

Related

• R-Value (Insulation) — A measure of insulation's resistance to heat flow — higher R-value means better insulation.
• Compare contractor CRMs — FieldKrew against Jobber, Housecall Pro and ServiceTitan
• Square (Roofing) — A unit of roof measurement equal to 100 square feet — the standard way roofers measure, quote, and order materials.
• Pitch (Roofing) — The slope of a roof, expressed as rise over run — e.g. 6:12 means 6 inches of rise per 12 inches of horizontal run.
• Waste Factor — The percentage of extra material added to an order to account for cuts, valleys, hips, and mistakes during install.
• GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) — An outlet or breaker that shuts off power within milliseconds when it detects a ground fault — required in wet areas by code.