From the Publisher
"Where the heck was Jacob Deva Racusin 40 years ago when I started my career? You could have saved me, and thousands of others, a whole lot of expense and trouble if you had troubled yourself to be born a few decades earlier, and gotten this wonderful gem out to us all a bit sooner. That grouse aside, you have done a masterful - and delightful - job of presenting the complexities of building physics in a way that anyone can understand and use to their benefit. If you want to build well, folks, read this."
— Bruce King, Structural Engineer and author, New Carbon Architecture
"This is the book that builders, designer and homeowners have been waiting for... even if they don't know it! In the coming years, understanding building science principles will be considered as important as drafting skills and driving nails. Jacob Racusin explains everything you need to know in a concise, direct and meaningful way. Anybody who reads this book will immediately start to make better buildings."
— Chris Magwood, Co-founder and co-director,The Endeavour Centre, and author, Making Better Buildings
"Jacob Deva Racusin has provided as clear and concise a summary of building science for residential building as I can imagine. This volume is an invaluable introduction, teaching tool and resource for homeowners, educators and builders. I hope there will be a dog-eared hard copy or an oft-accessed e-version of Essential Building Science on every residential building (or renovation) site in North America."
— Tim Krahn, P. Eng.
"Getting the building science right in a house - so your home is healthy, durable and energy efficient - can be a daunting and complex process, but Jacob has distilled this down to principles that are easy to understand. Racusin provides clear guidance for putting these principles into action, including details of building assemblies that work. The contents of this guide are essential for builders and architects, as well as for future homeowners to know what to look for and what to ask for in good design."
— Andrew M Shapiro, Energy Balance, Inc.
"Too many of us are suffocating in a stew of mold and toxic chemicals as our buildings disintegrate around us. In this essential book, Jacob Deva Racusin distills the basic tools builders and homeowners need to make efficient homes that start out light on the planet and last a good long time."
— Tristan Roberts, Executive Editor, BuildingGreen.com