BS Build Show Academy

High-performance building, taught the way it's built.

Structured courseware drawn from The Build Show — building science, durability, and craftsmanship. Each course includes a clean transcript, a lesson plan, a study guide, learning objectives, and a certification quiz.

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Course catalog

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What's in every course

  1. Full clean transcript — the raw video, formatted into readable paragraphs with timestamps for major topic shifts.
  2. Course outline — lessons that build logically: introduction, material science, installation, verification.
  3. Comprehensive study guide — bullet-point reference of measurements, R-values, flashing details, and tool callouts.
  4. Learning objectives — three to five concrete things you can do or explain at the end.
  5. Certification quiz — 7 multiple-choice + 3 scenario questions, graded with explanations.

Pertinent building codes & standards

Every Build Show Academy course teaches assemblies that have to satisfy real codes on real job sites. The references below are the national, regional, and state codes most likely to apply to the topics in our catalog — control layers, continuous insulation, window flashing, unvented roofs, and air-tightness verification. Always defer to your local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) for the adopted edition and any local amendments.

National model codes & standards

  • IRC — International Residential Code One- and two-family dwellings R702.7 / R702.7.1 — vapor retarders and minimum continuous exterior insulation by climate zone. R703 — exterior covering. R703.2 / R703.4 — water-resistive barrier (WRB) and flashing. R806.5 — conditions for unvented attic and rafter assemblies. N1102.4 — building thermal envelope air leakage (3 ACH50 in CZ 3–8).
  • IECC — International Energy Conservation Code Residential & commercial energy Table R402.1.2 — insulation and fenestration requirements by climate zone. R402.4 — air leakage and blower-door verification. C402 — commercial envelope.
  • IBC — International Building Code Commercial & multi-family construction Chapter 14 — exterior walls and water-resistive barriers. Chapter 26 — foam plastic insulation, ignition barriers, and thickness limits.
  • ASHRAE 90.1 Energy standard for non-residential buildings Section 5 — building envelope. Continuous insulation and air-barrier requirements that frequently exceed the IECC commercial provisions.
  • ASHRAE 62.2 Residential ventilation & IAQ Mechanical ventilation rates required when an envelope is tightened to Build Show targets (sub-1.5 ACH50). Tight wall + Lstiburek's Perfect Wall = mandatory mechanical ventilation.
  • NFPA 285 Fire propagation in exterior wall assemblies Required for foam-plastic continuous-insulation assemblies on Type I–IV buildings > 40 ft. Drives the rigid-foam & cladding decisions in our Continuous Exterior Insulation course.
  • ICC 400 Standard on the Design and Construction of Log Structures Referenced when Perfect Wall principles are adapted to log and timber-frame construction.

Regional & climate-driven codes

  • Florida Building Code (FBC) — HVHZ High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (Miami-Dade, Broward) FBC R703.1.1 wind-driven rain WRB requirements; TAS 100(A) & TAS 202 product approval for windows, flashings, and water-resistive barriers in HVHZ.
  • 2018+ Coastal & Hurricane Provisions (IRC R301.2.1) Coastal regions, ASCE 7 wind-design areas Cladding fastener pull-through, wind-driven rain testing, sealed-roof-deck requirements affecting WRB and flashing detailing in our courses.
  • Northeast & Great Lakes Climate Zones 5–7 Cold-climate vapor & dew-point provisions IRC R702.7 mandates a Class I or II interior vapor retarder unless sufficient exterior continuous insulation keeps the sheathing above dew point — the core argument of the Perfect Wall.
  • Pacific Northwest — rainscreen mandates Coastal Oregon, Washington, B.C. WSEC and Oregon Building Code recognize and in some cases require a drained & vented rainscreen cavity behind absorptive cladding — the same furring strategy taught in our installation lessons.

State & local stretch codes

  • California Title 24, Part 6 California Energy Code QII (Quality Insulation Installation) protocol, prescriptive U-factors, and continuous-insulation paths that align with Perfect Wall assemblies in CZ 1–16.
  • Massachusetts Stretch & Specialized Opt-In Codes 225 CMR / 780 CMR Appendix RC HERS-based path with mandatory blower-door < 3 ACH50 (Stretch) and electrification-ready provisions (Specialized) that drive Perfect Wall-class envelopes.
  • Washington State Energy Code (WSEC) Title 51-11R WAC, residential One of the most stringent state codes; prescriptive option requires 1.0–2.0 inches of exterior continuous insulation on most wood-frame walls in CZ 4C–5B.
  • Oregon Reach Code OAR 918-480, voluntary above ORSC Optional pathway with elevated continuous-insulation, air-tightness, and high-performance-window targets. Frequently used by Build Show-style custom builders in PNW.
  • Vermont RBES & CBES Residential / Commercial Building Energy Standards State-administered; mandates 3 ACH50 with state-licensed blower-door verification on every new home — one of the strictest in the U.S.
  • Minnesota Energy Code (MR 1322) Cold-climate amendments to the IECC Total UA path with mandatory air-sealing checklist, plus prescriptive R-20 + R-5 wall (cavity + continuous) in CZ 6/7.
  • NYStretch Energy Code & NYCECC New York State & New York City NYStretch is roughly 11% more efficient than the base IECC; NYCECC adds Local Law 97 / 84 reporting that interacts with envelope decisions.
  • Texas Energy Code (state-adopted IECC) Adopted 2015 IECC statewide; cities may adopt newer Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas have all adopted the 2021 IECC with local amendments — verify your specific jurisdiction.

Disclaimer: Adopted code editions vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Sections cited reflect commonly adopted editions (2018–2024). Consult your local AHJ and a licensed design professional before applying any code reference to a real project.

The philosophy

Durability. Building science. Craftsmanship. Every module is written to the same standard the work is built to — what the wall actually does, why the order of layers matters, and how to verify it on the job site.