Carbonless is a nonprofit educational organization
Affordable Housing matters.
Affordable Living matters more.
We teach everyone who touches a home or building how to make it healthier, more comfortable, more energy-efficient and built to last. Pick the path that fits what you're working on.
Build a New Home / Building
Plan it right before you spend the money. Learn the decisions that set comfort, health and energy costs for generations.
Start building better →Fix or Remodel a Home / Building
Understand the building you already have before you open a wall. Find the cause, not just the symptom.
Fix it the right way →Learn & Teach
Field guides, courses and Carbonless 2126, our complete educational program, for people who want to learn it and people who teach it.
Start learning →Join Carbonless
Take a seat at the Carbonless Roundtable: 26 gatherings a year with builders, owners and building professionals learning from each other.
Meet the community →New here? Try your first Stick free. A Stick is one lesson in Carbonless 2126. Need help with your own project? Book a consulting session with Brian.
What You Don't Know About a Building Can Cost You for the Rest of Your Life.
I'm Brian Iverson. I started in construction at 14. More than 50 years and about 25,000 buildings later, I've made mistakes that cost me millions. I can't get that money back, but I can help you avoid them.
Carbonless 2126 is forty Sticks of education that look at a building from all Sixteen Seats at the table, from the landowner to the person who will live there a hundred years from now. No products to sell. Just better decisions.
Higher Education for the Next 100 Years.
Welcome to Carbonless.
Building to code is the starting point. It doesn't have to be the finish line.
A home or building can be designed to use far less energy, cost less to operate, be healthier and more comfortable, and last for generations.
That starts with getting the building itself right — the walls, roof, foundation, windows, doors, air control, moisture control and thermal control.
Carbonless exists to teach you how.
Use less energy. Lower your utility bills. Live healthier. Build it to last.
Carbonless 2126
Forty sticks that follow a building from the dirt to the person who lives in it a hundred years from now. Land, money, design, the build, testing, and the people at every seat at the table.
One construction mistake can cost more than your entire education. Each stick ends with a test and a record of completion you may be able to self-report for continuing education where your board allows it.
The Field Guides
Real buildings, real photographs, in the order the work happens.
The Super Energy-Efficient & Healthy Home Field Guide
The story of a real 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath home in Georgia, built stage by stage, with more than 150 construction photographs. For new construction.
The Retrofit & Remodel Field Guide — The Nightmare
Nearly 200 field photographs from more than 25 real projects. Find out what the building is telling you before you open a wall.
Learn It Your Way
Listen in the truck, look it up on the job.
Super Energy Efficient Building Audio Course
14 narrated modules on how a building really works: heat, air, moisture, walls, roofs, windows and HVAC, in plain English. Lifetime access.
Wall and Roof Assembly Library
867 verified whole-wall R and U values for walls, roofs and rim joists. 2x4 and 2x6, 16 and 24 inch on center, metal studs, every common insulation. U.S., Canadian and European values.
Start Here
Not ready for a field guide? Start small and buy what you can afford.
THE BOX
The Playbook + Checklist. The big picture before you build, remodel, retrofit, or start fixing a problem.
Retrofit & Remodeling Guide, Second Edition
For people working on real houses. Not perfect ones. Not new ones. Not houses on paper.
How to Make a Thermal Break on the Inside of Your Home
Go deeper into the actual method for an existing home.
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO BUILDING SMARTER, MORE EFFICIENT, AND SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURES.
“The book explores sustainable living through the concept of "thermal living," focusing on energy efficiency and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Iverson offers practical solutions and encourages a mindset shift towards more environmentally conscious choices. The book is accessible, blending science and real-world examples to show how we can live in better harmony with the planet. Overall, it's a timely and engaging read for anyone interested in sustainability and the future of energy. Highly recommend this book!”
Consulting with Brian
Talk your building through with Brian before you spend the money. Bring your plans, your questions, or your problem.
Hammerdahl™
Thanksgiving, 2126. The whole town is coming to the table. A Brian "Bapa" Iverson original novel. Book One. Hardcover and paperback available now.
Get Your Copy