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Nick

@nick_at_ab

417

followers

312

following

General Manager @auburndalebuilders
Co-Founder @studiohpdc
Former Board Member @phmass.org
Former Board Member @bragb_ma
BEBL Member @neseaorg

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Design it well. Use the right materials. Install them correctly. Test it.

@joshuasalinger calls that quality, and he doesn't see any daylight between quality building and high-performance building.

In this conversation on Build It Forward, @nick_at_ab sits down with Josh in the Building Science Corporation Test Hut at Summer Camp 2026. They cover his path from bartending to running Birdsmouth Design-Build, how he starts a retrofit on a leaky old house, and the conversation in this Test Hut that changed his career.

Watch now on YouTube:
Link in bio.

Thank you to @betsypettit7746 for graciously hosting us, and to @benjaminobdyke for making this conversation possible.

Build Better™ with samples of their roof and wall products:
https://benjaminobdyke.com/get-a-sample-build-forward-podcast

Made with @prmeabl_

#BuildItForward #AuburndaleBuilders #HighPerformanceBuilding #BuildingScience #BuildingCommunity #BuildingCulture #DesignBuild #JoshSalinger #BirdsmouthDesignBuild #BenjaminObdyke #BuildBetter by @nick_at_ab

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2 days ago

@not_so_shiny_object likes air to water heat pumps for what they keep out of the house. Only water and glycol run inside, which means drastically less refrigerant and fewer leaks to worry about.

On the latest Build It Forward, she explains the other reason: pair one with solar and a hot water storage tank and you have a thermal battery, without the precious metals or deep sea mining behind electrochemical ones.

Watch the full conversation with Ashley here:
Link in bio.

Build Better™ with @benjaminobdyke - get samples of their roof and wall products:
https://benjaminobdyke.com/get-a-sample-build-forward-podcast

Work with Auburndale Builders on your high-performance build.
vision@auburndalebuilders.com

Made with @prmeabl_ at the Building Science Corporation Test Hut

#BuildItForward #AuburndaleBuilders #HighPerformanceBuilding #BuildingScience #BuildingCommunity #BuildingCulture #HeatPumps #AshleyMurphree #BenjaminObdyke #BuildBetter by @nick_at_ab

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7 days ago

BUILDING GREEN 🎙️ | NICK FALKOFF

One of the most important skills of a great builder? Getting comfortable asking uncomfortable questions.

With SO many design professionals involved in a project, communication and collaboration are EVERYTHING!

Nick Falkoff reminds us that the job as builders isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to facilitate conversations, challenge assumptions, understand expectations, and make sure everyone is working toward the same goal.

Great builds don’t happen in silos. They’re built through communication, trust, and teamwork. 👊

🎥 @hbz_media

#buildinggreen #buildingbetter #highperformancehomes #constructionleadership #topnotchcontracting taken in Massachusetts by @nick_at_ab

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8 days ago

A healthy home has a lot of possible triggers to account for. And any single one or combination of them can keep the same condition going.

On the latest Build It Forward, @not_so_shiny_object explains the role mitochondria play in the healing process. When they are under threat, they send out a little inflammation to contain it, clear out the bad old cells, and make new ones. It is a process we have taken for granted for years, and understanding it is part of a new frontier where medical science and building science meet.

Watch the full conversation with Ashley here:
Link in bio.

Build Better™ with @benjaminobdyke - get samples of their roof and wall products:
https://benjaminobdyke.com/get-a-sample-build-forward-podcast

Work with Auburndale Builders on your high-performance build.
vision@auburndalebuilders.com

Made with @prmeabl_ at the Building Science Corporation Test Hut

#BuildItForward #AuburndaleBuilders #HighPerformanceBuilding #BuildingScience #BuildingCommunity #BuildingCulture #HealthyHomes #AshleyMurphree #BenjaminObdyke #BuildBetter by @nick_at_ab

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11 days ago

FACE NAILED_

A lot of builders might scrap these (maybe) 100-year old-clapboards. But they’re stripped and ready for a fresh coat of paint on this incredible historic remodel from @auburndalebuilders. New video coming soon. by @nick_at_ab

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12 days ago

@not_so_shiny_object knew the house she built didn't have a mold problem. The symptoms kept coming anyway.

On the latest Build It Forward, she makes the case that there can be more building exposure triggers than just mold. Bacterial, digestive, and other triggers can pile up together and make each other worse, so finding one answer doesn't always clear the air.

Watch the full conversation with Ashley here:
Link in bio.

Build Better™ with @benjaminobdyke - get samples of their roof and wall products:
https://benjaminobdyke.com/get-a-sample-build-forward-podcast

Work with Auburndale Builders on your high-performance build.
vision@auburndalebuilders.com

Made with @prmeabl_ at the Building Science Corporation Test Hut

#BuildItForward #AuburndaleBuilders #HighPerformanceBuilding #BuildingScience #BuildingCommunity #BuildingCulture #HealthyHomes #AshleyMurphree #BenjaminObdyke #BuildBetter by @nick_at_ab

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14 days ago

Hey everyone! Our Program Manager role is now FULL-TIME. Check out our new job description and full time salary at: https://shpdc.breezy.hr/

Great with managing details and materials? Love builders? Believe in adult learning? We promise, this is the job you want. 😉 taken in Newton, Massachusetts by @nick_at_ab

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16 days ago

It was not mold.

But something in the tiny house @not_so_shiny_object built was making her sick.

She used every good building science practice she knew. Testing came back clean. The symptoms did not stop. That experience sent her chasing a bigger question: what are we not accounting for when we call a building healthy?

In this conversation on Build It Forward, @nick_at_ab sits down with Ashley in the Building Science Corporation Test Hut at Summer Camp 2026. They cover filtration, mitochondria, air to water dehumidification art, and her approach to mechanical design for high-performance homes at @alchemech.engineering.

Watch now on YouTube:
Link in bio.

Thank you to @betsypettit7746 for graciously hosting us, and to @benjaminobdyke for making this conversation possible.

Build Better™ with samples of their roof and wall products:
https://benjaminobdyke.com/get-a-sample-build-forward-podcast

Made with @prmeabl_

#BuildItForward #AuburndaleBuilders #HighPerformanceBuilding #BuildingScience #BuildingCommunity #BuildingCulture #HealthyHomes #IndoorAirQuality #AshleyMurphree #BenjaminObdyke #BuildBetter by @nick_at_ab

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16 days ago

PASS IT ON! Studio HPDC’s High-Performance Building Course designed specifically for Vocational School Teacher starts Oct 29. AND IT IS FREE for all MA-based vocational school educators! WOOHOO! 👏

Participants learn the key elements of high-performance building for residential construction, while collaborating with other educators on how to integrate building science and career awareness into school projects and activities. ⭐

Email partners@studiohpdc.org to sign up. It’s that easy. 😀 a group of tradespeople work with building materials taken in Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School by @nick_at_ab

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17 days ago

Ask a professor what makes a great building scientist and you might expect an answer about physics. John Straube @jfstraube starts there, understanding physics is important, but spends the rest of the answer somewhere else.

On the latest Build It Forward, John says the thing that trips up people who are brilliant at modeling is materials. Things don't line up. Surfaces aren't flat. So his advice is to get on job sites, and better than that, get hands on yourself.

Watch the full conversation with John here:
Link in bio.

Build Better(TM) with samples of @benjaminobdyke roof and wall products:
https://benjaminobdyke.com/get-a-sample-build-forward-podcast

Work with Auburndale Builders on your high-performance build.
vision@auburndalebuilders.com

Made with @prmeabl_ at the Building Science Corporation Test Hut

#BuildItForward #AuburndaleBuilders #HighPerformanceBuilding #BuildingScience #BuildingCommunity #BuildingCulture #JohnStraube #BenjaminObdyke #BuildBetter by @nick_at_ab

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18 days ago

About 6 months ago I was asked if I would be on the panel of @topnotchcontracting yearly @building.green event….

I immediately said “Yes”….especially when they told me the other people who would be on the panel with me…such as @stevenbaczekarchitect @rosstrethewey @nick_at_ab.

I have a lot of respect for these guys and the years of knowledge and experience they have and it was privilege to be on stage with them.

Not only was it a great event but it also sold out!

Thank you to everyone who came to see us and @topnotchcontracting for putting this together!

I look forward to more collaborations with these guys and others in our industry through @aabuilding

#build #green #construction #architect taken in Burlington, Massachusetts by @nick_at_ab

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21 days ago

John Straube @jfstraube spent years reviewing architects' plans and running into the same problem. He could not say whether a design was any good, because he could not tell what was doing what.

On the latest Build It Forward, John and @nick_at_ab land on the analogy. Building plans are like Mad Libs. We fill them with all sorts of words, but do we have the context? We see the product nouns, but do we know their verbs? When the plan only names the product, somebody down the line might swap it for something that looks equivalent and isn't.

Watch the full conversation with John here:
Link in bio.

Build Better(TM) with samples of their roof and wall products:
https://benjaminobdyke.com/get-a-sample-build-forward-podcast

Work with Auburndale Builders on your high-performance build.
vision@auburndalebuilders.com

Made with @prmeabl_ at the Building Science Corporation Test Hut

#BuildItForward #AuburndaleBuilders #HighPerformanceBuilding #BuildingScience #BuildingCommunity #BuildingCulture #JohnStraube #BenjaminObdyke #BuildBetter by @nick_at_ab

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22 days ago