Any quality home renovation experience needs a firm foundation. Lay the groundwork for the best possible execution of your vision with these important guidelines: 1) Talk money with an expert. Meet with a renovation lender, discuss financing options and budget to build secure financial footing before moving forward. 2) Use contacts and personal recommendations to […]

Are you part of the homeowner trend to revamp or remodel an existing home? Billions are being spent nationwide; be sure to spend your piece of that pie wisely. Curb appeal is your home’s first impression; make it a good one. Keep flowerbeds, shrubs, and walkways tidy. Refresh paint, replace old fixtures, or spring for […]

So you’ve got a home remodeling project dancing around in your head, and you can’t wait to get started; or you’re afraid to get started. Don’t make costly remodeling mistakes. Here’s how to keep your project safe and well executed: 1) Know yourself and your building codes. Make sure you have the patience and permission […]

The National Association of Home Builders surveyed remodelers, and discovered that homeowners want more than improved home design; they want improved efficiency and improved affordability. One of the most requested features in current remodels is high-performance, low-emissive (low-E) windows. Other popular projects include those that improve indoor-air quality, utility expense, and value to homes over […]

If you’ve don’t mind spending the extra cash, you can free up all those afternoons spent building, painting, and washing the fencing around your property by installing a vinyl option. Consider a few pros and cons. Pros: 1) Vinyl fencing requires installation rather than construction. 2) The fencing is easy to clean, comes in a […]

There is much confusion about how vapor barriers work. For the sake of clarity, consider the following: 1) Polyethylene installed beneath the drywall on the interior side, combined with humid weather. This hinders the wall cavity’s ability to dry, increasing damage. 2) Polyethylene installed beneath the drywall on the interior side combined with cold weather. […]

Over the course of the last three years, three well-respected building science researchers, Bruce Wilcox, John Proctor, and Rick Chitwood, shared their findings regarding opportunities for improving energy efficiency in existing homes. According to the data collected during the Stockton project, shared at the Forum on Dry Climate Home Performance, the amount of energy waste […]

Sure, everybody loves a great big window to the outside world, but when winds are howling or the earth shakes, people generally prefer a well-constructed shearwall to protect them from the elements. Shearwalls resolve the lateral forces on buildings, directing them toward the foundation, and connect walls and roofs securely when heavy winds blow. The […]

Are your summer cooling bills ridiculously high? Do you feel like no matter how long you run the air conditioner or seal the windows and doors, your home simply won’t cool off? Check your heat pump. It’s likely that it is using the strip heat inside your HVAC system, at the same time that it […]

The day is fast approaching when off-grid, solar-plus-battery systems will easily compete with the traditional grid of electric service. Chances are, this will happen within just 10 years for commercial entities, and 20 years for the rest of the population. What does this mean for consumers and providers? Maybe nothing: Consumers may prefer the convenience […]