The HTRC

The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

My take; Tornados, Storm Shelters & the Codes

The last two weeks we got to see Mother Nature’s furry once again as she rolled across parts of the US & Canada & showed us why Tornado Alley is such an appropriate name. The storms from the 15th were quickly overshadowed by an outbreak that started on the 18th & really grabbed the media’s […]

Filed Under: Building Codes May 24, 2013 By SLS

Fixing an Architectural Nightmare

In our last Wacky (semi) Wordless Wednesday piece we had three pictures where we looked at entryway & asked what issues you see, what might you have done differently, or does everything look good to you?  Well lets take a closer look at it… As I mentioned, I can easily see why the architect designed it this […]

Filed Under: Building Codes, Common Sense Building May 20, 2013 By SLS

Moving Forward: Speciality Trades – IRC 2009

This is the 4th part of our series where we look at the differences between the 2003, 2006, & 2009 IRC’s. In this one we are focusing primarily on the various specialty trades. While we slanted this series towards Alabama’s new statewide code, one will quickly notice that they did very little tweaking, so if […]

Filed Under: Building Codes September 26, 2012 By SLS

Alabama Building Code: IRC Changes Chapter 5 – 9

Yesterday we looked at the first four chapters of the 2009 IRC as it is part of Alabama’s new Building & Energy Code that goes into effect in less than a week. Today we are going to delve in the final “building” (Walls, Floors, Roofing & Finishes) sections of the code, in particular the biggest […]

Filed Under: Building Codes Tagged With: Ceramic Tile, Roofing September 25, 2012 By SLS

Moving Forward: IRC 2009 Changes Chapter 1 – 4

EDIT: This was originally set to look into Alabama’s new Residential Energy & Building Code which went effect October 1st 2012. As mentioned below many areas of the state were following numerous versions of the code & this was a primer piece on the changes one could expect to see jumping up to the newer 2009 IRC. …While […]

Filed Under: Building Codes September 24, 2012 By SLS

Alabama Energy Code Updates: 38 days & counting

Yesterday, I attended the Alabama Energy Code Training program put on by the Home Builders Association of Alabama for two primary reasons; to see if there were any changes (this state is great at putting information out – not), and how the “code officials” & affected agencies were handling & interrupting it. This class was […]

Filed Under: Building Codes August 23, 2012 By SLS

BS4D: Energy Codes

Just like any other scientific field, building science is constantly evolving as new information, testing, and materials are released. Unfortunately in some cases the amount &/or type of information provided is not only hard to understand, but can also be meaningless based on your house or area you live in. With that, welcome to our […]

Filed Under: Building Codes Tagged With: BS4D June 12, 2012 By SLS

BS4D: Building Codes

Just like any other scientific field, building science is constantly evolving as new information, testing, and materials are released. Unfortunately in some cases the acronym’s, amount &/or type of information provided is not only hard to understand, but can also be meaningless based on your house or area you live in. With that, welcome to […]

Filed Under: Building Codes, FAQ's, Acronym’s, & Terminology Tagged With: BS4D June 5, 2012 By SLS

Myths & Misconceptions; Building Science, Codes, Garages, & Crawl Spaces

What an interesting day… This morning I had an email newsletter from Joe Lstiburek of Builder Science Corp that started; “Sometimes, in order to do the right thing you have to do “a workaround.” I love the “I-Codes.” But they can drive you crazy. I love them because most of the time they are right. […]

Filed Under: Building Codes, Myth or Misconception May 18, 2012 By SLS

Alabama Energy & Residential Code

The speculation is now at an end, after two years of deliberations & countless meetings; as of March 12th the Alabama Energy and Residential Codes (AERC) Board voted to adopt a statewide building & energy code called the AERC which will go into effect October 1st, 2012. This was officially announced by Jim Byard Jr. […]

Filed Under: Building Codes March 31, 2012 By SLS

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FAQ: Should I close my crawl space vents during winter?

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FAQ: Do I need to change my HVAC filter monthly?

FAQ: Do I need to change my HVAC filter monthly?

If you follow our Monthly Maintenance Program, the first item we have listed is "Change out your HVAC filter." This has brought up a few questions, namely: Do I need ...

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