The HTRC

The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

Guest Musing: Practical Advice on surviving 5 plus years

I am honored once again to do a guest musing on Chris Hills Construction Law Musings. This one was inspired by him not only surviving but thriving 5+ years since going solo and another piece he did on making sure you classify an individual properly. This got me thinking about the changing landscape many new (and […]

Filed Under: Legal Tagged With: Guest Posting August 21, 2015 By SLS

Employee or Contractor? New Illinois Construction Reporting Requirement

For many small business owners when it comes time to grow one of the questions is do I hire employees, should I just hire subs, or… Needless to say when one starts adding up the cost of Workman’s comp, FICA taxes, etc… subbing it out starts looking more and more attractive. Unfortunately whether it is due to confusion, […]

Filed Under: Legal, Regulatory Issues December 22, 2014 By SLS

3 reasons to consider an ESA

This week we have a guest post from Tina Davis. Tina is a freelance writer and blogger that writes on numerous topics like travel, alternative energy, environmental data resources, career advancement & even home design. When she asked if she could write about ESA’s, my first thought was that we really don’t do much related to commercial here. With […]

Filed Under: Legal Tagged With: Guest Article's August 12, 2013 By SLS

Alabama’s New Duct testing requirement goes into effect???

As many know Alabama adopted a new Residential Building & Energy Code which went into effect last October. One part of this was a delay placed on when the mandatory duct testing, insulation & building envelope leakage that was to go into effect today (July 1st 2013). Well welcome to the state of confusion, I […]

Filed Under: Infrared, Code Verification, & Energy Audits, Legal July 1, 2013 By SLS

Wacky Weds; Composite Decking Lawsuits & Issues

Recently some calls out for help have been made on some homeowner / DIY friendly boards about forming a class action lawsuit. The culprit? Why it is some composite decking manufacturers & in particular AZEK, Correct Deck / GAF, TimberTech & Trex.  With the exception of AZEK (the start), it appears that most are in […]

Filed Under: Legal Tagged With: AZEK, Correct Deck CX, TimberTech, TREX May 29, 2013 By SLS

State by State Residential Contractor Licensing Recap & Alabama’s Limited License

It seems like the first thing off everyone’s lip before hiring a contractor to work on a house is “make sure they are licensed”. Well would it surprise you that 15 states do not require one to be licensed, another 6 states require it only if you are doing $10,000 of work or more on […]

Filed Under: Legal, Regulatory Issues May 11, 2012 By SLS

Taxes, Record Keeping, & Clearing the Clutter

Oh no, it’s April 16th and taxes were due… are due on the 18th? In reality, my taxes were actually filed back in February, but if this were any other year, this article would be a day late & if you hadn’t filed your taxes or an extension, you would be looking at a hefty […]

Filed Under: Legal April 16, 2011 By SLS

Another hotel, another city – Why?

Well, here I am sitting in another hotel room.  Why? Two words – Continuing Education; this time I am down here in Montgomery to take a three-day class on Weatherization. Back in October, I was in Indianapolis to take a government mandated Lead class and to attend the Remodeling & Deck Expo. Then there were […]

Filed Under: Consumer Awareness, Legal, Miscellaneous Articles, Training, Education, & Confrence Tagged With: Lead Regulations December 7, 2009 By SLS

Featured Posts

Holiday Checklist – The day after

First off, we hope everyone had a great Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. Many people will be heading out today for the annual gift exchange / ...

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January is National Radon Month

January is National Radon Month

Should you be worried? Believe it or not – this is actually debatable by some people. According to the EPA, they estimate that there are over 21,000 lung cancer deaths per ...

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January - Mid Winter Maintenance Checklist

Welcome to the start of a New Year, and the first full month of winter. This is the time of the year when many individuals try to wipe the slate ...

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

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

In short the answer is generally yes, they should be closed up during the winter months. If you follow our Monthly Maintenance Schedule, we recommend the month of October as ...

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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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FAQ: Exterior HVAC units - Should I cover my unit, or... fall & wintertime questions

When it comes to the exterior HVAC unit most people wonder about hiding them and reducing the amount of noise. We delved into that topic in our Spring & Summer ...

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FAQ: Ceiling fan direction - summer & winter

One of the biggest questions out there is which direction should my fan be running and how can I tell. You look at the switch and realize it isn't any ...

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