As many of you probably already know, January is National Radon Month. Just like CO, it is an odorless & tasteless gas; however, unlike CO there are no warning signs that it might be affecting you until it is too late. It is estimated that elevated levels are found in 1 of every 15 homes […]
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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 year directly attributable to Radon gas. This would make Radon the second leading cause of lung cancer. On the other side of the coin, […]
Remodeling Show 2015
This year the Remodeling & Deck Expo returns to Chicago – this time they moved up the street about a mile to the Navy Pier. Another change, well you now also get to add JLC to the title which I will get to below. The name of this ship was aptly fitting for the early […]
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 a good time to do this. There are a couple of reasons for this with the first being you want to prevent frozen water lines &/or […]
Common Sense Building: Stop termites & critters in their tracks
With all the damage that termites are known for, it is amazing how silent many of the green / energy efficient programs are on them. Granted both LEED (points for use of non-toxic pest control) and NGBS (use a shield in conjunction with a low-toxicity spray) mention them, but finding detailed drawings, best practices…. yeah, […]
BS4D: Ventilation Strategies
Let me start off with one quick key point to keep in mind, ventilation is not about energy savings; rather it is about the building occupant’s health, safety, & comfort. Yes, the choices one makes can play a factor on energy costs & savings but that should not be ones primary focus when choosing a […]
BS4D: But my house needs to breathe…
When it comes to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) there is a ton of good information out there & likewise there is a ton of bad information out there. While many of us might have thought that the corner was turned on the whole “my house needs to breathe” myth, it appears that might not be […]
Safety Sunday: Building Safety Month; Energy & Green Building
May is quiet an interesting month – one of the most notable items is it’s the only month in the year where the first lands on a day not shared by any other month & the same also applies to the last day. So for example, in 2012 no other month starts on a Tuesday […]
Going Off Grid in the 21st Century: Water Filtration
Lately in our going off the grid series we have been focusing on water where we have covered everything from pumping & storing the water, to rain water harvesting & we even looked into greywater systems. This has brought us to one of the most important points we need to remember and that is that […]
Let’s Blog Off Anniversary, SWAG, Random Thoughts and the Future
In just a little over a year, there have been a total of 29 “Let’s Blog Offs” ranging from topics like Shoe Shaped Bath Tubs, to writing you’re own Obituary’s & for this anniversary Blog Off, everyone is asked; What will your life look like in 20 years? To some extent, this feels a little […]