The leaves are falling, which means for many of us up in the northern part of the country we are breaking out our winter gear & toys while stowing our summer gear. One issue we had while doing this, was we noticed that one of the plastic sleds had a broken handle. While we could […]
Monday Musing: Don’t believe the Hype
Lately there is a lot of chatter & hype over a “new study” where many groups are going – wow, we got to ban gas cooking, Electrify Everything, or quite simply saying, see we told you so. They love showing charts similar to this one below (taken from said study) as all the evil attributes […]
Getting the Details Right: Kitchen Exhaust Venting
Nothing can help complete or accentuate the look of a kitchen more than the exhaust hood. Beyond the looks though, it is an important feature for occupant health & safety. Besides helping to eliminate cooking odors, remove excess steam & grease associated with cooking it helps capture numerous other particulates and off gassing from not […]
Safety Sunday: Fire Pit Safety by the Numbers
It’s starting to get cooler outside and with many wanting to extend their time outside – what better way than a firepit in the backyard? Turning on the news though with most of the Western seaboard burning and it might just give you pause… For more Fire Safety related to current events: Campfire Safety; Making […]
Wacky Weds: Politics can be funny… & a few quick thoughts
Generally we stay clear of politics especially because the problem lately is becoming “if you are not with us you are…” a racist, clueless, brainwashed, & the list goes on. It doesn’t matter what the topic is as most people just hear you support X or Y and they close down instantly to anything you […]
FAQ: How to Rescreen or Fix your Screens
In the August Homeowners Maintenance Checklist we mentioned checking your doors & windows which of course includes the screens. One good reason to do it now is this is the time when many of us like to throw open up the windows & let some fresh air in, preferably without the insects being able to […]
Tips & Tricks: Failed a Blower door test?
Uh oh – your on the home stretch, trying to knock out this project so you can move onto another one & bam, you failed the blower door test. Unlike a normal failed inspection where you need to fix one or maybe more items that are clearly spelled out, you are now stuck trying to […]
Monday Musings: 2021 IECC Part 2
In a prior post we discussed the latest building code cycle; particularly the process which got turned on it’s head with many groups; but in particular the NAHB seeing red. Speaking of turning on it’s head Covid-19 popped up further throwing things into disarray. Now things are finally settling down so let’s see where things […]
Tuesday Tip: Rewiring European Plugs
If given the chance, I will always buy local. With that, there are plenty of times when you can’t find what you need locally so “Amazon” here I come. In this case I needed a pool pump / filter for a pretty small pool. Unfortunately not everything sold on Amazon is sold or fulfilled by […]
Wacky Weds: Ingenious light switch idea or hack?
So what happens when you combine; bad framing, an electrician that doesn’t care, with a healthy bit of “here, hold my beer, I can make this work”?