SLS – Page 20

Installing an Interior Barn Door – Lessons Learned

It seems one of the biggest trends lately is installing a “barn door” inside to either add a decorative element, add some privacy, or in our case cut down on noise. We recently removed a pocket door and left the doorway open as we knew we were going to install one in that location. Here […]

Come join us at Illinois B4 Conference – Feb. 26 & 27

Welcome to the start of conference season. The biggest one for builders & designers happened last week with the newly merged NAHB IBS (International Builders Show) & KBIS. Depending on your interests, like Energy Efficiency / Building Better / Green you could probably attend at least one a week for the next few months or like my friend Allison go […]

FAQ: Where should I place a Stand-Alone Freezer?

I don’t have room to put a freezer there… can I leave it outside on my back porch, in an unheated garage, the basement, laundry room??? What happens if it isn’t in the house & temperatures soar or dip below zero, will I have any issues? Convenience First: One of the first considerations is not only where will one fit […]

FAQ: Why are my windows / walls wet or have ice on them?

It seems like every winter the question pops up – why are my windows sweating / have so much condensation on them. It seems invariably that someone pops up with change out your single pane windows with double or triple paned windows… which in many cases turns into “sounds good but I already have them and it […]

Wacky Weds: Deep Freeze Inside?

While many are used to seeing ice form inside a freezer, how about inside ones house? On an electric outlet with a live load – ooh that can’t be good. Want to know why & how to prevent it – FAQ: Why are my windows & walls so wet during the winter

Thursday Tip: Don’t forget those bolts

Can you imagine my surprise yesterday when the garage door would only open up about a foot? I was slightly flummoxed as I could manually open it, the garage door opener was working fine, but put together the garage door still wouldn’t go past a foot without the motor tripping. I even looked at the spring […]

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, […]

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 help as they don’t even have an arrow saying which way the fan is blowing or even a simple pictograph showing the sun or a […]