The HTRC

The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

ENERGY STAR: Can it and should it be saved?

As many of our regular readers know, we have long supported and still recommend purchasing ENERGY STAR® rated products. Unfortunately, though there have been some issues that have popped up lately that have caused many groups and individuals to question if the program is more fiction than fact. On the flip side, we have some people […]

20 Days to go – I am calling the EPA out

You know it is late and I planned to let day 20 simply slide on by. I was hoping at least to get one email to clarify an issue with the “approved” test kits, but alas – no answer. Then @NHCC sends out a Press Release from the EPA: http://epa.gov/lead/pubs/lscp-press.htm. At first glance, the numbers appear […]

A match made in heaven?

Happy April 1st AKA April Fool’s Day — You know when someone told me about this program; I thought they were trying to play an early April Fool’s Day joke on me. They then faxed me the letter & I could not help but laugh. TREX and ServiceMagic join forces, oh boy, what a match […]

30 Days to go – a quick look at the numbers

As many may recall in the 67 days & counting article I referenced the EPA’s original study found here: . In it, they had four options for a 2-phase rollout. One option does come close to what we are looking at & it is called Option A. “All renter-occupied target housing units built before 1978, […]

Cleaning your deck – Common issues and prevention

Ahhh, spring is in the air and everything looks nice and fresh outside except for your deck.  In this article, we are going to cover the basic steps for keeping your deck clean. While many people like to pressure wash their deck, we do not recommend it in most cases. While pressure washing your deck […]