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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 Leave a Comment

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 Leave a Comment

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 Leave a Comment

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 Leave a Comment

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 18 Comments

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 3 Comments

Taxes, Record Keeping, & Clearing the Clutter

Oh no, it’s April 16th and taxes were due… are due on the 17th? (Sorry folks in 2020 it is April 15th) 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 […]

Filed Under: Legal April 16, 2011 By SLS Leave a Comment

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 2 Comments

Featured Posts

Getting ready for Spring: Your deck & grill

Hopefully, this last snow storm was it for spring (really?) meaning most of us can start getting ready to grill and get back to enjoying the great outdoors. Needless to say for ...

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March – Early Spring Maintenance Checklist

March and the start of spring, is a great time, as it seems to bring out a new life in everything. The trees start to bloom, the animals that were ...

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Preventing or fixing frozen water pipes

Updated: This article was originally posted in early 2010 after the Alabama Department of Health issued the following warning via press release: Prolonged period of cold weather ahead prompts warnings to ...

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BS4D: Saving on Heating Related Energy Costs

For the bulk of the year, energy costs are not a big concern to many and instead most calls relate to comfort, safety or health issues. We are now starting ...

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Common Sense Building: Build Radon Out

Common Sense Building: Build Radon Out

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 ...

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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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FAQ on Duct Cleaning: All Hype or Worthy Expense?

It must be spring time... I got the following in the mail just the other day: 5 different ads all for duct cleaning. With allergy season starting along with my ...

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Random Glossary term

  • CDD

    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 […]

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