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Wacky Weds: Baby it’s cold out, even for this wall

Retaining walls are designed to handle heavy loads… Well it appears that the cold maybe winning this fight. Not only does the wall appear to be leaning, it is showing other signs that there might be more issues. Fortunately the driveway set 15 feet back from the edge still looks to be in good shape. If […]

Wacky Weds: Baby it’s cold out

It can suck when there is no heat, temps dip into the negatives & no one can find the shutoff at the street…. Fortunately it was so cold that the place didn’t flood and the pipe didn’t burst just the meter & compression fitting. To help prevent this from happening to you: Preventing or Fixing Frozen […]

Looking Back & Moving Forward

Since October 2008 the HTRC has posted over 750 articles (this actually makes #758) or on average a little over a 100 pieces a year. Per Google it was quite a great year with a 73% jump in page views, an increased amount of time spent on site, a lower bounce rate, and an additional 300,000 people who visited this site […]

Wacky Weds: Maintenance Reminder

I got water coming in through my basement windows, I think it is because of my new window well covers not being installed properly…. Nope, your issue is you need to clean out the drain in the bottom of the well along with… For those following our Monthly Maintenance Series, you should be covered (see March […]

Wacky Weds: Rodent’s, Pest’s & Insulation

For those involved in “green” building, there is one simple truth – it isn’t about the materials it is about the process and getting the details right. I.E. – it doesn’t matter what materials you use (&/or other items needed for an item to function properly) if they are installed improperly. For many out there though they will hold […]

Wacky Weds – Nails are meant for shear forces, not…

Nails are an amazing invention that were simply designed to help hold items together. There main strength – to resist shear forces. Now as for pull out forces, well not so much (yes even rink shank nails – especially todays version – aren’t so hot at it) which is why they invented screws & specialty hangers. So what happens […]

Choosing the Best Windows for Your Home

This week we have a guest piece from Bryn Huntpalmer who lives in Austin, Texas where she currently works as editor-in-chief of Modernize.com. Their goal is to empower homeowners with expert guidance and educational tools that they need to take on big home projects with confidence. So with a quick word of thanks and no further ado: How to Choose the Best […]

Guest How-To: Covering a Basement Support Post

Ahh the dreaded support posts seen in most basements… while you can wrap them in carpet (like this one was originally) or buy “wrap” kits at over a 100 each, how about a simple wood post covering. In this case these each ran about $50 a piece, but the cost could be less if you […]

Wacky Weds: Watch that gap…

Ever wonder why some vinyl siding looks really wavy? Besides the oops I shouldn’t have used my grill so close to the siding, one of the biggest issue is shown below… The issue, there is no room for the vinyl to expand so it starts bowing out. Just as a reminder, all materials do expand & contract […]