The HTRC – Page 17 – The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

Wacky Weds – Foam Gun Oops

Ever wonder why they say if you are not going to use a can of foam for over 30 days you should remove it & clean the gun – well it isn’t because of the foam gun… In this case the seal inside the can would not seal all the way when it came off and […]

Pumpkin Pancakes & Keeping Apples Fresh Year Round

Fall is definitely in the air, as one can tell with all the Christmas stuff going up in the stores (shoot, I remember when it went up just a day or two before Thanksgiving). One of the nice things about this season besides the cooler weather is the apples are being harvested along with pumpkins, hay rides […]

Remodeling Show 2015

This year the Remodeling & Deck Expo returns to Chicago – this time they moved up the street about a mile to the Navy Pier. Another change, well you now also get to add JLC to the title which I will get to below. The name of this ship was aptly fitting for the early […]

#KBTribeChat: Saving Water – a precious resource

Every Wednesday at 2PM ET, I try my best to catch #KBTribeChat on Twitter where many of the industries best & brightest designers, manufacturers & contractors get together and take on a topic. This weeks is “Saving Water – a precious resource.” Unfortunately I will be missing this weeks chat, but as I feel this is such an important […]

You want what, by when??? Thanksgiving, Christmas, Beating Ole Man Winter

Ahh what a great time of year, the grass isn’t growing like weeds, it is starting to cool off &… Oh shoot, I want to get my windows or front door replaced before the cold really sets in. Oh man, we really need to get cracking on this kitchen or bath before Thanksgiving or Christmas […]

FAQ: Soffit Venting

I am air-sealing & insulating my attic trying to help prevent ice dams which included adding baffles in each bay. Well while looking outside I see that I only have one vented panel every 4′. Do I need to change out / use ventilated soffits outside only? Hmm, how about the eaves, would it hurt to use ventilated […]

FAQ: Exterior HVAC units – Shading, Misting & other summertime questions

It seems there are numerous questions regarding the outside HVAC unit – from how can I hide it, can I build a deck over it, to does shading it really help save me money? Well lets see if we can help answer some of these typical spring & summertime questions and look at some of the reasons behind […]

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 […]

Who says you cant make money playing with LEGO’s?

I was able to take a rare Monday off with the family and go see the newest exhibit at the Morton Arboretum, “Nature Connects” which if you happen to love(d) playing with LEGO’s this is something to see. Over 494,000 LEGO’s, 27 sculptors led by the 1st “LEGO® Certified Professional” – Sean Kenney spending 4,170 […]

The Latest: Illinois & the 2015 Energy Codes

As a brief recap: all states must adopt the 2012 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2013 (or better) energy codes no later than February 17th, 2017 & the 2015 code by June 12th of 2017. Many states are electing to skip the 2012 code all together and are pushing for the 2015 version for some very good reasons. […]