The HTRC – Page 23 – The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

Wacky Wednesday: Exposed Conduit?

Recently I was in a new home & I got to say I was surprised as I saw this… Yes that is exposed conduit that they tried to cover over with sheetrock mud… Granted it was in a semi finished basement but really??? Tweet

7+ Questions not to ask your Contractor

A couple of weeks ago I was invited by Theresa & Mark Clement of My Fix It Up Life if I wanted to participate on one of their Google Hangouts. While I am not a big fan of getting my picture taken much less being on video I accepted immediately. There was only one catch, […]

Removing Mold and Odours from your Cars

We all know the issues and havoc mold can have in a house, or the lawsuits that can spawn from it, but your car? Well this week we have a guest piece from John Ward of Mold Busters aka “the Mold Removal Experts in Ottawa and Montreal” to talk about a special case they ran into. Not only will […]

Guest Musing: Moving or Going into a New Service Area…

One of the best things about doing guest posts is it allows one to write about something that they might not cover normally. No more so is this true when one is asked to write a musing on Christopher’s Hill site Construction Law Musings. This marks my fifth musing and revolves around what does it […]

So you want / need to pass RESNET’s CAZ Tests?

By the end of this year all HERS Raters & Field Inspectors (RFI’s) in good standing must complete CAZ training & testing. While one can debate should they or shouldn’t they the die has been cast and the mandate has been made. If you wish to listen to an entire hour long presentation on this – feel free. If not feel […]

Illinois Greenbuilt Home Tour

You can tell when summer is about over, because across the country many home tours get under way. I have been fortunate enough to volunteer and work with some great people on two of them this year and they both kick off this weekend. With that, and as one runs for only this weekend (July 26th & […]

Wacky Weds: Truth in Advertising?

We recently had a nice little hail storm that came through our area over 2 months ago – and wow did that bring out all the storm chasers. Between the actual knocks on the door to illegally placed flyers on & in the mailbox I would say we have had over 25 come through. Just […]

Guest Post: Creating a compost bin

Since moving into our new place we knew we needed to add a compost bin but the question was not only where, but how to build one that could blend in and didn’t cost a mint. In this case we choose a spot close to a shed which while it gets some sun is mostly […]

My Take: ACI & the Ventilation Debate

This is our second of three articles dealing with the ACI conference I attended back in late April. This one is specifically dealing with ventilation, which includes the Great Ventilation Debate which was originally titled; “The Ventilation Standard Debate – The Real Housewives of 62.2.” As I have stated before – ventilation is needed in […]

Getting the details right: More than 1 way to skin a cat

No one talks about Building Fight Club… to late we have busted that rule a few times over the years. Interestingly one almost broke out on Wednesday between two parties whom I would least expect it from. It all started with this piece on Green Building Advisor by Allison Bailes – “What Architects need to […]