The HTRC – Page 37 – The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

10 Questions to ask your Contractor

Ahhh finally, it’s time for the proverbial rubber to hit the road and to turn ones dream project into reality… yes, it is time to hire a contractor. One of the biggest things to remember is that remodeling is not a commodity based solely on price, but rather a complicated service. The Rationale for Getting […]

Wacky Weds; Watch that last step

I spent most of my weekend sorting through files & pictures & came across these two gems. These are both up in Pennsylvania & within a 1/4 of a mile of each other – it’s amazing how much time one gets to look around while averaging 2 miles an hour… Got to love the ADA requirements […]

7 Steps to temporarily patch your roof with a tarp

When ones roof is damaged it is only natural to want to stop any water from getting inside, which also happens to be one of your insurance company’s primary concerns. While it may take weeks or even months to get a roofer out to repair the damage, a tarp can be put in place pretty […]

Conferences, Codes & Reality

This last week was probably one of the busiest conference weeks when it comes to building better buildings. Not only was the RESNET / ACCA / IAQA / RPA conference going on, many other states & groups were holding similar ones throughout the week. I know here in Alabama we had at least 2 open […]

Common Sense Building: Exterior Wall Sheathing 101

For most builders & crews the biggest question when it comes to sheathing a wall is “should we do it while the wall is being framed on the ground, or after we have stood it up?” For others that have to add foam on the exterior, some start to wonder, “if I need to add […]

3 Simple Do-It-Yourself Appliance Repairs

Appliance repair technicians do not know the exact details of every appliance they work on. They know the fundamentals and refer to the manufacturers manuals. While appliance repairs can be expensive, some can be done by those who understand the basics of working with plumbing and electricity. If you have rewired a lamp or replaced a […]

Wacky Weds; The allergy filter will catch all the dirt

No worries, this filter will catch and remove all the allergens and dirt… Sure, and how about the gaps around it where a cover is supposed to be…

Of Blogging Contests (and a humble request or two)

As scary as it sounds I remember when blogs where originally called V Logs or weblogs and the idea of them actually being anything more than just entertaining or sad was almost ludicrous. Nowadays it seems like almost every site out there has a “blog” and if it doesn’t the marketing &/or SEO folks are […]

Of sales tax holidays, disaster preparation & others of interest…

Alabama is one of three states that have a “severe weather” sales tax holiday. This year the “holiday” is set to start tomorrow (February 22nd) and it runs through Sunday. Unlike Virginia & Louisiana which both occur in the later part of May (to get people ready for Hurricane season), Alabama has chosen the last […]