The HTRC – Page 41 – The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

Picking a Fresh Cut Christmas Tree:

Let’s face it, nothing beats having a real Christmas tree. While I prefer a live one that I can plant, that isn’t always optimal so the next option is a “fresh cut” tree. Whether you drive to a Christmas tree farm to cut your own or simply pick one up from a tree lot here […]

Guest Musing: LEED, Lance Armstrong and You?

Ahh as we usher out another year, I was invited once again by Christoper G. Hill to post a guest musing on Construction Law Musings. This year I took a slightly diffrent tack and instead of focusing on a typical building subject like infrared or builder verifications I decided to take a look at how the world has […]

Interior Storm Window: One Option & a How To

In our recent articles for renters (how to save money on utilities) & homeowners (getting ready for ole man winter) we talked about another option for storm windows; namely a DIY kit that mounts on the inside. This kit from Frost King simply consists of a sheet of specialty plastic & double sided tape & […]

Funny Energy Efficiency Videos – say it isn’t so

Isn’t it amazing how just one simple statement can give one pause & go, no way… to shoot, you know you might be right… Well in this case it came from a blog posting by Elisa Wood on the Home Energy Pro’s where she says “I know what you’re thinking. An energy agency and humor? […]

Common Sense Building: OFT – Optimized Framing Techniques

OFT or Optimized Framing Techniques is taking the best framing techniques that fit the house you are building & utilizing them to not only save resources but to also have a strong, durable structure that uses a minimal amount of connectors. Ah, but isn’t that what one might call OVE or Advanced Framing? Well before […]

Guest Post: 5 Tips for a Successful Remodeling Project

Love cars; from exotic to sporty? How about decorating advice that actually fits your lifestyle & allows for you to not fret about putting your drink down? How about both in one location? Well you can actually get your fix of both by checking out Lisa M. Smith’s (aka The Decor Girl) blog aptly entitled Decor […]

Energy Savings & Efficiency 101

I love salesmen, the ultimate bringers of truth, justice, and the American way. Oops… I’m sorry about that & yes you can wipe the coffee off your monitor – I promise no more bad jokes. In all seriousness, while there are many well intentioned companies, individuals, and programs that love to talk about “home performance” […]

Updates on Insurance Pricing, Estimating, Energy Efficiency, & Sandy

Wow, the last 30 days have been a whirlwind with Sandy, the election & numerous other items that have impacted everyone, especially in our industry. Many of these items are too small by themselves & easily overlooked, so we thought it might be good to do a quick recap of these items in case you […]

A look at the RRP enforcement actions & how it impacts you

Can you believe that today marks 943 days since the RRP went into effect? It only took them 119 days to come up with enforcement guidelines, and over 531 days to actually bring their first enforcement action? Well last week, (937 days later) the EPA released the names & details of 16 more contractors that […]

Thanksgiving: Getting ready in a rush?

Full confession; we are nowhere even close to being ready for Thanksgiving this year. That nice “getting ready for the holiday checklists” that I created & have honed over the years – yeah, I just barely pulled it up with 5 days to go. (Fortunately we aren’t traveling & the guest room is always ready) […]