The HTRC

The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

You are here: Home / Home

Safety Sunday: Those Pesky Spiders

In our next group of unwanted critters (Raccoons, Squirrels, and Mice to Snakes and Scorpions) we are going to introduce the next item which is those pesky spiders. For the most part, spiders are beneficial to keeping flying insects under control, but not all of them. In our state we have 4 poisonous versions which […]

Let’s Blog Off – Thumbtacks & Hanging Items on Walls

Ahhh, the lowly thumbtack and how I loathe thee… Antique plaster, solid wood, faux finished, paneled & perfectly finished drywall just pock marked with hundreds of little holes where posters, notes, pictures & calendars use to hang – enough to leave one thinking that it should be criminalized. While a few of today’s Let’s Blog […]

Going Off-Grid in the 21st Century – Options for Power Generation

Just as quick recap, in the last few posts we started off by specifying the “what we want to do”, followed up by the three most common stumbling blocks people run into & worked on getting a realistic initial sizing requirement for our electrical needs. Unlike the last two articles, that have seemingly been more […]

Air Sealing: Attic Floor Insulation

Adding more insulation in your attic is often seen as one of the easiest ways to help save money and increase comfort in your home. While this is generally true, all too often the items need to be done are either simply overlooked &/or buried. That is one reason why we have held off on […]

Safety Sunday: Top Ten Table Saw Safety Tips

Ahhh the table saw; a woodworker’s bread & butter, a carpenters best-friend (ok maybe 2nd), and a way for DIYers to show that they have made it and are serious… Ok I am slightly kidding on the last one, but one can’t argue with how popular the tool is. Of course with such popularity, accidents […]

Going Off-Grid in the 21st Century, Initial Calculations for Sizing

When we first started this series of going off-grid, we started off with Craig Leisher & his family deciding to do exactly that. While him and his wife Susannah decided to pare down there power requirements to just include enough for 2 laptops, a cell phone, and the satellite internet system – we decided to […]

Air Sealing: Attic Baffles

Ever wonder why your outside walls feel so bloody hot during the summer, and oh so cold during the winter?  Well unless you have an older home with no insulation, in many cases it isn’t the actual wall, but a popular cost saving measure that is taken by many contractors – no attic baffles being […]