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5 days & counting – Do I need to use a Certified Firm?

As I have mentioned before, there are plenty of gray areas in this regulation & some of the biggest questions revolve around the certification issue. “Do I need to be certified” or “does the firm I hire need to be certified”? As a homeowner, while you may be exempt from the regulation, the contractors you […]

HomeStar Primer – Good for the economy, good for homeowners?

HomeStar (aka Cash for Caulkers) is a proposed measure introduced in the Senate to “create good living-wage jobs in construction and related industries by providing strong short-term incentives for home energy efficiency improvements.”  It was also designed to “reward homeowners for investing in insulation and weatherization, high-efficiency heating and air conditioning equipment, replacement windows and […]

Going Green – While Cleaning

I don’t know about you, but underneath our kitchen sink, my bathroom sink (my wife’s vanity is to full) and in the laundry area we have a ton of cleaning supplies. While these items’ making cleaning up certain area’s easier, they also come at a cost. Most of the kitchen cleaners have warnings on them […]

Wires – isn’t wireless the wave of the future?

In our Remodeling Right: A Hedge against Changing Technology article we mentioned a great product for running low voltage cabling in your walls. This wiring is used for everything from alarm systems, to your telephone, from your internet connection, to your television. Some people have questioned this by simply asking – isn’t wireless truly the […]

Creating a raised garden bed – in just a few hours

Last year’s gardening attempts were a disaster at our place, mainly due to our busy schedules. While we managed to get plenty of squash and a few other vegetables from it, most of the crop was lost to the pasture grass that simply overtook the garden. We are going to alleviate that problem this year […]

ENERGY STAR: Can it and should it be saved?

As many of our regular readers know, we have long supported and still recommend purchasing ENERGY STAR® rated products. Unfortunately, though there have been some issues that have popped up lately that have caused many groups and individuals to question if the program is more fiction than fact. On the flip side, we have some people […]

20 Days to go – I am calling the EPA out

You know it is late and I planned to let day 20 simply slide on by. I was hoping at least to get one email to clarify an issue with the “approved” test kits, but alas – no answer. Then @NHCC sends out a Press Release from the EPA: http://epa.gov/lead/pubs/lscp-press.htm. At first glance, the numbers appear […]