The HTRC – Page 83 – The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

Air Sealing: Benefits, Concerns, & How-To Find the Leaks

Air can easily leak in and out of a home through cracks, joints between different materials, where holes have been drilled to allow pipes and wire to enter the structure, and many other openings. Some of the popular areas for air leakage is around doors, windows, attic access panels, recessed ceiling lights, electrical outlets, switch […]

Weatherization Program: Getting the most bang for your buck – Traditional House

In our prior articles, we covered the Weatherization Assistance Program & delved into DOE’s priority list for weatherizing mobile homes. We started with the mobile homes because they generally are some of the biggest energy hogs out there. In this article, we are going to look at DOE’s priority list for single-family homes. #1 – […]

Weatherization Program: Getting the most bang for your buck – Mobile Homes

As we mentioned in the prior article – many of the southern states endured some of the coldest weather, we have seen in some 20 odd years and with it some of the highest utility bills. While it is a little too late now to lower January’s bill, one call still take care of the […]

Weatherization Program: A primer on the Weatherization Assistance Program

In Alabama and many of the other southern states, January brought with it some of the coldest weather in some 20 odd years. With the cold weather, many of us also got an additional nasty shock when we opened up our electric &/or gas bills. For those that had not kept up with the maintenance […]

February – Winter Maintenance Checklist

Ahhh February, we are now in the second full month of winter and many people in the northern states and elsewhere are starting to feel run down from a lack of sunshine. If you are starting to feel this way may we suggest that you get out, go visit some friends, go for a walk […]

Smoke Detectors – A primer on Placement & Location

In the prior articles, we covered the proper maintenance of smoke detectors and many of the options available. In this article we will be discussing where smoke detectors should be located, and even how to prevent false alarms. The Starting Point – Current Codes In order to answer the question of how many are needed […]

Smoke Detectors – A primer on the Options Available

In the prior article, we covered the proper maintenance of smoke detectors. One item that we mentioned was that they should be replaced after 5 years. In this article, we will be discussing the different types of alarms and options that are available, including those for the deaf or hearing impaired. There are two common […]

Smoke Detectors – A primer on Maintenance

“Where there’s smoke there’s fire”; while this statement is not fully factually correct we can tell you that most “fire related” deaths actually occur from smoke inhalation. I can honestly say I have yet to see a house that did not have a smoke detector in it, but I sure have seen the results when […]

Remodeling Right: A Hedge Against Changing Technology

When having your house remodeled, you as a homeowner you have so many choices to make and so many things to consider. How many nights have you spent worrying about your project, hoping that you and your contractor have thought of everything? As a contractor, I can honestly tell you that many of us go through the same thing. In some […]