Despite my letter to the Journal of Light Construction last year, I think energy audits are tremendously valuable. We’ve recently started using blower door tests and thermal imaging on some of our work, and so far, the results are excellent. Heat loss in buildings is weirdly unpredictable, so if you have access to a company with these tools, I recommend […]
All posts in News
Heat-loss Diagnostics for Cavemen: Part 2
Despite my letter to the Journal of Light Construction last year, I think energy audits are tremendously valuable. We’ve recently started using blower door tests and thermal imaging on some of our work, and so far, the results are excellent. Heat loss in buildings is weirdly unpredictable, so if you have access to a company with these tools, I recommend […]
Category Energy Efficiency, News
Tags Efficiency, Performance, Roof
Why Vinyl Replacement Windows Aren’t For You
So your house is getting on in years, and you’re thinking it could use a face-lift. One of the projects you’re considering is replacing all the windows in your house. Where to start? The purpose of this article is to give you the tools you need to make an informed decision. Ask Yourself Why? What are you hoping to accomplish […]
Category News, Process
Tags Builders, Efficiency, Performance, Quality, Windows
Business and Empiricism
This might ruffle some feathers, so please don’t take this personally. I love reading. So I’ve read a lot of business management books, business magazine articles (many specific to the building industry). Furthermore, I receive quite a few emails offering seminars, webinars, and magazine subscriptions all offering to help me improve my business. It’s taken me years to notice that […]
Category Construction, News
Tags Builders
Remodeling for Resale and Profit
With the decline of the US housing market, we’re getting far fewer calls from speculators looking to make the easy money by flipping houses. Instead, the phone calls we receive tend to be from desperate sellers eager to unload their property through upgrades. In fact, a cottage industry has developed around real estate ‘staging’ (and TV shows of the same), […]
Category Construction, News
Tags Remodel, Renovation
Selection
Some readers may know of my passion for endurance sports. And while I don’t follow football religiously, I did catch some of this year’s awesome Super Bowl. Pretty incredible stuff! Post-game analysis often seems like so much hot air. Nevertheless, I found Ross Tucker and Jonathan Dugas’s article from the ‘Science of Sport’s’ website interesting. In it, they note the […]
Category News, Process
Tags Philosophy
Best Practice
Selecting a builder is tough, particularly for a the quality conscious homeowner. Most builders know the right things to say, so initial meetings are about as awkward as slow dancing with your high school ex. If you’re interviewing builders, you’ll probably hear a lot of this classic, “we’re not cheap, but we do quality work.” Yeah thanks, I haven’t heard […]
Category News, Process
Tags Performance, Philosophy
Speed Cleaning
Speed Cleaning For months I’ve been raving about a book that has changed my life and given me back hours of precious time. The book is called ‘Speed Cleaning’, and is available from http://www.thecleanteam.com/ Now what does a cleaning book have to do with building construction? Well a few things: 1/ After construction, people are often left wondering how to […]
Category News, Process
Tags Philosophy
Sources
This week I thought I would post our “sources” sheet: Welcome to Tay River Homesmiths, Inc. The purpose of this pamphlet is to introduce our customers to some of the suppliers and retailers we use. We have received very positive feedback on the companies below. Feel free to use other suppliers if you like. Also, please tell us about your […]
