Author Archives: SLS

Sean Lintow Sr.

3rd Generation Builder & Remodeler -- Certified HERS RATER, Infrared Thermographer L2, ENERGY STAR Verifier, CEA -- proud member of NARI & NADRA

My take; Tornados, Storm Shelters & the Codes

life-of-an-architect-safe-room

The last two weeks we got to see Mother Nature’s furry once again as she rolled across parts of the US & Canada & showed us why Tornado Alley is such an appropriate name. The storms from the 15th were quickly overshadowed by an outbreak that started on the 18th & really grabbed the media’s
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Posted in Building Codes | Leave a comment

Wacky Weds; Still Learning

air-quality-question

One of my favorite sites for providing some really good content is Green Expo 365 & this last week they held 2 webinars dealing with Indoor Air Quality. Below is the results of one of the polls taken… I got to say I was surprised at the numbers and had to double check the wording to
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Posted in Wordless Wednesday | 4 Responses

Fixing an Architectural Nightmare

architectural-nightmare-and-fix

In our last Wacky (semi) Wordless Wednesday piece we had three pictures where we looked at entryway & asked what issues you see, what might you have done differently, or does everything look good to you?  Well lets take a closer look at it… As I mentioned, I can easily see why the architect designed it this
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Posted in Building Codes, Common Sense Building | 2 Responses

Wacky Weds; Architectural Nightmare or no

exterior-view

The world would be a lot duller place if it wasn’t for architects. Unfortunately though they sometimes fail to remember that it’s not just the look that they are going for that counts. It is how all the details tie together that results in a house (or building) that not only looks good, but lives
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Resistance is futile – Conversion Factors

jlsymhome

While no one can say those in the “Green” / Energy Efficiency fields march in lock step like the Borg, I couldn’t resist using that line from Star Trek. The reason, well it appears that a big part of the collective is moving towards using kBtu/SF for measuring usage. For more on this aspect &
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The Home Builders Energy Efficient Tax Credit – an FAQ

irs-logo

The Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 (aka EPAct) established a $2000 tax credit for eligible contractors / builders for every new home sold that is certified to meet certain “energy efficiency” standards. While this was initially scheduled to expire at the end of 2007, the tax credit has been extended several times, and is
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ENERGY STAR under fire?

chee-logo

“Jessica is sad because she wants to save energy and save money. You can make her smile again…” Huh, what? Well there appears to be “a Washington proposal to change the ENERGY STAR program (that) would deny average consumers the “easy choice” on which they rely. Help us Save ENERGY STAR.” Well if one looks
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Posted in EnergyStar | 4 Responses

Wacky Weds: Small Footing Issue?

In the spirit of Deck Safety Month; I got to say this one threw me for a loop as it looked like it was sunk into the concrete with a proper footing… Well as they say looks can be deceiving The fix involved digging under the slab (there was no footing) underpinning it & installing
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A Visual Guide for Deck Inspections

deck collapse

We are proud to join NADRA & many deck professionals across the country in recognizing May as National Deck Safety Month. One of the tools we have promoted is a 10 point Safety check for homeowners. This year we thought we would bring it to life with some pictures. If you spot any issues listed
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Posted in Deck & Outdoor Living | Tagged | Leave a comment

Wacky Weds: Common Framing Issue Seen via Infrared

bad-bad-corner

Below are two infrared shots of an easily avoidable issue The root cause of this issue? Unfortunately this is a picture of a new house being constructed that I was in last week. While one could still insulate this properly by drilling holes through the studs into the cavity & then blowing in fiberglass or cellulose… this will probably end
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