On September 5, 1882, some 10,000 workers assembled in New York City to participate in America's first Labor Day parade. Originally, it was viewed by many not only as a means to celebrate their accomplishments, but also as a day to air their grievances, discuss strategies for securing not only better but also safer working conditions for everyone. Fast forward, a hundred plus years and many simply see Labor Day as the end of summer and the start of football seaso

Hurricane Season - 5 Steps to being prepared

Today is the start of Hurricane Season that has been predicted to be busier than usual. Based on the ocean temperatures and the changing weather conditions, they might just be right this year. With that in mind, below is our 5 steps to being prepared. If you happen to own pets, we added an additional bonus step just for them. While this list is geared for those faced with hurricane evacuations, this is a good list for anyone that may be in areas that maybe affected by ea

September and Early Fall Maintenance Checklist

Summer is slowly winding down; the dog days of August are quickly going to fade into a distant memory as the leaves start changing. The kids are back in school, which gives you some time to make sure that your home is ready for the winter. Why worry about it, fall doesn't officially start until the 22nd right? Well starting next month, you are probably going to end up wanting to use your heater for the first time this season when the Average Minimum Temperature at night

There’s no such thing as a free lunch – Roofing

Knock, knock – Hello? Hi, I’m Mike & we were just looking at your neighbors’ roof and thought we spotted some damage to yours, would you mind if we performed a free roof inspection? It will only take a few minutes, you see we do lots of insurance repair jobs and most of the time we can get you a completely new roof and it won’t even cost you a cent. Really, why that sounds great. (Man, this must be my lucky day)… What’s even better is we have contrac

Renovations & Insurance - What is covered & what isn't

The idea that an article like this was needed was made abundantly clear to me on a recent project I completed. This project required us to completely remove and reframe an existing roof, while leaving the existing walls & floors untouched. During the consultation phase of this project, we covered all the normal items like material choices, options, budget, contractors insurance, the necessity of them reviewing their insurance policy, etc... They were quite shocked on

25 Conservation Tips & Tricks

In our last article, “Energy Efficiency vs. Conservation – what is the real issue?” we covered plenty of the issues that involve your actual house while it is being worked on. While we have also had several articles on making your house more energy efficient, money saving tips & tricks, air sealing, green cleaning, and many others, we have not had an article on just conservation. In order to rectify that, and seeing everyone likes top ten articles, etc... we wo

Energy Efficiency vs. Conservation – what is the real issue?

I have to admit, I was originally confused by some of the attitudes or opinions given about those in the Energy Efficiency fields. I grant you that there are quite a few individuals in the green community that are five cans shy of a six pack, but the following quotes come from some of the “respected” experts. One of my favorite quotes is, “What an awesome presentation! I called Energy Efficiency fanatics "the Sith Lords of Green building"!” Another one is, “T

Designing your Dream Kitchen – One common mistake you can easily avoid

Wow, what in the world is that? Well, before we get to that, I would like to first thank Bill Conley from Northwest Kitchen & Bath in Tacoma Washington for allowing us to repost these pictures. These are pictures he took at a homeowner’s house that wanted a new kitchen. She had apparently spent a lot of time reading articles on kitchen design and she followed one of the best pieces of advice we can give anyone – create a mock up. I have to admit, I am impressed b

Tag Archives: Common Sense Building

Building Green Homes: Looking back & Lessons Learned

By Sean | Published: July 19, 2010

I guess I can credit some of my desire to learn about and utilize energy efficient designs, green buildings, & solar power with the area I grew up in. I can recall some of our schools field trips where we would go see new houses being built with photovoltaic panels, and eating food cooked on
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Posted in Green Building / Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling | Also tagged Aging in Place, Aging in Place Solutions, Building Green, Energy Efficiency, EnergyStar, Looking Back, Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling, Universal Design | 16 Comments

Energy Efficiency vs. Conservation – what is the real issue?

By Sean | Published: June 6, 2010

Posted in Green Building / Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling | Also tagged Energy Conservation, Energy Efficiency | 23 Comments

Remodeling Right: A Hedge Against Changing Technology

By Sean | Published: January 19, 2010

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
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Posted in General Articles | Also tagged Guest Article's | 12 Comments

Utilizing Universal Design Principles to create an Accessible Deck

By Sean | Published: September 19, 2009

I don’t know about you but I like to be able to sit outside on my deck or porch and enjoy the weather while my wife likes to work outside in the garden. I do not foresee that changing anytime in the future, nor do most individuals with disabilities want to be cooped up inside.
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Posted in Decks, Patios, & Outdoor Living Solutions, Universal Design, Aging in Place Solutions | Also tagged Aging in Place, Aging in Place Solutions, Correct Deck CX, Deck Safety, Outdoor Living Solutions, Professional Deck Builder, Safety; Your House - Working & Living Safely, Universal Design | 5 Comments

Green Building Principles & Common Sense

By Sean | Published: November 10, 2008

Common sense unfortunately is missing from most discussions of building green. There are groups that state that petroleum based products, concrete, & other items should never be used. There are contractors that simply state that it is a fad, and a complete joke while others push it no matter what the
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Posted in Green Building / Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling | Also tagged Building Green, Sustainable Building | 9 Comments

What is Green Building?

By Sean | Published: November 3, 2008

It seems like everywhere you turn - people are talking about building or remodeling green. Well what is it exactly?
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Posted in Green Building / Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling | Also tagged Building Green, FAQ's, Sustainable Common Sense Building & Remodeling | 1 Comment

Labor Day Safety

Hurricane Season - 5 Steps to being prepared

September and Early Fall Maintenance Checklist

There’s no such thing as a free lunch – Roofing

Renovations & Insurance - What is covered & what isn't

25 Conservation Tips & Tricks

Energy Efficiency vs. Conservation – what is the real issue?

Designing your Dream Kitchen – One common mistake you can easily avoid

Tag Archives: Common Sense Building

Building Green Homes: Looking back & Lessons Learned

Energy Efficiency vs. Conservation – what is the real issue?

Remodeling Right: A Hedge Against Changing Technology

Utilizing Universal Design Principles to create an Accessible Deck

Green Building Principles & Common Sense

What is Green Building?

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