Surviving the Big Freeze 2019 (1-7-2019)       No time for philosophizing, opinionating or joking around. This is serious. Chicago and a large part of the Midwest will experience freezing low temperatures in the coming days not seen in several years. Here are some tips that may make getting through the next week a lot easier.These tips […]

What should be included in your plans? BlueprintsNo matter how much we preach the benefit of a well written contract, many people still make the mistake of signing one that doesn’t clearly call out what they are getting. Once the project starts and a dispute arises, most people will turn to the architect for guidance. […]

HERS and Mine, What’s HERS going to cost you?You may not know much about it now but HERS ratings are here and are not going away. Home Energy Rating Score. They have been built into the 2015 IECC. Now, how and when it will affect you will may vary on when the code is adopted […]

We get questions on how to build out a basement and not worry about mold. Here is a quick 5 step process to a mold free basement build out. #1. Put a concrete sealer on the floor and walls. Anything concrete sealer will do. If you are worried about seepage then you can use ULG DryLok […]

Can Windows Make You Healthy, Wealthy and Wise?    By Tom Herron, LEED Green Associate Scientific research has found that letting sufficient sunlight into a building can provide incredible benefits to occupants. Daylighting, as this technique is called, has been found to fight depression, speed recovery from illness and injury, increase productivity, improve academic learning and […]

Soffit Venting. Last week I talked about the need to properly vent your roof; and how to determine how many vents you need in the roof to do it properly. That was posted on the Mighty House Blog page for you. This week I want to talk about soffit venting. Why is it important? Because […]

Roof Venting My tip of the week this week is about roof venting. Sure we talk about it all the time but, we never get technical enough for you to fully understand what needs to get done. Roof venting is important; it gets the heat out in the summer and moisture in the winter. This […]

Dandelions and Honey Bee questions and comments dominated the show today. Here are a few links to the things we talked about. Dandelion Root Tea…..Taste like coffee. Not chicken? How to Make Roast Dandelion Root Coffee www.rosesprodigalgarden.org Another way to help save bees is to use “Mason Bees”. Check this out: www.parentmap.com/…/keeping-mason-bees-10-expert-tips-for-families Want to help […]

One of the topics today was about the LED lighting and how the prices have dropped. Looking for an LED for under 10 bucks that will last 25 years? Here it is http://www.creebulb.com/ Here is the Geek alert for the day. It was on House wrap vs drainage planes. This is a link to the […]

Siding, roofing and concrete problems were the questions of the day. Let’s start with the siding. All types of siding are fine when installed properly. With the properly installed drainage plane no water damage can occur even if the siding was to fall off. Some siding may require a rough or crinkled surface type of […]