CAT | Quality Check
California Corner and Energy Savings
1 Comment | Posted by armchairbuilder in Cool Design, Quality Check, Save Money
Do you know what a California corner is? It has nothing to do with Beverly Hills and everything to do with energy efficiency in your new building project. This is one of many advanced framing techniques that help us build better quality, energy efficient homes. California Corner Video We just completed a detailed video about […]
Water Drainage and Your Home
2 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Fix it!, Quality Check, Save Money
Water Drainage Basics Most new homes today come with an engineered plot plan showing how the water drainage should work. Each new community or subdivision comes with an overall water drainage plan designed by an engineer, showing where the storm water should go. Each lot within that community is designed to fit the overall water […]
Swale: What is it and How to Prevent Flooding in Your Yard.
2 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Fix it!, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
Swale: What is it and why is it important to your property? Spring is here which means the forecast calls for rain. If you maintain your the swale and other drainage vehicles on your property you can prevent flooding and the possible damage it can bring. Let’s discuss what a swale is and why it […]
Building Decks? Don’t Do This!
6 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Fix it!, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
A lot of folks will be building decks this spring. Why not. It’s a great project for the DIY’er. A deck is relatively simple to build and can be completed in just a few weekends. And as for the savings…they can be in the thousands. Unfortunately, I have seen quite a few of these DIY […]
What is Drain Tile?
3 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Fix it!, Great Products, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
Drain tile is one of those terms we hear a lot when talking about foundations. But what the heck is it? Is there really any tile in drain tile? If you have a wet basement that needs to be repaired or plan to start a new building project soon, you should familiarize yourself with the […]
Energy Efficiency: Builder Tips For a Tight Home
5 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Great Products, Quality Check
If you live in a cold climate you really start to think about the energy efficiency of your home this time of year. When you sit down to pay the bills and see your electric or gas bill has skyrocketed, you start thinking of ways to improve your home. Building a new home or addition […]
Your Home Foundation: Frost Protection
3 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
The recent photo above shows a newly excavated hole for a new home foundation being built in a cold weather climate. The vinyl materials on the ground are insulating blankets used for frost protection when building in freezing temperatures. These blankets are placed in the spread footing locations immediately after digging the hole to help […]
Tips for a Dry Basement
1 Comment | Posted by armchairbuilder in Basement Finish, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
As a builder, people are always asking me…what’s the best way to guarantee a dry basement? Sure, you can start with a very good waterproofing on the exterior of the basement wall. But what about the foundation drainage system? How can I be sure that it will work during those heavy rain storms? What can […]
Preventing Home Foundation Problems
2 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Quality Check
Have you experienced home foundation problems? Do you have settlement cracks, bulging walls, or moisture in your basement? I was driving down the road the other day and noticed this excavation for a new home. I decided to get out and take a look…because it’s what I do. I took a picture as I thought…this […]
It’s that time of year again . If you live in a cold climate and haven’t yet felt freezing temperatures, you are about to. So, now is the time to make sure everything is prepared for the cold so you eliminate damage to plumbing or worse, damage to your home from frozen pipes. As a […]
