"Your home is your castle." "There's no place like home." "Home is where the heart is." "Make a house into a home." We have all heard these and countless other adages about the bond between an individual and their dwelling. It doesn't matter if we are describing a mobile home or a mansion, a quaint cottage or sprawling estate. For most people, their home is among their largest investments. Even in a tough economy with rampant foreclosures, a house is also one of the best ways to build wealth over time. Equity comes from paying down debt, as well as increasing the value of the property. And just as a high tide raises all boats (that are in the water), an improving market elevates the vast majority of housing values. Of course, a poorly maintained, leaking boat will struggle to stay above the tides and the same can be said of a poorly maintained house.

This blog will delve into some off the many systems that comprise a house (roofing, ventilation, HVAC, insulation, windows, entry systems, flooring, kitchen and bath). We will discuss what it takes to keep these systems functioning properly, how to maintain them, and what to look for when replacing or upgrading them.

Home improvement is a scary business. Cutting corners to save a few bucks may end up costing you dearly in aggravation, legal entanglements, premature system failure and subsequent replacement. Unpaid subcontractors can place a lien on your home, even if you paid the entire amount of the contract. Does the contractor carry insurance? The Yellow Pages ad may say so, but those claims are never verified. A worker getting injured on the job potentially places the home-owner at risk of liability. "Lifetime" warranties are only as strong as the company that backs them up. With nearly 70% of contractors going under within 7 years, who do you go after if/when something goes wrong? Buried deep in the fine print, it is all-too common to find clauses nullifying warranty protection if installation is not in accordance with manufacturer specifications. How does an unsuspecting homeowner know if the installation is done properly and in accordance with those specifications?

This blog will help to expose the issues that can turn a home improvement project into a nightmare. Knowing how to protect yourself should provide some much needed peace of mind.






Sunday, March 24, 2013

Snow loads can be problematic for roofs, especially when the roof has multiple layers of shingles.


Here's why you have to be sure your roofer has paid up insurance

JOBS

America's Deadliest Jobs Include Sanitation Work and Roofing 

 http://politix.topix.com/homepage/1972-americas-deadliest-jobs-include-sanitation-work-and-roofing

Cops make the list, but don't place where you'd think...

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"See, I told you, more dangerous than police work" / Image: tomeggebrecht.com
Risk Management provides a detailed look at the top ten most dangerous jobs in the US, and while some might surprise you, others invite the obvious "duh." Let's start with some occupations that won't surprise: industrial machine workers, mining machine operators, logging workers, and police officers. But while all rank in the top ten, the difference between them can be immense. Loggers, for example, are over five times more likely than cops to suffer a fatal injury on the job. Miners are just over twice as likely.
And what are the jobs deadlier than you'd expect? Time was we'd have noted "fishermen," but that's now common knowledge. So try sanitation workers, who likewise have a fatality rate higher than that for cops. But also roofers, farmers, and even airline pilots, who despite the cliche that flying is safer than driving, experience deaths on the job at a rate nearly four times that of armed civil servants. Why are these occupations consistently compared to that of a police officer? Because "police officer," most surprising of all, comes in at number ten. Via Risk Management.

Update - DOE Ruling on 80% AFUE furnaces




The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 modified the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to authorize the Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) to consider regional standards for certain products if such standards can save significantly more energy and are economically justified. Specifically, in addition to a base national standard, DOE was authorized to establish up to two additional regional standards for central air conditioners and heat pumps (CACHP) and one additional regional standard for furnaces. 42 U.S.C. § 6295(o)(6)(B)(ii).
The Department recognizes that regional standards present new certification, compliance, and enforcement issues. Congress ostensibly anticipated these issues and explicitly required DOE to initiate rulemaking for enforcement of regional standards no later than 90 days after issuance of the final rule establishing regional standards. DOE is required to complete this enforcement rulemaking no later than 15 months from issuance of the final rule. (42 U.S.C. § 6295(o)(6)(G)(ii)(I), (III))
Adoption of regional standards by DOE also triggers requirements for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). EPCA directs the FTC to initiate rulemaking within 90 days after the publication of a final rule establishing regional standards in order to determine the “appropriate 1 or more methods for disclosing information so that consumers, distributors, contractors, and installers can easily determine whether a specific piece of equipment that is installed in a specific building is in conformance with the regional standard that applies to the building.” The FTC is required to complete this rulemaking no later than 15 months of publication of the final rule establishing regional standards. (42 U.S.C. § 6295(o)(6)(H)(i), (iii))
On June 27, 2011, DOE promulgated a direct final rule establishing regional standards for residential furnaces and residential air conditioners and heat pumps. 76 Fed. Reg. 37408. In addition to a base national standard for each product, DOE established one regional standard for furnaces and two regional standards for central air conditioners and heat pumps. Compliance dates for these standards are May 1, 2013, for non-weatherized furnaces and January 1, 2015, for weatherized furnaces and central air conditioners and heat pumps.
The tables below provide the amended regional energy conservation standards, as set forth in the June 2011 direct final rule. Table 1 displays the amended standards for furnaces; Table 2 displays the amended standards for central air conditioners and heat pumps.