As a professional remodeler I see the good, the bad and the ugly. Being an educated buyer is your best defense against inheriting someone else’s problem. Common problems that I see regularly are that low quality materials were used on house flipper projects and low quality installation practices were used. This is not to say…
Read MoreSoffit cladding has been popular for over 50 years. Originally the idea was just to eliminate having to paint, but that way of thinking has evolved to include a way to provide proper intake ventilation. To decide what you need, you first need to understand the basics of ventilation. First, think of a chimney…
Read MoreFor over 100 years, companies did glass block the same. Glass block was put together in one way and one way only — with mortar. But things have changed. Some changes are good, and some bad. First the good: Pre-fabrication vs On-site building: Glass block used to be built completely on-site. The Mason would lay…
Read MoreI get this question often, and for good reason — how much privacy will my glass block give me? The answer is “it depends”. Classic designs such as wave (popular for basements) offer some privacy, but the closer you get to it, the more anyone lurking outside your home will be able to see. If…
Read MoreNo, vinyl siding installation in the winter time is not a good idea if you live in a northern climate. As I write this, the temperature outside is 27 degrees here in Milwaukee. Vinyl siding needs to be cut when it’s installed on your house and when a saw hits a piece of frozen…
Read MoreI receive at least one call a week from frustrated homeowners, house flippers or investors asking me to re-pitch poorly installed gutters. Their thought is that it will be a cheap and cost effective way to make improperly installed gutters function well. They are mistaken. Here’s why: Gutters have a piece of flashing that is…
Read MoreI’ll start by saying that there is no such thing as a legitimate review of gutter protection done by climate. I’ve seen many review sites, the best known is Consumer Reports. Unfortunately in their assessment, they did not control for climate. Here is Wisconsin the main thing that people overlook is quite possibly the most…
Read MoreAs a contractor I’m often asked by friends what they should look for in a contractor. Of course I always joke with them that they should find someone just like me, but since I specialize in certain products, that’s not always possible. So here’s the scoop. Spend the time to check out your contractor before…
Read MoreThis is a great question, but an honest answer isn’t simple. Determining the cost of your roof includes many different factors. How many layers, what is the pitch of the roof, what is the condtion of the decking and what is the square footage of the roof? Those are the basics, but you shouldn’t limit…
Read MoreThis time of year, when roofs are covered in snow, some people are practicing a decades long tradition of using a roof rake to remove even small amounts of snow. That’s a horrible idea. In most cases all you are doing is scraping off a protective layer of shingle granules. Stop it. There are exceptions…
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