The Truth About Roofing Warranties

Roofing warranties make big claims to exploit your fear of the worst but the truth is that most of these warranties are worth little more than the paper they’re written on.  Understanding roofing warranties can help homeowners make logical choices to safeguard their home. Understanding motivations will save you Money Homeowners, manufacturers and contractors all have different motivations for offering promises that may or may not ever come to fruition, but ask yourself if you…

Everything You Need to Know About Finding a Reliable Roofing Contractor

When it comes to taking care of your home, few things are more important than ensuring that your roof is in good condition. This is where a roofing contractor comes in. A roofing contractor is a professional who specializes in installing, repairing, and maintaining roofs on homes and other buildings. Whether you need a new roof installed, a leak repaired, or regular maintenance performed, a roofing contractor can help you keep your home safe, dry, and protected. However, not …

Understanding Black Mold

Mold can be a real problem and understanding black mold, the most common of molds, is the first step to managing a problem.  But first, you should understand that mold remediation is an unregulated industry.  Self proclaimed mold experts are often generous to themselves in their claims. Most often the most common mistake is to treat mold with bleach.  While bleach will knock down, or reduce problems associated with mold, it will not kill it.  The other mis…

Are Metal roofs a good idea?

Not a day goes by that I don’t see an ad for a metal roof and a common question I get is, “are metal roofs a good idea”? The straight answer is, “it depends”. But before rushing out to buy a metal roof you should go into it with the knowledge of whether it makes sense for your house in your climate. But like everything there are pros and cons. After reviewing this article, you will should have all the information you need to decide if metal is right for you. Pros Durability -…

How to Find a Contractor

Finding a contractor you can trust can be a daunting task.  There was a time when homeowners would call the Better Business Bureau.  The internet changed that.  Now there seems to be more options than ever, but how do you really know what’s real? There are many sites that claim they’ll send you the best contractors, but what they’re really doing is acting as a middle man between the homeowner and the contractor.  Ask yourself, how do they make their money?  If they’…

Due Diligence, Research and Reviews

What does due diligence and research really mean when it comes to home improvements?  There are times, that after we show our customers how we can make the building sciences improve their homes, and do it for an affordable price, they say they need to do their due diligence and some research.  In an era where the internet affords you the ability to do this work beforehand, these steps should be done before you ever let a company rep into your home or on your property. Here ar…

Building Better – Industry Innovation

If you’re the type of person who likes to improve yourself or your projects each time you do one, you’ll appreciate our approach.  Building Better explains how we do things — every project, like every class or seminar, is an opportunity to improve.  We ask ourselves, how could this have been done better? Skepticism toward new product innovation Decades of experience have shown us exciting innovations in materials and methods of installation.  Some have been go…

What makes a Good Downspout?

Downspouts are critically important if you want a good water management system and unfortunately are the most overlooked by homeowners who are convinced that they’ve already done their due diligence.  There are many differences and homeowners that stop at only one or two, make decisions they end up regretting. Here’s a short list of differences that homeowners find in the Metro Milwaukee market: Size A properly installed downspout Most traditional downspouts are 2″x 3″. …

How do you know if you have Triple Pane?

This is how you can tell if you really have triple pane In an industry rife with cost cutting, sometimes contractors use a “bait and switch” technique — especially if the uninformed homeowner would never know the difference. Here’s the way to tell if you really have a triple pane window or not. Hold up a lighter to the window.  If you see three distinct reflections, you have triple pane. If you only have two, you have double pane. Frequently Asked Questions Are triple pane w…