Construction Informer

As builders and remodelers run into resistance related to higher costs associated with energy efficiency improvements, there is a little used tool available to help assuage home owners and buyers reluctant to invest in energy saving features.
Known as a “green mortgage” or Energy Efficient Mortgages, HUD is getting the word out about their availability. These [...]

During the depression in the 1930s people discovered their green thumbs. Now that we are facing higher food costs, and undoubtedly less food in general, it might not be a bad time to put some effort into growing our own. Of course you need a space and people who live in densely populated places like [...]

What do you do if you have taken the process of insulating a home from science to art?  Well, you might try entering a competition. That’s what Ray Blackwater with Durango, Colorado-based San Juan Insulation & Drywall did and he is now the “Best Insulation Installer in America” for 2008.
According to Insulate America, Blackwater defeated [...]

Fire safety is in the news and it reminded me of all the various ways fires can get started at construction sites. Some of the obvious include containers of gasoline, diesel fuel and other liquid fuels stored in unmarked locations. Without the proper signage people may not be aware they just lit up their cigarette [...]

Where Women DIYers Are Hanging Out: With the announcement of Suzanne Horton’s appointment as BeJane’s President and CEO I clicked on over there to see what is going on with women do-it-yourselfers. Apparently, a lot. According to Horton single women own 25 percent of the homes in the US and 91 percent of women influence [...]

Ever since the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 people have been able to take some deductions on their federal taxes if they improved their home’s energy efficiency. Now, one element of that program is set to expire because it wasn’t extended by Congress this year.
As of December 31 the 10% deduction for [...]