We often hear, glass block “vents give you great air flow”, or so my customers tell me that “Joe” down the street told them. Now I’ll be honest — if you want vents, we will sell them to you, but not because you need them and as long as we’re being honest, not because they’re…
Read MoreSometimes it’s just not realistic to expect that you’ll be able to ventilate your attic space or your roof decking — especially if you have an area in the upstairs of your home with slanted ceilings. Chances are that there are no vent chutes in the cavity between your roof decking and your drywall. More…
Read MoreA: This is a common question and in order to get the straight answer from a company you have to ask a few more questions. Here’s why: Many homeowners who do their homework prior to having a company come out for an estimate know that mortar is the best way to put together a window,…
Read MoreSome companies try to pressure customers into doing all of their basement glass block windows at the same time. They’ll give lots of reasons, but here’s a quick checklist of what you really need to understand. You don’t need to do all of your windows at the same time if you go with a classic…
Read MoreIn late winter I get many calls from people asking me if I could put new gutters on their houses to solve their ice damming problems. I have to be honest with them and explain that ice damming is a product of ventilation and insulation gutters won’t fix their ice damming problems. It may not be good for business,…
Read MoreAs 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…
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