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…
Read MoreIf 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? Decades of…
Read MoreDownspouts 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…
Read MoreIn 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…
Read MoreOut of state roofing contractors descend upon areas victimized by hail damage like hyenas after a kill. Often they’ll rent a tiny office where they can get their mail and you wouldn’t know they were from another state until the first time the roof they put on for you needs service. There are ways to…
Read MoreOf all of the ways that contractors can drive up their profits, skipping the drip edge flashing is unwise and is likely to hurt the homeowner down the road. Drip edge is a piece of flashing that goes on the gable ends (also known as rake ends) of a home. Sometimes fly by night contractors…
Read MoreRoof raking can damage your shingles and if you’re a roof raker, it’s time to climb the ladder to inspect what damage has been done. It’s understandable that many people go into panic mode when they hear of widespread water infiltration in the winter caused by ice damming. Home improvement shows scare folks about the weight of snow…
Read MoreThis week I got a call from a customer in New Berlin who had a leak. Earlier in the week another company had come over and told them they could fix the leak for $1600. They then proceeded to replace cap shingles on parts of the roof that weren’t even close to the leak. When…
Read MoreEach year I get customers who want to be assured that their plants won’t get damaged when they put on their new roof. I’m faced with a dilemma — how do I quickly strip off thousands of pounds of shingles off of their roof, all while guaranteeing that their plants will be fine? The short…
Read MoreInterested in a specific shingle? Type in the name of that shingle manufacturer on google followed by the word “lawsuit”. Chances are you’ll find someone who feels they were wronged, or in some cases just want something for nothing. Many of these lawsuits are from homeowners who are realizing that the cost of a roof…
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