Practical Solutions To Everyday DIY Challenges!
KOHLER CO. FINDS INNOVATIVE RESUSE FOR MATERIALS ONCE DESTINED FOR LANDFILL Kohler partners with businesses, municipalities to keep porcelain waste out of landfills for past 15 years. This vitreous china (porcelain) cull comes from toilets and lavatories that have not passed inspection for sale to customers. If a defect is found after glazing, the standard protocol has been to send the porcelain waste to the landfill, but, the … [Read more...]
Do You Have Ice Dam Problems? If your home has a steep sloped roof, and is more than 20 years old, there is a high probability that your attic has excessive heat, leading to ice damming. I spent some time this weekend removing ice dams from my house. Here are some thoughts: What Is An Ice Dam? An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow (water) from draining off the roof. This water … [Read more...]
Adding Insulation And Air Leak Sealing Checking your house's insulation is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to reduce energy waste and save on energy bills. A good insulating system includes a combination of products and construction techniques that protect a home from outside hot or cold temperatures, protect it against air leaks, and control moisture. You can increase the comfort of your house, reduce heating and cooling … [Read more...]
The $858 billion federal tax bill signed into law by President Obama on Dec. 17 had both good and bad things for American homeowners. The legislation slashed the popular tax credits for energy-efficient remodeling from the current 30 percent of an improvement's cost ($1,500 maximum per taxpayer) to just a 10 percent credit with a $500 maximum for expenditures on insulation materials, exterior windows and storm doors, skylights and metal and … [Read more...]
My friend Eric Snow also known as "Vermont PR Guy" recently wrote about the marketing sins of "Green- washing." Green-washing is defined as the act of misleading consumers about the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. 95 per cent of consumer products claiming to be green are committing at least one of the “sins” of greenwashing Read his article here. Original Sin Eric … [Read more...]
Choosing The Correct CFL Brightness: Compact Florescent Bulbs or CFL’s are a variation of the fluorescent tube. CFL’s work the same way, only are designed to fit into a standard incandescent bulb socket. They operate on a quarter of the energy used by incandescent, and can last up to ten times longer. Choosing the correct CFL brightness is easy. Manufacturers of CFL bulbs list on the product packaging equivalency information to … [Read more...]
In 1993 Massachusetts banned yard waste from trash in an effort to reduce landfill garbage and save money. Composting is not new, many people utilize this process to receive the benefits of a rich soil additive with the goal of greener lawns and gardens, reduced need for pesticides, reduced trash collection fees and a cleaner environment. Home composting is a controlled process of natural conversion of organic materials by micro organisms … [Read more...]
Reduce Your Heating Bills: I recently paid my heating bill. Every time I get that bill I try to think of ways to reduce it. After brainstorming for a bit I came up with a starter list. Take a peek and comment if you have anything additional to add, the links are to my past posts regarding these particular topics. Stop Fireplace Heat Loss: Add an airtight door or chimney top damper or a Fireplace-Chimney-Draftstopper-Balloon-Pillow … [Read more...]
Robert Robillard is the Editor of A Concord Carpenter, Host of the Concord Carpenter cable tv show and the Principal of Robert E. Robillard Finish Carpentry & Renovation, LLC, a carpentry and renovation business located in Concord, Massachusetts.
He writes on all aspects of home improvement and remodeling, specializing in problem solving for all aspects of home maintenance.
In his spare time he enjoys reviewing new tools and products and restoring old tools back and using them on projects: A Concord Carpenter.
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