While cutting-edge, luxury home design may seem quite irrelevant to the average homeowner, keeping up with the latest trends is actually a valuable tool in maintaining or increasing the value of one's current home regardless of the price range.Just as those crazy,...
Thinking about re-roofing your home next spring? Read up on these two roofing innovations, both of which appeared on TreeHugger.com in the past week. The first is an innovative glass tile thermal roofing system, designed by the Swedish company SolTech Energy. The...
Back in February Philadelphia's Mayor Nutter announced the "RetroFIT PHILLY Coolest Block" contest, in which Philadelphia row home owners or occupants enter to have their entire block upgraded for energy efficiency--for free. The winning block will start with an...
Although hurricane season is months away, it's never too early to think about protecting your roof when you live in a hurricane-prone area. Storm-Proof Roof offers an effective, simple and affordable solution. Upon being alerted of a possible hurricane, homeowners...
As you emerge from another long, harsh winter, it's time to think about your roof. Most roof damage occurs before it's visible from the ground so it's best to catch it early.First, when you take out the ladder to do the inspection, make sure it stands on solid level...
It's heart-wrenching to follow reports of wildfires that rip through portions of this country and are now ravaging California. We can all understand why there are fire codes to stop the spread of flames in these areas. But the truth is that residential fireproofing is...
If you live in a windstorm-prone area, you should find out if your home's attic contains shiners— and I don't mean the frisky baitfish used to catch large-mouth bass. In homebuilding, shiner is a term used for exposed nails along the wood structure of the roof. If you...
Did you know that the shape of your roof has a lot to do with how well it stands up against high winds, including hurricane-force winds? Hipped-roof systems are more likely to stay put in a hurricane than gabled-roof systems. Why? Unlike gabled roofs, a hipped roof...
We've talked about attaching shingle and clay or concrete tiles, now let’s look at metal panels and slate. For metal panels, clips or cleats are preferred over exposed fasteners because they won't be exposed to weather. Clips and cleats also allow the metal to expand...
