Departments Archives - Residential Contractor

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Mosaic is a rapidly growing provider of consumer financing for the modern home. We empower contractors with the option to offer their customers financing for home improvement projects. The net gain is a win-win for both the contractor and the customer. Mosaic makes financing home improvement easy and affordable for homeowners with the simplest borrower experience available. As the market leader in solar lending, Mosaic has originated more than $2 billion in loans to date and works directly with leading home energy companies and contractors to make solar, high-efficient windows,…

Discreet Smoke Detectors Gain Favor in Homes

Small, unobtrusive smoke detection sampling points replace traditional smoke detectors for improved look, superior fire protection Although smoke detectors are essential for safety and mandated by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), traditional, bulky models mounted on ceilings or walls in high end residential homes can interrupt – even ruin – the overall design and feel of a space. As a result, many affluent homeowners are seeking out alternative solutions that allow for the discreet placement and even concealment of smoke detectors. For some, this has meant adopting more advanced…

Development Strategies to Manage Vapor Intrusion Risks

Due to potential health and safety risks that vapor intrusion may cause residential occupants, considerable measures must be taken to abate and clean up these vapors By Andy Bajorat Vapor intrusion continues to be a hot issue with state Environmental Protection Agencies. Due to potential health and safety risks that vapor intrusion may cause residential occupants, considerable measures must be taken to abate and clean up these vapors. To help manage these risks, focus on identifying the problem in the due diligence process, addressing the problem through abatement and re-allocating…

The Benefits of Using Steel in Residential Construction

Using steel in residential construction has more and better benefits with fewer negative consequences than anything else on the market By STEVEN WRIGHT It takes about 22 mature pine trees, weighing more than a ton each, to frame a 2,600 square foot house. It can take 15 to 20 years to grow a mature pine tree that averages 80 feet tall and two feet in diameter. It takes about 12 tons of steel to build the same size house. More than half of the steel used is recycled from old…

Hiring Unlicensed Contractors – Risky Business

Unlicensed contractors make it difficult on licensed contractors by pushing fair wages lower while real licensed contractors compete against guys who do not play by the rules or have the same overhead cost By Gregory Norman As the founder of a family-owned building, electrical, and plumbing contracting company and as someone who grew up amongst master tradesman that were fully licensed and skilled, I have my fair share of experience with unlicensed contractors—mostly from rebuilding their mistakes. Let’s start with some examples involving the opening of new locally-owned delis and…

Toilet Problems? 4 Top Tips From Plumbing Experts

Best Service, a leading plumbing company in Orange County, California, offers some possible fixes to common toilet problems, so when you encounter a leaking toilet on the job, or yours at home starts acting funny, you don’t necessarily have to call a plumber. “Toilet plumbing operates on pretty simple principles,” says Brian Vardiman, owner of Best Service. “Sometimes the problems that occur most often are easy to diagnose, and if you’re the slightest bit handy, you can take care of the issue yourself.” Vardiman presents four of the most common toilet…

Sherry Williamson Design & Andrew Mann Architecture Showcase Minimalist Luxury

House for an Artist in Alameda County, Calif. is a highly-detailed, aesthetically and technically rigorous home that showcases an efficient design and the best of green building By Sergio Flores Photography by David Wakely Photography ©2015 Mill Valley based Sherry Williamson Design Inc. creates understated, elegant designs perfectly paired with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind. The firm delivers inviting, comfortable and very ‘green’ living quarters, with extensively researched materials. San Francisco based Andrew Mann Architecture is renowned for their meticulous attention to detail and finesse in how residential projects are…

Reconstructing Homes for Efficiency

Everett Custom Homes deconstructs to build homes that are just as high performing as they are beautiful By Sergio Flores Photography provided by Everett Custom Homes Residential infill homebuilder Everett Custom Homes builds single-family homes, townhomes, condos and apartments in the environmentally conscious city of Portland, Ore., one of our nation’s leaders in energy-efficient building and eco-friendly living. The City of Portland serves as an exciting place to be a residential infill homebuilder, largely because of the city’s requirement for builders to only develop within the city’s already existing infrastructure. Thus,…

New Corrosion-Resistant Curb Valve Box System Eliminates the Need for Costly Repairs

Municipalities choose polyurethane and durable PVC pipe to save time and money By Alan J. Henderson The repair of cast iron curb valve boxes has long been a costly, frustrating process for municipalities. Time-consuming excavations and land restorations strain public works and water department budgets. And the old school materials, vulnerable to rust and corrosive soils, too often prove inoperable during emergencies. The quest to eliminate such repairs seemed unattainable, even in recent years. But now department chiefs are encouraged by a new initiative to install curb boxes designed with…

A California Contractor’s Best Potential Remedy to be Paid During This Economy

Being a residential contractor in this economy, getting paid on foreclosed or failed projects can be difficult — be informed on a bonded stop notice. By John E. Bowerbank For years, unpaid contractors for construction projects have had the unique ability to record a mechanic’s lien against the property, making the contractor a secured creditor prior to getting a judgment, and therefore usually forcing the owner to pay the contractor to avoid a foreclosure of the mechanic’s lien. However, in this economy, many owners have no problem walking away from the…