An old house can be there by accident but most of the time it’s because someone cared. It could have been the craftsperson from 200 years ago. Or it could have been the handyman that cleaned the gutters. Or it…
Why Quality Matters

An old house can be there by accident but most of the time it’s because someone cared. It could have been the craftsperson from 200 years ago. Or it could have been the handyman that cleaned the gutters. Or it…
Water is not always a building’s friend. The battle to stay dry is essential to a healthy and low maintenance building. A good building envelope and drainage controls direct water infiltration and moisture when properly done. Beyond controlling water, there…
We take dryer vents for granted. The venting concept is simple enough; allowing moist, hot air a direct path to the exterior of the house. Putting a vent in correctly can be tricky, but if you do it successfully you…
It’s a good time of year to think about fixing your wood porches or decks. Porches and decks get the brunt of Mother Nature, making decks unsightly and potentially even unsafe. There are some quick and inexpensive ways to help…
Winter is coming. No one can tell you if this winter will be warm and dry or cold and wet, but in this world, only winter is certain. The past few years have given us every kind of winter, although…
Saw your article on ice dams. I want to resolve a disagreement with my wife….we have a cold roof/attic. Is ok to be preventative and install a manual roof and gutter de-icing kit to help prevent ice dams? Please let…
There can be consequences for changing a building and its behavior towards its environment. As time passes, the natural environment matures and a building wears. We manipulate and upgrade buildings for energy efficiency, ourselves, and because we have to. We…
The Rhode Island economy was booming in the 1880s. The economic prosperity created some of the most spectacular late 19th century architecture across our state, with styles like Second Empire and Queen Anne having complex mansard roofs, curved window hoods,…
Repairs from a tube are our go to, quick fix, get er done, feel good remedy. Yet they are overly used, abused, misapplied, and something that looks pretty terrible. The most popular product from a tube is caulk, which is…
We are visiting Newport for the Jazz Festival and were thrilled to read your column.. We live in wash DC, and our home has a Vermont slate roof. Is this a suitable roof for a solar installation in your opinion? Betty,…