March 12, 2010
Home Tech & Building
WASHINGTON, March 11—Come April, it may be hard to find a home improvement contractor to work on your house if it was built before 1978. New lead-based paint rules from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) governing contractors who work in older homes go into effect April 22. Most contractors aren’t ready to comply, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) warns.
March 10, 2010
Home Tech & Building
National homebuilder KB Home says it’s going to start offering homebuyers the option to pre-wire their new home with electric vehicle charging stations. The new option is designed to ease the future installation of a station to charge an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle conveniently at home.
March 7, 2010
Home Tech & Building
Most people never realize it, but when they are in their kitchens, they could be breathing in noxious fumes emitted by the finishing of their cabinetry. Usually, but not always. Amy Baxter, a kitchen designer for Gallery Kitchens, LLC, said she once had a client with severe asthma who almost couldn’t breathe in his kitchen that contained new cabinetry.
February 24, 2010
Home Tech & Building
Just as cold weather forces people indoors, it also can prompt wildlife to seek warmer refuge to wait out the snow, ice, and wind. For homeowners, than can mean some unwelcome visitors in their attics, chimneys or under their porches if they aren’t protected.
February 24, 2010
Home Tech & Building
Feb. 24—PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—Brian Bishop said the construction industry needs a facelift, and he believes he has just the right scalpel in his toolbox. The president of Englewood, Fla.-based builder New Panel Homes Inc. has designed a system allowing a crew of four to build green-certified shell homes in as little as three days. The new homes, he said, can cut energy costs by 50% and construction costs by 15%.
February 21, 2010
Home Tech & Building
Feb. 21—Carpet or hardwoods, granite or laminate counters, a finished basement from the get-go or save that for a do-it-yourself project down the road? Readers share new construction tips, offering up some of the best decisions they made when building their own homes—and a few of their regrets.
February 16, 2010
Home Tech & Building
Feb. 16—KETCHUM—What is mountain architecture? A Tyrolean chalet, A-frame cottage or big-timbered lodge, right? Rather than being an identifiable themed design, mountain architecture is more about enhancing the functions a house needs to perform in a mountain environment.
February 12, 2010
Home Tech & Building
If you were among the homeowners hit by recent back-to-back storms in the Mid-Atlantic, you can prevent unintended problems by controlling melting snow and ice around your home, experts say.
February 4, 2010
Home Tech & Building
The middle of the winter is prime time for carbon monoxide poisoning. Make sure your appliances and heating system are operating safely.
February 2, 2010
Home Tech & Building
New guidelines from The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will help property owners and contractors determine whether a home has problem Chinese drywall.
