Homeowners who plan on replacing the roof this summer are faced with one basic question: What is the best choice for my home? Keith Green, owner of Keith Green Construction in Portland, OR, and Steve Philips, owner of Four Star Roofing based in Hillsboro, offer advice on how to choose the best roof. Q. How do I know when it’s time to replace my roof? A. If there’s a leak, it’s probably time, says Philips. Otherwise, “Do a visual check. If it looks nice and flat, not curly, that’s ok. But... more

The Challenge: Recognizing the mandate for increasingly energy efficient building envelopes, with increased safety requirements, inventor R. Keene Christopher developed an insulation material unlike any other, that could withstand the test of time, weather, building codes, and even lawyers: air krete®. Worker drilling pluges. Worker injecting air krete.® Plugs replaced after cavity is filled. The Solution: While most foam insulation products are petroleum based and therefore... more

Small, unique, family-owned, intimate, and wildly busy best describe Portland’s Truax Builder’s Supply. Founded in 1946 as a wood window manufacturing and sales establishment, Truax remains a family-owned window and door business still in its original location on 109th and SE Division Street. Small in that it resides in two modest buildings with only 17 employees, but not small in scope when it comes to windows and... more

Whether you are gutting your old kitchen or building a new house you will have many decisions to make. This can be overwhelming if you do not research your project. There are appliances, cabinets, countertops, lighting, floor coverings, wall finish, hardware, plumbing fixtures and window treatments to think about just to name a few. Start the research project by getting your hands on every home magazine or catalog you can... more

Now that fall is upon us we are all trying to find ways to save on our energy costs. If you have a cracked or broken window or the old glazing has fallen out it’s time to fix the problem. This How-To will help you tackle the job. Re-glazing is an easy and inexpensive job that will give you an airtight, watertight bond. To make the window look like a pro did the job will take patience. The good thing is that glazing compound is very forgiving, just remove the putty and re-apply. Finished window... more

What makes a homeowner decide that it’s time to replace their windows? And once the decision is made to replace windows, how do they know that they’re getting the right product? Photo courtesy of Milgard Windows “Talk to your remodeler or consult a windows expert,” suggests Bill Elder, Sales Manager for Parr Lumber Company’s Windows Division. “By getting their recommendations, you can make your replacement window... more

As a home owner/renter you can increase the efficiency of your heating system by doing a few fall tune-ups. The heating unit itself should not be tampered with. If you feel that your heating system is not performing to past standards call a licensed heating specialist. Gas, electric, and oil burning units carry high voltage and could impose a serious injury or health hazard. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Air Filter Replacement Changing the air filter is a simple fix. The purpose of a filter... more

The average U.S. household spends over $1,300 per year on their home utility bills for heating or cooling. Unfortunately, a large part of that energy is wasted unnecessarily. We Americans waste, through poorly insulated windows and doors, about as much energy as we get from the Alaskan pipeline every year. The typical home loses over 25% of its heat through its windows. However, by using a few simple inexpensive energy-efficient... more