Recent Building Services Posts

Dehumidification Versus Heat in Construction Drying Applications

4/5/2017 (Permalink)

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This is a great read for any general contractors looking to decrease drying time of materials, provide heat, and stay within the guidlines for their Leed buildings during construction. We can help you develope a cost effective Moisure control plan!

The effects of moisture inside a building under construction can become a serious problem for contractors as well as a danger to future occupants. Many of the materials used today to construct buildings absorb moisture. As a result, building materials such as wallboard, fireproofing, millwork and concrete can experience a number of problems.

Unless this moisture is reduced to acceptable tolerances, a contractor may be confronted with a variety of problems. They may be as small as construction schedule delays resulting from slow dry times of building materials or as large as flooring failures resulting from elevated moisture content in a concrete slab. In addition to the fact that most flooring materials respond poorly to elevated moisture levels, water-based adhesives used to attach flooring product to the slab are sensitive and will not cure unless moisture content in the concrete is very low. "

Read more: Dehumidification Versus Heat in Construction Drying Applications

The Essential Guide To Weather Stripping

10/24/2016 (Permalink)

The weather is finally starting to cool off and before you know it, it'll be too cool.  In the winter time, weather stripping is an essential part of keeping your house warm and your energy bills lows.

 

Gaps in doors, windows, and the wrong kind of weather stripping can make a chilly night even chillier. To help warm up those cold nights, here's some tips from our friends at This Old House

"Know Your Weatherstripping

 Sealing gaps around doors and windows can make your home feel warmer—and save you 10 to 15 percent on your energy bills. But with so many different types of weatherstripping lining shelves at the hardware store, choosing the right one for a particular job can feel like a guessing game. To help, we've broken down the most common options by material and profile so that you'll know just what to install to chase away the chill."

 

Read more at This Old House

Here’s Why Laminate Flooring is a Smart Choice

10/17/2016 (Permalink)

Last month we shared benefits of concrete flooring.  If you're not a fan of concrete flooring, maybe laminate flooring is for you.  Check out this article on the benefits of laminate flooring from Home Depot.

"In that fleeting moment of being carried over the threshold just two days after our wedding, I couldn’t have predicted that our once-cream carpeting would become a trampled shade of brown. In the last fourteen years, we’ve celebrated and welcomed our three children and a dog into this house, and all of the spills, sicknesses, and stains that come with them!

 

No matter how many times we’ve steam cleaned, shampooed, or spot treated our carpeting, the dust and dirt always made me feel like our home lacked a freshness I want, especially in our bedroom areas. We explored our options­: another round carpeting was off the table for me. We considered hardwood like our first floor, however, hardwood is not only costly but messy and laborious to install. We looked at engineered and laminate flooring, and I was so happy to find a lot of variety in the color, texture, and cost of options available. My mental image of laminate flooring was something akin to a plastic-looking, lightweight self-stick of my parent’s generation."

Read more at Here’s Why Laminate Flooring is a Smart Choice