Financial Considerations – Building A New House

By Todd Fratzel on Home Improvement Cost Savings

With all of the financial and real estate turmoil going on I thought about sharing some of my insight on the issue from a builders point of view. Building a new house is certainly a very big financial commitment and one that can be quite stressful. So here are some financial considerations to keep in…

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Plug-In Carbon Monoxide Detectors

By Todd Fratzel on Electrical, Safety

As I keep pointing out winter is quickly approaching and that means heating systems are being turned on and used. Heating systems create carbon monoxide (CO) whenever they burn gas, oil, kerosene and even wood. Carbon monoxide poisoning kills over 400 people annually so it’s certainly a hazard worth talking about. Carbon monoxide is colorless…

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Home Energy Savings Tips

By Todd Fratzel on Energy Conservation, Home Improvement Cost Savings

Saving Energy In Your Home With winter knocking at the doorstep and soaring energy costs I thought it was a good time to review some home energy savings tips. Home energy costs make up a significant portion of every households budget. Every home has uses energy in the form of electricity and fuels such as…

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Prefabricated Homes Save Time and Money

By Todd Fratzel on Framing, Home Improvement Cost Savings

Prefabricated Houses Today the crew finished sheathing the roof on the Ranch style home we’re building that I’ve been blogging about on the Total House Construction Series – Foundation to Finish. This house was built using prefabricated wall panels and the ZIP System Sheathing. I wanted to point out how using a combination of prefabricated…

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ZIP System Sheathing On Ranch Style Home

By Todd Fratzel on Building Materials, Framing

If you haven’t seen a house built with the ZIP system then you might wonder what on earth we’ve built this house with. The green and orange colors certainly stand out at first sight. As I continue to write about the Total House Construction Series – Foundation to Finish I’ve been spending quite a bit…

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Colored Caulking

By Todd Fratzel on Cabinetry, Painting and Finishing

When I installed the cabinets for the bar area I used a matching skin panel on the back side of the bar to match the cabinetry. Unfortunately the panel was only 8 feet long and the space was about 8 feet plus 1/4 inch. So when I installed the panel I held it tight to…

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Wood Truss Erection Tips

By Todd Fratzel on Framing, Roofing, Safety

Truss Erection Tips Today on the Total House Construction Series – Foundation to Finish the crew erected the wood trusses. I’d like to share some wood truss erection tips that will keep you safe and save you time and money. I’ve written previously about Proper Erection of Residential Wood Trusses and Erecting Large Trusses Safely.…

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Cheap Table Saw – Great Deal

By Todd Fratzel on Power Tools

Amazon has an incredible deal on a factory-reconditioned table saw from Bosch. I’m a huge fan of the Bosch worksite table saws. You can read a table saw review I did about one of these we bought for our crew. Right now you can buy the Factory-Reconditioned Bosch 4000-N-RT 10-inch Worksite Table Saw from Amazon…

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