Greetings, hopefully 2022 is treating you well so far. A lot of companies are continuing to move toward remote work in 2022. Are you planning to increase your investment in accounts payable solutions moving forward? Continue reading

Greetings, hopefully 2022 is treating you well so far. A lot of companies are continuing to move toward remote work through the rest of this year and possibly beyond. Does your organization anticipate challenges related to collaboration as a result? Continue reading

ALTON, Ill. — To say that there is a powerful river in the Midwest that is threatening to flood communities nearby hardly narrows it down. The Illinois, the Missouri, the Arkansas and the Mississippi Rivers were all at risk of spilling over in the coming days. The prospect put a patchwork of local and state officials on high alert on Friday, as they prepared sandbags, assembled barriers and nervously eyed the rising waters. This spring has been a season of record-breaking floods across the Midwest, submerging farms, businesses and houses. Scientists have predicted that the flooding this year could be... Continue reading

After the flood, after the flood damaged materials are out on the street, there is time to gather your thoughts and get the building dry before rebuilding. Dry means less than 15% moisture content of the wood. Building materials will equalize moisture content with the amount of moisture in the air. The higher the relative humidity the higher the equilibrium moisture content. Your home will dry out faster if the doors and windows are closed and the air conditioning is on. To speed the drying mechanical ventilation and dehumidification is necessary. A portable mechanical dehumidifier will help with this. Raised... Continue reading

New Orleans has a unique stock of historic buildings. Currently the interest to maintain the historic fabric of these buildings on the exterior and to upgrade the interiors to current codes and expectations has created a unique need to keep the old single pane wood double hung windows. At 504historicwindows we have developed a process where the old existing wood windows can be made to open and close as well as stopping the drafts and water from coming inside. Continue reading

It seems there are more and more natural disasters in the news, or is it simply more news. As we struggle to rebuild homes after disasters there are many bad guesses being implimented. The authors of the rebuilding guidelines are often relying on incomplete, dated or just plain incorrect information. Here in the hot/humid (the South) the climate and buildings preform differently than the ones up north in heating climates. The biggest disconnect is with the building enclosure, the walls, roof and floors. And the issue is the flow of energy through the exterior, th3 walls roof and floors. In... Continue reading

Looking forward to working with lowernine.org this year during spring break. http://www.mazenails.com http://www.bestbelt.com Two great Made in America sponsors are sending their support and good wishes. Thanks to Lynn and Kim, photos for next week to come. Continue reading

I was looking for a project to support for spring.... And this is it: It is across the street from Musician's Village, is gutted, and in need of rebuilding. Anne is looking for a little help from her friends. If you have any resources to contribute to thi sproject please feel free. Here is the plan: We need Romex, drywall, mud, tape, insulaiton and flooring. Come on and give us a hand. Continue reading

Every year in the spring volunteers stream into New Orleans to donate their time. effort and energy to the process of rebuilding the community. It is almost 8 years since the Federal Levees failed and flooded 80% of the city and the volunteers keep on comin'. There is something special about the city not to be found anywhere else. If you haven't had a chance to feel it come on down! Water flowing into the Lower Ninth Ward caused by levee breach. It is rewarding to see the numbers of volunteers continuing to stream into New Orleans to lend a... Continue reading

Just returned from the Builder's Show in Vegas. While the attendance ( attendees and exhibitors) is not what it was a few years ago the tone seemed positive. My old buddy Bob with Prazzi Tools always has something cool, this time it is the Pencil Blade, it is like a utility knife as a pencil. Graphite or whatever in the shape of a utility knife blade. We will be lokng to expand out training offerings in Louisiana in the coming months with a focus on: Hazard-resistant construction Building envelope design and installation Energy efficient building Moisture and of course door... Continue reading

Louisiana contractors are required to take six hours of continuing education units each year to maintain their license. We have recieved several calls requesting an end-of-the-year sesssion. For the New Orleans session: Dec 13 http://bit.ly/TB3OCx Class limited to 15 Sign up for the LaHouse session here. It is in Baton Rouge: Dec 18 http://bit.ly/SwmOTP Class limit 45 Be sure to sign up for the right session. Quality Counts - Techniques for efficient and durable building enclosures (NOLA session) Thursday, December 13, 2012 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM (Central Time) Louisiana Green Corps building 504-613-4661 3616 Baudin St. New Orleans, Louisiana... Continue reading

On a regular basis we rebuild our storm damaged homes. This most recent one is mostly afout flooding, how to decontaminate and the best way to rebuild. I get several calls a day asking how to clean up and rebuild. Cleanup is an awful experience, your home is a mess and your life is disrupted. Fortunately there are several resources ready to help get you back on the road to normality The primary issue is to remove damaged materials and to decontaminate what remains. Contaminated flood water can carry all sorts of pathogens and the materials that cannot be removed... Continue reading

My oldest, Jenn, and I are now doing windows. Tuning them up and adding weatherstripping. There is a lot of pressure from window replacement companies to dump your old drafty wood windows and replace them with new high performance ones with a lot of whizz and bang. Consider this though, the current windows in your home have lasted for many years, in some cases a 100 years. How long will the new ones last? And how much will they save? Recently the FTC cautioned five window companies for making flase claims on the energy savings from installing new windows. I... Continue reading

My very most favorite rebuilding group, Rebuilding Together, (RT) held an orientation for the newest class of volunteers in Washington DC. This in preparation for going out to affiliates in New Orleans, Cali, Denver, St Louis and more to lead rebuilding efforts for elderly and low income families. Great Stuff. As an EPA approved RRP trainer through NCHH, I have the opportunity to work with RT and conduct the 8-hour RRP Certified Renovator training. This was the third class I did with Rebuilding Together. At the end of the class the students unwind by doing somethng goofy. Continue reading

A home in the historic Ninth Ward.. a home restored after the levy's broke. Well it is being restored. Saturday Oct 1 9:00- 1:00: a window restoration workshop. In this session local window advocate Bill Robinson will guide you through the process of restoring old wood windows. Identify window parts Assess level of repair Replacing glass Minor patches Prep for painting The majority of wood windows can be brought back to good operating condition. In fact, once the windows are operating correctly we can weatherstrip them and make them nearly air tight and close off the gaps and air leaks... Continue reading

Recently the EPA published changes to the RRP (Renovation Remodeling and Painting) rule. These changes are posted on the Federal Register: RRP Rule changes The proposed rule published on May 6, 2010. EPA has decided not to promulgate dust wipe testing and clearance requirements as proposed. However, EPA is promulgating several other revisions to the RRP rule, including a provision allowing a certified renovator to collect a paint chip sample and send it to a recognized laboratory for analysis in lieu of using a lead test kit, minor changes to the training program accreditation application process, standards for e-learning in... Continue reading

Saturday August 6. Contractor CEUs/ Certificate of Attendance for all attendees! Here in New Orleans there are so many old, historic and salvageable wood windows. In most cases it is not cost effective to replace them. Vinyl windows are less expensive but do not last as long as a well-maintained wood window will. Replacing with high quality wood windows meeting historic guidelines is prohibitively expensive. Come join us Saturday August 6 from 10:00-2:00 at 526 Caffin in the Ninth Ward to learn how Bill Robinson does it! Be sure to click on the button below to sign up for the... Continue reading

The 2011 American Institute of Architects conference was held in New Orleans this year. While the flood waters of the Mississippi raged on the other side of the levee, conference goers attended educational sessions, visited exhibits and even learned some things. Plus, they enjoyed New Orleans food, music and ambiance. Above, I explain to a crowd of architects the ins and outs of raised floor insulation, ventilation and moisture management. Continue reading

Keeping records for all RRP jobs is imperative. And it needn't be difficult if you're organized. LeadCheck, one of the few test kits recognized by the EPA for testing for lead on wood and metal, makes available a full set of record-keeping forms. Download the full set of record-keeping forms Continue reading

From The Poughkeepsie Journal: Michael Shultz, owner of Millbrook Electric in the Town of Washington, says he carries a test kit to determine if lead-based paint is present before he starts a job. / Lee ferris/poughkeepsie Journal See the whole story Continue reading

If you're from a "heating climate," one where you spend most of your annual utility bill on heating your home in the winter, you have quite a different experience from those of us in a "cooling climate," where the bulk of our annual utility outlay is spent on air conditioning during the blazing hot summers. I never considered one type of climate control more important that the other. But I have come across some articles lately on the federal budget cuts, one of which is cutting heating assistance for poor people, and one of the criticisms for the program is... Continue reading

Last year, I reported that LeadCheck swabs would soon be approved by the EPA for lead testing on drywall (sheetrock), plaster and stucco (in addition to wood and metal). Unfortunately, that has not yet happened. Below are the EPA-approved test kits for various materials. Note that the State of Massachusetts administers its own program. See the full EPA announcement Continue reading

Press release from the EPA: (Seattle – April 6, 2011) College Works Painting, a company operating in Oregon, has agreed to pay $32,508 penalty for alleged violations of the federal pre-renovation rule. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleged that the Irvine, California based company violated the federal pre-renovation rule while renovating nine properties in Portland, McMinnville, and Hillsboro, Oregon. The federal Pre-Renovation Education Rule requires painters, contractors, carpenters, property-management companies and others involved in remodeling or renovation of pre-1978 housing to provide home owners and occupants with an EPA Renovate Right lead hazard information pamphlet. In 1978 lead was banned... Continue reading

I shot a video of a Festool guy setting up this Festool workbench at a JLC Live show back in 2008 and I put the video on YouTube. Well, the video, which I shot with my cell phone, nearly went viral, and tens of thousands of people have viewed it. What's all the excitement about? I'm not really sure. Check it out: Continue reading

According to many, lead poisoning is the No. 1 environmental threat to children's health. Experts agree that the most common cause of lead poisoning is exposure to dust from deteriorated lead-based paint in the child's home or daycare. And the EPA's RRP program is designed to help protect children and their developing bodies from this danger. Happily, the federal program to reduce this hazard, known as the Lead Hazard Reduction program, escaped the recent federal budget cuts. I can't think of a better use for my tax dollars than protecting children from being poisoned. See details of the Lead Hazard... Continue reading