White Mold. It’s definitely no one’s favorite word in the English language. Just the term itself is scary, off-putting and uninviting, like moldy bread and black bananas. But what is white mold, and most importantly, is it dangerous to you and your family? White mold is an encompassing term that applies to many species of […]
Reader Advisory: Today we will be discussing a smelly, disgusting and costly subject, but, alas, it’s a grim matter no home owner can afford to ignore, or just plug their nose to. Sewer lines are the all-important channel that removes wastewater from your home. When sewer lines become blocked, the obstruction prevents wastewater from flowing […]
Without question, the most invisible, but very real environmental health threat winter cruelly throws our way each year is ice, ice baby. And a fall on ice is not nearly as ear worm catchy as the Vanilla Ice rap classic, it just cold, hard hurts. Trust us, folks, sitting laid up with a broken foot, […]
It’s one of the toughest birthday questions for any homeowner: what do you get your house for its birthday? That perfect new barbecue deck or kitchen remodel you’ve been dreaming about for it? Whatever you get your family’s most important investment for its next stationary trip around the sun, you want to make sure it […]
In the blink of a lazy eye, the Christmas carols stopped, the Christmas lights went dark and nobody was dreaming of a White Christmas anymore. It was as if Ebenezer Scrooge was suddenly hosting Christmas. Even the Grinch thought this was a rotten turn for the most festive time of the year. Nothing destroys the […]
You don’t need to be a meteorologist to know Iowa weather is often unpredictable. At times, it can feel like we all live in a snow globe filled with potentially hazardous weather, and Mother Nature is shaking the globe with everything she’s got. We’d like to please not take a hailstorm with a chance of […]
Somewhere in Iowa today, a homeowner is taking an autumn afternoon siesta as beautiful leaves fall and unsuspectedly drift into his gutters. Somewhere in Iowa today, a homeowner is enjoying the latest Harlan Coben novel while that Post-It Note reminding her to check on the state of her exterior plumping and pipes remains unread on […]
The question every homeowner must answer: How solid is your foundation? The foundation of any home or building, the oldest saying in construction warns, must be built on solid ground. These days, it can be difficult for residential home and commercial building owners to know for sure just how strong the foundation holding their most […]
Wood has become a precious natural building resource that has become construction gold overnight. Seemingly overnight, lumber has become the new oil. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. construction industry is seeing a massive building crisis: A deep lumber shortage that is driving prices sky-high and 200 percent higher than April 2020 supply costs, […]
“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.” Author Mark Twain Bob Segar’s classic rocker “Against The Wind” is not a soundtrack any Iowa homeowner wants to have playing as they inspect their home for damage following a spring storm. If there’s one gospel […]
