The Purpose Of An Astragal
Imagine a big door, like the one you use to enter a school or a store. Sometimes, these doors are extra big and have two parts that swing open in the middle. These are called ‘double doors’. Now, imagine that the two parts of the door meet in the middle. There’s a little space where […]
How To NOT Damage Your Gutters When Working In & Around Them
I am an admitted Obsessive Compulsive. Although there are varying degrees of ‘OCD’ (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), outside of the normal items that you may see related to this way of life with a quick Google search, there are certain things that attract my eye like a magnet which may not normally bother anyone else. As […]
What Is A Cupola?
Falling under the category of features on your home that people often call one thing when they actually mean another would be the ‘cupola’. Perhaps my biggest pet peeve with these types of items is when someone refers to a ‘downspout’ on their home as a ‘gutter’. In the same realm, I see the term […]
The Widow’s Walk
It was DEFINITELY NOT intended to be creepy. And I have no idea what makes my mind go to the dark side of things when I hear them being spoken of. But ever since I heard the term ‘Widow’s Walk’ years ago, my thoughts always have traveled to this vision of a ghostly figure of […]
Baker Staging
Unique names which are synonymous with the contracting trades are always fun things for me to delve into the origins of. ‘Baker Staging’ is no exception to this. Years ago, seemingly every time we utilized it, I attempted to piece together in my mind, why this particular type of apparatus was called ‘Baker Staging’. Have […]
Hitching Posts
Chances are you have passed by one numerous times over the course of your life. Most likely, you have never given much thought as to what it was (assuming you even noticed it!), nor have you ever needed to. However, if this were “back in the day”, prior to the advent of the automobile, this […]
Mad Dog
In my younger years, in certain friend groups if you happened to mention the words ‘Mad Dog’ in conversation, imagery in the group’s mind would often jump to thoughts of an extremely popular (in various circles) alcoholic beverage at the time called ‘Mad Dog 20/20’ (these days I have no idea if this is even […]
How Do I Keep Birds From Hanging Around My Home?
Many years ago, I was approached by a Client with a bit of a dilemma. They had a number of birds that seemed to like to hang around their property. While they may have been pleasant to look at and sweet to hear their voices, the stuff that they left behind was not as pleasant […]
What is a ‘Mansard’?
The mansard roof, also known as a French roof or curb roof, is a distinctive architectural feature with a unique design that has left a lasting impact on various structures worldwide. Its origins can be traced back to 17th-century France, where it was popularized and named after the renowned French architect, François Mansart (1598-1666). The […]
Should Old Siding be Removed Prior to Vinyl Siding?
As the realization of just how high home improvement costs have escalated over the past several years sets in, it is not unusual for a homeowner looking to do a vinyl siding project to approach us with the idea of leaving the previous siding on, instead of stripping it completely, in an effort to save […]
