The Teaching Gene I got to meet one of my heroes recently at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida — Mike Holmes and his son Mike Jr. of Holmes on Homes. Mike is the real deal. The show depicts him exactly as he is: a contractor who loves to teach and...
I love helping people maintain their homes. I write about it, I crow about my successes. There are a million reasons to avoid doing the necessary care and feeding of your home, so I am offering a service that might be right for you. Here is what LevcoCare, our service...
I realized long ago that we develop fierce loyalty to our community service providers. Sure, the kids have a pediatrician. You likely always go to the same grocery store. I'll bet you are on a first-name basis with your auto mechanic. You don't just go to the nearest...
As a kid, my older brother Mike was known for putting things apart and putting them back together. He went on to become an accomplished locksmith and then a hardware specialist for large commercial projects. He pioneered a lock that retrieves stolen keys for the local...
A long time ago I realized that "To code" was said to express that there was a minimum level of construction technique and materials that was required to pass an inspection. This "To Code" language was used to instill confidence in the client to know that even if a...
I have been a student of how houses work for a long time. I have seen them be awesome and I have seen them be poorly put together. I think as a remodeler it is part of my responsibility like any good practitioner to evaluate homes just like a physician or any other...
Master Suite AdditionThe Challenge They came up with a plan drawn by others with several significant errors. One was the size of the addition, and the other was the angle of the trusses. The clients who work remotely turned out to be excellent communicators and...
Dining Room Addition and Kitchen RemodelThe Challenge The home had an odd entry room with a coat closet and partition wall in the way. This room was pretty useless and annoying to the client. Then, the kitchen was blocked from the activity in the living room, and the...
Primary Suite Remodel & DeckThe Challenge Inaccurate plans were provided that had to get updated over the course of the project. The project is on a creek so lots of precautions were needed to keep erosion out of it. The Idea Create a primary suite that is...
Whole House RemodelThe Challenge The home was in the hillside district and in the WUI which means that the home has some extra requirements as far as firesafe and extra structural requirements. There had been an addition done to the house years prior that was not...