Improving Fireplace Efficiency
How effective is your fireplace as a heater in your home? If your fireplace is 15 years older or more, it may “actually waste more energy than it creates throughout the season,” according to “How to Make Your Fireplace More Efficient” by Mother Earth News. Of course, replacing your...
A Shift in the Landscape: 10 Trends in Home & Garden Worth Taking into the Next Decade
Just 10 years ago, when we began a new millennium, “‘carbon footprint’ wasn’t a household term, ‘paper or plastic’ hadn’t become a moral dilemma, and reduce, reuse and recycle didn’t yet come to mind as the three R’s,” writes San Francisco Chronicle Home & Garden Editor Deb Wandell. Wow....
Green Living: Using Recycled Materials in the Kitchen
Fact: 40 billion glass bottles are made every year; 75 percent of which are tossed into the trash. With dismal odds like that, you may find yourself wanting to incorporate recycled glass into your kitchen countertop if only to keep from being a statistic. And with countertop options ranging...
Blowing Smoke vs. Clearing the Air: On Burn Bans
From San Francisco and Olympia, Washington, to Keene, New Hampshire, municipal governments have begun instating “burn bans” for its residents this winter, and to much ado. Citing air quality–specifically, the fine-particle pollution smoke can create–state governments are seeking to clear the air, literally, by restricting the use of wood-burning...
‘Cash for Caulkers’: Stimulus for contractors
Who could forget the government’s much-hyped Cash for Clunkers program? Its runaway success has inspired yet another industry to save—this time one that contractors, construction workers and do-it-yourself homeowners alike can benefit from. Proposed earlier this month, Cash for Caulkers might just prove a boon to all of us...
Fire prevention spells ‘Safety’ this holiday season
For better or for worse, celebrating the season brings its own laundry list of fire hazards, from scented candles and Christmas trees to electric lights and fireplaces. According to www.firesaftey.gov, fires during the holiday season injure 1,650 Americans, causing more than $990 million in damages. Below, we (literally) spell...
Outdoor Family Room
It’s easy to catch an early case of spring fever when the hours of winter daylight dwindle and elements like snow, wind and rain threaten to keep us indoors. Here’s a few ways you can take advantage of the time you do spend outdoors—and get some mileage out of...
Mill Lead Times
The lead time for special order milling is 3 days or less and the surfacing of timbers is taking one working day....
Deck Refreshers
Our friends over at This Old House have a handy article that goes hand-in-hand with Schutte Lumber. After you’ve gotten everything just right, you want to be sure you protect your investment by sealing the wood. But even then, after enough time and rain, there will come a time...
Building Checklists
When considering renovations, additions, and changes you’d like to make to your house (or even if you’re dreaming of a whole new one), it is always handy to have an idea of what you should be looking for and at to protect yourself. Knowing what to expect, and how...