Our client wanted heated floors in their existing home. There was a partial basement and crawl space access. I remembered a system that we have used before that circulates fluid beneath the floor and felt that this would be a good option to offer. It uses … [Read more...] about Retrofitting Hydronic Heating
Aged Home Upgrades
Laminate Countertops
There are several big names in the laminates used for countertops, Formica, Wilsonart, and Nevermar are the ones I come in contact most frequently, Others in the market are Arborite, & Pionite. Unfortunately, the word laminate has become synonymous … [Read more...] about Laminate Countertops
What Does R-Value Mean?
I have been confused for years about just what the term R-value means. You would think that if you have 16" of insulation it should correlate to an R-Value. That is all well and good, as long as you are talking about the exact same insulation. What an … [Read more...] about What Does R-Value Mean?
Residential Foundation Repairs
Although we are not engineers, we do get involved in repairing structural things quite often. I realized just how often when a potential client, who is an engineer herself, found it difficult to locate a contractor in town that deals with this sort of … [Read more...] about Residential Foundation Repairs
I Have Knob & Tube Wiring
During almost every remodeling project Levco does, especially in Boise's historic North End, we encounter Knob & Tube Wiring. It was the craze back in the late 1800's to the early 1900's, it was relatively safe ( compared to kerosene or gas lamps) and … [Read more...] about I Have Knob & Tube Wiring
Mislabeled Electrical Panel
I realized this issue after a friend called. He had just purchased a remodeled home, and was concerned that his electrical panel was mislabeled. This turns out to be a fairly common problem. What happens is that over the years, our electrical needs … [Read more...] about Mislabeled Electrical Panel
