News & Resources

What Happens When… There is a Knot in a Truss Web Member?

Posted by in What happens when ...?, Wood | May 07, 2018

Here we have a truss web member that is fully fractured.  Close examination of the fracture discloses a knot that extends from the top face down to the bottom face, nearly the full width of the member (Figure 1).  The… Read More →

What is Efflorescence?

Posted by in Buying/Maintaining a Home, Water Sources | April 23, 2018

Efflorescence derives from a French word that means “to flower out” (or so I’ve read).   “Flowering out” is a good description because efflorescence is a crystal structure that appears and grows on the surface of concrete, brick, stucco, or natural stone… Read More →

Uniformly Spaced Spots of Granule Loss on Shingles

Posted by in Shingles | April 09, 2018

There are a number of causes of spots of granule loss on shingles.  In this article we look at a manufacturing defect. Note the relatively uniform spacing of the spots of granule loss in Figure 1.  Note also the consistency… Read More →

Happy Easter!!!!! (2018)

Posted by in Commemoration/Celebration | March 26, 2018

Jesus said to him,  “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.   For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:9-10, NIV)   Come and hear,  all you… Read More →

Who Says, “You Need to Have a Gutter to Have Ice Damming or Icicles?”

Posted by in Attic Ventilation, Buying/Maintaining a Home, Roof, Water Sources, Winter Concerns | March 12, 2018

See those long, beautiful icicles and the ice dam? But wait – there is no gutter along the rear slope of this dwelling (see Figure 1).  How can there be an ice dam and icicles?  Just lucky, I guess. Note… Read More →

Time for Icicles and Ice Dams

Posted by in Roof, Water Sources, Winter Concerns | February 26, 2018

So you think winter is over? Not yet.  It’s got one or two last hoorahs. It’s still that time of year for icicles and ice dams. What can you do to avoid them now?  Nothing, except use a roof rake… Read More →

Salute to President Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)

Posted by in Commemoration/Celebration | February 12, 2018

Who is that man on the $20 bill? He is General Andy Jackson.  A national hero of the War of 1812, defeating the British in 1815 at New Orleans.  And the 7th President of the United States.  His nickname was… Read More →

Shrinkage Cracking in Concrete

Posted by in Buying/Maintaining a Home, Concrete, Shrinkage | January 30, 2018

Why Does Concrete Crack? There are many causes for cracking in concrete: overload; earth movements (settlement, frost heave, consolidation, soil shrinkage, soil expansion, landslide, etc.); material shrinkage; impact; etc.  This article considers shrinkage. What is shrinkage in concrete? Shrinkage occurs… Read More →