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Moss on a roof is quaint but makes it deteriorate sooner.
So will pressure washing your asphalt shingles! Round -up will not kill moss...something to do with being the first land plant. A...

Paul Cummins
Jul 1, 20181 min read


Shingles that look new for a long time
Like most of you I had damage to my house after the two days of 50 mph gusts. The 5 by 11.5 inch tabs on a couple dozen shingles ripped...

Paul Cummins
Mar 3, 20181 min read


Reboot your plumbing vents!
Perma-boots come in different sizes depending on the size of the vent pipes. These can also easily extend the height of existing pipes if...

Paul Cummins
Dec 18, 20171 min read


Cheap way to save your chimney
Water is the main enemy of your house. When water gets into a chimney it degrades the masonry all the way down, including the firebox. ...

Paul Cummins
Oct 16, 20171 min read


Drip Edge Flashing Saves Roofs
Here is drip edge flashing over the eave. If you have a gutter, the bottom edge would go over the gutter so that water couldn't duck...

Paul Cummins
Oct 16, 20171 min read


Copper kills algae/cyanobacteria on roofs!
Drove by a whole row of houses with copper surrounding their chimneys. Copper is a main ingredient in Wet and Forget. I wonder if the...

Paul Cummins
Apr 8, 20171 min read


New ways to provide soffit venting even if you don't have a soffit!
Here is the under fascia solution found in site below. 11 Best Types Of Roof Vents + Understanding Attic Ventilation - Roof Hub...

Paul Cummins
Mar 24, 20171 min read


Water is usually the enemy...chimneys included!
Chimneys: lofty, solid...out there in the wind and snow and rain. But like all of us, vulnerable. Brick work isn't designed to act like...

Paul Cummins
Mar 20, 20171 min read


A couple tweaks to make your gutters more effective.
Roofs are supposed to be on top of everything else. When a roof meets a wall you've got water running down where it was not meant to and...

Paul Cummins
Mar 17, 20171 min read


Time Lapse House Construction
This shows how to do the shell and some of the interiors: no plumbing, electrical, HVAC. Even though it covers only some of the scope of...

Paul Cummins
Mar 6, 20171 min read


Best gutter guards
Here's a house where the gutters have become planters! Cleaning gutters (and anything else done on ladders) is a major cause of death...

Paul Cummins
Feb 12, 20171 min read


Good air needed in attic!
Ideally there should be continuous soffit vents and a continuous ridge vent in your attic to allow for a passive air flow over the inside...

Paul Cummins
Feb 12, 20171 min read


Un-vented roofs
This beautiful room doesn't have a conventional attic space. It may still be vented from the eaves to ridge as required in R806.3 of the...

Paul Cummins
Feb 2, 20171 min read


Time for a new roof?
New shingles can be installed for about $3.50 per square foot. Add $2.00 per square foot if you need new plywood too. Here's how you...

Paul Cummins
Nov 22, 20161 min read


Problem with slate roofs is that the flashing wears out first!
The metal flashing wears out after about 70 years on slate roofs. To redo flashing on the valleys they have to be cut back and...

Paul Cummins
Jul 15, 20161 min read


Can save you from a failing basement wall!
Buried downspout extensions are more attractive but are guaranteed to clog at some point and send water directly to your foundation. ...

Paul Cummins
Dec 3, 20151 min read


Dry wells prevent your yard from being classified as wetlands!
First thought, dry wells aren't good, means we will die of thirst after crossing the desert. Ah, but dry wells can save your foundation,...

Paul Cummins
Nov 21, 20151 min read


From mold to crumbling walls...$10 can save you thousands!
It's amazing how much damage a leaky gutter or a misdriected downspout can do. I've seen gutter overflows neglected for years causing...

Paul Cummins
Nov 3, 20151 min read


Timing is Everything!
A home usually has a long history of good use, happy times and, yes, insults and injuries, before I come to check it over for a potential...

Paul Cummins
Jul 24, 20151 min read
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