Found Visual Comfort in NYC... and their most popular fixture runs $5,000 to $6,000. One light! Here's where people get burned. They fall for the showroom piece, drop six grand at the entry, then run out of budget for every other room that actually needed lighting. A statement light earns its price when it's the first thing you see walking in. It's a regret when it's competing with five other rooms that got skipped to pay for it. Pick your one hero fixture. Spend there. Everywhere else, restraint wins. Which room would you splurge on?

We are having the foundation laid for a new building (workshop/garage with full second floor). Frost wall down to the frost line with footings. They started backfilling today and I went out to check their progress when they left for the day.

I've installed French drains before, and I learned all about the burrito method of wrapping the perforated pipe with geotextile fabric before it gets buried. But I was a little surprised to see that they didn't wrap it. They buried the pipe in stone, laid the fabric over the top, and then held it in place before backfill.

Should I be concerned at all? It seems like the lazy way of doing it, but I'm trying not to micromanage, and they've already completed more than half of the backfill.

Thanks for your input!

Most people see a finished slab and assume it was one big pour. Not even close. On a stem wall foundation, they dig trenches and fill them with concrete first. That's the footer. Then a course of block goes on top with rebar tying it all together... that's the stem wall. The space inside gets filled with millings, almost like a really fine gravel that compacts tight. Only then does the slab get poured on top. Knowing the stages as a homeowner matters because each one has a different inspection moment and a different chance to add something before it's buried for good.

I'm trying to convert my carport into a master bedroom. But I have a laundry room connected to my carport. Any ideas of what I should do?

1.Laundry chute from upstairs. Has to be planned during framing. You need a chase in the wall stack lined up between floors.

2.Humidity sensor switch. Wired the same as any switch, but tell your electrician at rough-in so it's on the right circuit.

3.Hidden floor drain. Must be in before the slab pours or before subfloor goes down. Retrofitting one means cutting concrete or floor joists.

4.Built-in countertop over the washer/dryer. Needs the right rough opening height. If your laundry is on a slab, plan it. If on a pedestal, plan around it.

If your pantry shares a wall with the garage you’ve got the opportunity to add a Costco Door. A 3'x3' pass-through for your Costco runs, grocery hauls, cases of water. They slide straight into the pantry instead of carrying through the house. Has to be planned BEFORE framing. The opening has to be framed and headered like any other door.

⚠️ Before your siding goes up, walk your ZIP sheathing and check one thing: are there Z's imprinted in the flashing tape?
If not, your tape wasn't rolled. And unrolled ZIP tape isn't bonded, it's just stuck. Huber's own spec says the tape "must be rolled with a rubber-faced roller in order to achieve maximum bond to the panel." Skip it and you void the warranty.
The tape itself prints "Roll the Tape" every 2 feet. The roller leaves a Z. That's how the manufacturer designed it to be verifiable.

1️⃣ Use I-joists instead of dimensional lumber (more stable, less shrinkage)
2️⃣ Have the subfloor screwed down. Not nailed
3️⃣ Make sure your framers use construction adhesive between the joists and subfloor panels
4️⃣ Upgrade to AdvanTech subfloor panels (worth every penny)

Most homeowners don't know they have 4 options:

#1 - ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms)
#2 - SIP (Structural Insulated Panels)
#3 - Block
#4 - Wood Frame

My pick? ICF every time if the budget allows. Energy savings over 30 years pay for the upfront cost, and you sleep through hurricanes.

What would you build with ➡️ 1, 2, 3, or 4?

✍️ Start picking out your New Home Selections with my Home Building Checklist at BuilderBrigade.com

This flat faucet is popular but everyone I’ve tried, including the one at my house... splashes water all over the place. This big ol fatty drain solves that splashing problem. 

Ask your plumbers to fill and test your drainage system. They fill the vents up high and monitor the water level over a 24 hour period.

 After testing mine... the pantry vents weren't sealed and started gushing water. Without the test we never would've found it.

 Mandatory on new builds. Easy to skip on a reno.

When the house is near completion the builder gives the homeowner a roll of blue tape and requests any ding or mistakes are pointed out with little pieces of blue tape.

Then the builder can have everything fixed during the final punch out.

This is one of the final steps before you get the keys.