From: Home Addition
By Mark J. DonovanToday we had the first major snow of the season
here in southern New Hampshire. We got about 7 inches of heavy wet
snow. Fortunately I had prepared the snow blower last week. I
checked the oil, cleaned the spark plug and filled the tank.Due to
the weight of the snow I made two passes with the snow blower, once
earlier today, and then one final pass after the snow had stopped.
I also used the roof rake to take the snow off the roof eaves. The
snow was extremely slushy and wet. By taking the snow off the roof
eaves I should be able to avoid what would have been the inevitable
ice dams. I was particularly concerned with the roof over my garage
/ bonus room. The roof shingles are in rough shape and I had hoped
to have them replaced by now. Unfortunately the roofing
contractor...
Respond to this topic on your own blog
Click and press Ctrl+C to copy and paste this discussion on your blog or site
Related Articles
Backyard Hockey, Interrupted
There is a reason hockey is played indoors. While most Vermonters
lamented the loss of the state's snow during last week's January
thaw, we backyard hockey rink builders were clapping our hands in
delight. The thaw, combined with a few inches of warm rain, acted
as a natural Zamboni, smoothing out the surface of Lake Champlain
and ridding Mallett's Bay of the piles of snow accumulated over the
past month. We were going to lose most of our snow-bank rink
"boards," but we were ...
The Benefits of a Wedge Downspout Screen
Any veteran homeowner knows that it is important to keep track of
the seasons, fall and winter particularly. You remind yourself of
the seasons, because one of biggest extra costs new homeowners
rarely expect to deal with is that of roof repair. Roof problems
are usually attributed to gutter problems. Leaves and debris
clogging a traditional gutter in fall, can become the greatest
nightmare when the snow piles up in winter.
A Heated Walkway
As much as I loved snow days as a kid, I hated spending the day off
from school shoveling the driveway and walkway. I think that's why
I like the idea of the HeatTrak, the plug-in heated mat for
walkways, stairs and rooftops. The video above tells all. No more
shoveling! Take a look at the different options on their product
page. I like the stair mats, personally, although $60 for a single
mat seems a bit steep. The mats plug into standard 120 V outlets
and melt ...
Plywood? On My Beautiful Home?
They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but when it
comes to roof eaves we believe the appearance of a log home or a
Modulog sided home is improved with some amount of roof overhang
(eaves). Wider eaves not only give more of a log cabin look and
feel, they offer protection from those harmful UV rays that break
down the chemical bonds in the protective finish you have so
diligently applied.
Truss Roof Framing versus Stick Framed Roofing
By Mark J. DonovanWhen it comes to framing a roof you have two
basic choices, framing with trusses or stick framing. Both offer
advantages and disadvantages.Truss Roof FramingTruss roof framing
offers several advantages. First it is significantly cheaper. Since
roof trusses are fabricated at a manufacturing facility fewer
carpenters are needed on the jobsite. In addition, assembling roof
trusses on a home goes much quicker than stick building a roof.
Also, roof trusses, for the same size roof, typically use less
lumber material than stick built roofs. Finally, truss roof framing
eliminates waste and mess on the job site, thus saving money on
jobsite cleanup as well as in scrap material costs.One downside of
using roof trusses is that they are not conducive to creating
useable attic space. ...
