From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein DETROIT, Jan. 8, 2026 ~ The Midwest is rather unique with regard to house construction. Our homes evolved with a built-in storage area for canned fruits and vegetables as we created space inside the foundation walls below the main floor frame.
From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein DETROIT, Dec. 25, 2026 ~ What’s that dark stain on the ceiling? Look up. Do you see what appears to be soot on the drywall? How about if you look carefully at the point where exterior walls meet the ceiling? What you are seeing is a place in the house where there is rapid heat loss from the interior.
rom The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein DETROIT, Dec. 18, 2025 ~ It’s one of those things most of us don’t think about until we are in the middle of it. Getting a new roof installed should be a simple process. But, unless you have a professional company that has developed efficiencies in process and production.
From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein DETROIT, Dec. 11, 2025 ~ In the past, we have written about universal design in building and remodeling to accommodate a more varied physical ability with building occupants. What we haven’t done is dedicate some discussion to specific products that are available to us to assist with aging in place, or AIP.
From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein DETROIT, Nov. 20, 2025 ~ What’s that smell? As we begin to hunker down for the winter months ahead, things we hadn’t noticed before may begin to appear, like smells. When you first start the furnace, you may notice a slight burning odor. That is usually the result of dust that’s accumulated on the heat exchanger during the previous months, and it should disappear within a few cycles.
From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein DETROIT, Nov. 27, 2025 ~ When any list of human necessities is compiled, those two are always at or near the top. It is a great time of year to realize how fortunate we are with regard to shelter. While we still have a long way to go with nearly 800,000 homeless in the United States, this country has taken huge strides in developing new technologies and techniques for construction while improving code requirements to further assure health and safety of the occupants.
From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein DETROIT, Jan. 31, 2025 ~ Nearly every building has a water heater. While many are operated by resistance-type heating elements, the majority of them are gas fired. That sheet…
From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein DETROIT, Feb. 13, 2025 ~ Ah, the dregs of winter. Everyone is suffering from seasonal affective disorder and praying for the sun to shine. But there are things you…
From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein DETROIT, Feb. 6, 2025 ~ Some say there is no such thing as a “win-win” negotiation. The Guys strongly disagree. We believe there should never be a loser in…
From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein DETROIT, January 23, 2025 ~ We still design homes for heating in a cold weather climate. When we modify the temperature or humidity or cleanliness of the air, we are…