You’re spot on about the composite woods. I’ve had projects where “eco-friendly” particleboard claimed low emissions, but the off-gassing was still no...

BUILDING GREEN? WATCH OUT FOR THOSE SNEAKY VOCS That’s spot on. I’ve had clients surprised by this more than once—marketing around “zero-VOC” paint...

TITLE: LOOKING FOR AFFORDABLE LAND—ANY HIDDEN GEMS? I've designed a few homes on what people called "problem" lots, and honestly, some of those proje...

Had a project last year where we specified reclaimed wood for the interiors—looked fantastic, but the insurer flagged it as “non-standard.” Took a lot...

That’s been my experience too—“universal” rarely means what you hope. Every installation seems to have its own quirks, especially with older homes or ...

Title: Keeping track of your construction loan payments without losing your mind I hear you on the color-coded folders—tried that once, and by the en...

Ran into this exact issue recently with solar panels. Had to compile a detailed breakdown of projected savings and comparable sales data before the ap...

I've had similar experiences with clients who initially wanted high-end, eco-friendly fixtures. While aesthetically appealing, some designs sacrifice ...

Ceramic liners could definitely handle the heat better without warping, but they're usually more fragile and can crack under sudden temperature change...

Buckwheat seems naturally less appealing to deer, at least in my experience. I didn't use fencing or repellents around mine, and they mostly ignored i...

Couldn't agree more with this. I've found that insulation ratings and low-e coatings are great starting points, but they're definitely not the whole s...

Yeah, it's actually pretty common practice across many large organizations. Even in architecture, big firms regularly partner with specialized smaller...