Blogs

Residential Products Online content is now on probuilder.com! Same great products coverage, now all in one place!

Sponsored

Engineered Lumber Practices and Projects

Open Space, Custom Touches Highlight Hayward & Co.’s Hemlock Brook House

Mike and Julie Hayward specialize in custom-designed log and timber homes, so the decision to build Hemlock Brook, a four-bedroom spec...

Sponsored

Products

7 Common I-Joist Installation Mistakes—and How to Avoid Them

To get the most from your I-joist installation and ensure long-term customer satisfaction, pay attention to these details

Engineered wood I-joists installed for house floor

Sponsored

Structural

Designing Floor Systems for Optimal Performance

When designing a wood-framed floor system for residential projects, building to meet the applicable codes is only one step in the design...

I-beam engineered lumber floor framing for a house

Sponsored

Engineered Lumber Practices and Projects

Structural Solutions For Open Floor Plans

Design trends come and go, but one change that’s likely permanent is homebuyers’ desire for more open floor plans that provide a better...

Sponsored

Engineered Lumber Practices and Projects

Simple strategies to meet the IRC’s new fire-protection requirements

Last year, nearly 30 percent of new homes in the U.S. had partial or full basements, according to the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction...

Sponsored

Codes + Standards

Navigate New Water Heater Regulations

Now that the U.S. Department of Energy’s new residential water heater regulations are in effect, it’s important to understand the...

Sponsored

Codes + Standards

Navigate new water heater regulations

Now that the U.S. Department of Energy’s new residential water heater regulations are in effect, it’s important to understand the new...

Quality Management

Helping Trades to think through the Cost of Quality. The Impact to their Profits

Here is a structure that you can provide to your trades to help them think about Cost of Quality in their business. Cost of Quality is 3%...

Codes + Standards

The Birds, Bees, Flowers, and Trees Revisited

For those of you that have projects with regulatory agency permits, it is imperative that you respect the Birds’ Breeding Season. If you...

Best Practices

Water Conservation Awareness on the Rise

There's more public awareness of the need for water conservation, but the U.S. still has the highest per capita water consumption in the world

water conservation_water-conserving building products_water droplet

Quality Management

The Repair Guy & The Flooring Guy The Cost to your Business

It began simply. The laundry washer breaks down and a repair company is called to fix it. Quite simple. However, the repair guy forgot to...

Sponsored

Remodeling Marketing

Exterior paint tips for spring remodels

If properly applied, top-quality exterior paint should last for up to 15 to 20 years. March marks the start of spring, a time when...

Sponsored

Best Practices

Gear up for spring projects

Spring is here, and work is picking up as the weather warms. The Home Depot is kicking off the spring season with its first quarterly Pro...

Sponsored

Best Practices

Gear up for spring projects

Spring is here, and work is picking up as the weather warms. The Home Depot is kicking off the spring season with its first quarterly Pro...

Sponsored

Building Materials

Trends in Decking: Wood vs. Composite

With warm weather approaching, upgrades and enhancements to outdoor spaces are top of mind, especially considering that 85 percent of single...

Sponsored

Building Materials

Trends in Decking: Wood vs. Composite

With warm weather approaching, upgrades and enhancements to outdoor spaces are top of mind, especially considering that 85 percent of single...

Awards

Learning From the Best

Ever since the housing industry started making its very tentative way back after the end of the Great Recession, there’s been a great deal...

Quality Management

The Gorilla in the Room! Do you even know its there?

We all know we do a great job, while we all can improve our business it’s just minor stuff, things are just great. But so often we are...

The Design Side

Good Design, Good Vibrations

I have a talent for stating the obvious, so I might as well tell you right now that when I visit a well-designed community, it just feels...

The Design Side

The Custom Side of Manufactured Housing

I sang the praises of Grass Valley, Calif., in an earlier blog, so I might as well give up my secret: my wife and I are planning to move...

An example of a single-family manufactured home in California.

Sponsored

Building Technology

Product Innovations with a Big Business Impact

Tools and technologies are introduced every day that can help you do your job more efficiently. From new inventions to subtle enhancements,...

Sponsored

Advice for Pros

Product Innovations with a Big Business Impact

Tools and technologies are introduced every day that can help you do your job more efficiently. From new inventions to subtle enhancements,...

Quality Management

Breaking Down the Barriers to Lean in Construction

The key barriers to Implementing Lean Construction have been listed in a UK Construction Industry study. These provide great insights to...

Sponsored

Advice for Pros

Winterize through the season’s final freeze

Many winterization jobs are simple enough to add into your scope without adding substantial time or cost to ongoing jobs, and a few...

Sponsored

Advice for Pros

Kitchen Trends for the Pro

Remodelers around the country cited increased demand among homeowners for kitchen upgrades in 2014, according to the National Association of...

Home Builders Institute's Schools to Skills Grant Application Open Through December

As Mortgage Rates Rise, Buyers Lose Purchasing Power

Renters Are Choosing Single-Family Homes for These Features