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We Believe!
I guess what they say is true….in order to receive you must believe! ETC toasted in the holiday season with our traditional Christmas party. Each year we are gifted a wonderful evening of celebration and this year proved to be no different. Well, maybe a little bit different, since this was our first visit from Santa – ever!! All […]
Dusting Off Our Drum
We’ve beat this drum before but some things are worth repeating. When products claim to be breakthrough or cutting-edge technology, it usually means they’re so new they have no history of performance in actual field conditions. Buzzwords can vary (micro and nano are currently en vogue), but unless someone can explain to me why a […]
Preventing a Building Collapse
Several concrete columns in the basement of a local 11-story apartment building were noted by Management as being severely cracked. A Contractor was hired to make the repairs to these columns that supported all floors of the living spaces above. Heavy duty shoring was installed so that the “Jenga-like” repair process could be safely performed […]
Seeing Red!
There are a number of tools available to help evaluate and correct building problems, particularly those related to moisture intrusion. Infrared scans are frequently used for checking roofs and exterior building walls This same technology is used to check for hot and cold spots in walls, electrical equipment, etc. A side use of infrared cameras […]
Smooth Start
In order to get your next roofing project off to a good start, be it minor repair or total replacement, the following is a list of items to discuss with your contractor to help ensure both parties are on the same page prior to starting the work. Reviewing some of these key items prior to job […]
Use Caution With SIP Construction!
Structural insulated panels (SIP) are a prefabricated assembly of rigid foam insulation sandwiched between layers of structural boards, often oriented-strand board (OSB). These panels are used for walls, floors and roofs for homes in place of “conventional” stick-built construction. While SIPs have been around for a long time, they are currently gaining a lot of […]
Planning For a Tenant Build-out?
When renovating your building or planning for a new tenant build-out, there are some code issues you might want to keep in mind. Most jurisdictions require a percentage of construction cost be allocated to upgrading the accessible route to the altered space. Many times this involves modifying the existing restroom facilities. Some ways to do this are: […]
Not Widely Known
More and more synthetic materials are being used in the building trades. Vinyl siding, PVC pipes and their like have been around long enough that we know how they behave, but there are things about other products (cellular PVC trim boards, composite deck planks, etc.) that are not as widely known. * Synthetic trim is […]
Protecting Parking Decks from Snow Removal
Before we know it the winter will be here and so will the snow. As you are negotiating your snow removal contracts for this season you should keep in mind the following guidelines compiled from leading deck coating manufacturers to protect your coating systems and avoid non-warrantable damage to coated parking decks: 1. Excessively piled […]
A Difference of Opinion
There is currently a significant controversy in the roofing industry regarding the proper design methods for resisting wind uplift for vegetative roof systems. It seems that the various organizations looking at this matter cannot come up with a standard that everyone can agree is technically correct and sound. Hopefully, continued discussions will end with an […]
Thumbs up for weeps!
We have recently found a few buildings with EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems) intended to be a moisture drainage design, which were missing weeps. The manufacturers of these systems require weep elements (drainage tracks, holes, slots, etc.) along the base of the walls and at transitions to allow water that infiltrates behind the EIFS […]
A Modern Touch
We have retrofitted the upper level of a concrete parking garage with post tension cable rails in lieu of masonry flower block walls. You can see that the parking level looks more clean and neat with the new rails. Also rain water drains off the parking deck much faster with the open cable design. […]