Lead poisoning- how safe is your home?

Any house built prior to 1978, possibly up to 38 million,  probably had lead-based paint used in them. The largest area of concern are doors and windows-- anywhere there is a sliding or abraiding, the continual rubbing will deteriorate the paint and produce dangerous lead levels in household dust.  

You can test to see if your home is in danger.  There are over-the-counter lead paint test kits available at "big box stores", and many hardware stores.

If you find lead dust in your home, you will need to have it removed. 
You will want to have a certified contractor to encapsulate or remove it; by sanding or torching, will create lead-containing dust and fumes. Special precautions need to be taken when removing lead paint.

Cardea Construction is a Green builder

Virtually every home feature has available options that improve energy efficiency, resource efficiency and air quality.  Green building prioritizes effective site design and development as an initial focus for resource-efficiency and reducing environmental impacts of construction.

Cardea utilizes sustainable products and sustainable building techniques:

water heaters, toilets, faucets

Cardea pays attention to healthy indoor air and uses low-outgassing products:

carpet, paint, caulk, glue, cabinets, flooring

Cardea Construction focuses on energy efficiency:

insulation, type and amount; weatherizing* your home

appliances- furnace, ranges, water heaters, refrigerators

air flow and heating/cooling- siding and roofing, solar, voltaic panels

passive design

* Ask me to explain weatherizing

Why worry about ice dams?

This winter?  Winter is still to come-- we're only half through and its snowing right now.

An ice dam can occur where uncontrolled heat and moisture leave your home, get into the attic, melts the snow on the shingles and then refreezes.

You need to check your attic for the following:

• proper ventilation at the wall/roof junction-- do you have rafter baffles installed?
• verify a minimum of 12 inches thick insulation (that do not close off the ventilation the baffles are providing)
• gable, ridge and other roof vents are open and functioning

An ice dam is created when ice works its way back up under shingles.  The next morning, with the warming morning air, it thaws and because its under the shingles, the water runs back into the attic, through your installation, through plaster or drywall ceilings and into your wall.

To prevent ice dams, be aware
Not just at the gutters or wall/roof junctions, problems could be at any opening to your attic-- plumbing closures, chimneys, cannister lights