Blog Category: Construction

When it comes to creating an energy-efficient building, say a quiet medical facility or a tornado-resistant school, there’s a one-size-fits-most solution: well-designed walls. Many of the environmental and human-health benefits building owners and architects seek can be achieved with the right choice of wall material. Walls aren’t exactly a hot topic, though, so their importance […]

The history of modern wall construction goes something like this: in 1880 concrete masonry units were invented. In 1915 modern wood framing became standard practice. In 1925 metal framing gained acceptance and in 1966 insulated concrete forms were introduced. In the 50 years since, wall construction hasn’t changed much, but the demands placed on walls […]

When homeowners buy a new roof, they often overlook the fact that before their new shingles can be installed, thousands of pounds of old shingles need to come off the roof first. In most cases, those shingles get tossed to the ground, and on the way down, they risk damaging everything from landscaping to windows […]

Roofers, imagine you’ve just pried old shingles off a roof and tossed them to the yard below. You scoop them all onto a tarp, but when you go to drag the tarp to your dumpster, you remember the backyard is fenced in, and you’ll have to squeeze the tarp, and the thousand pounds of shingles […]

Many roofers grow up around the business and follow their father’s or grandfather’s footsteps into the trade. And US Builders Reviews is always hearing from roofers like that, with stories of scrambling around jobsites, picking up the shingles and nails tossed off of roofs when they’re young. Leave it to roofers like that, roofers with […]

“America’s Infrastructure First!” Then-candidate Donald Trump didn’t sound those words quite so often as “Make America Great Again!” but the former line was high among his tools for national overhaul, and people took notice, including—maybe especially—those who build and repair bridges, roads, schools, power grids and the other systems that keep our nation humming. Which, […]

As soon as Bob Whalen became owner, he gave away his company—to the employees, that is. Whalen is profiled in the upcoming US Builders Review Winter II edition and his counter intuitive approach to ownership of HB McClure Company, an HVAC services contractor headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, isn’t at all unusual. HB McClure, like a […]

Got infrastructure? America needs it—water mains, highways, bridges and more—and the Trump administration has listed it as one of its priorities, proposing to spend a trillion dollars on lucrative public private partnerships to make it happen. This is among the many topics and trends on the minds of US Builders Review staff now the New […]

Solar energy isn’t just enhancing sustainability and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. It’s also changing the employment landscape in the U.S., adding new jobs by the tens of thousands each year, and boasting a diverse workforce as well as healthy compensation rates. But which states are making the biggest strides when it comes to […]

Green building is all the rage right now, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going out of style any time soon. Millennial home buyers love the idea of homes that are better for their bodies, pleasing to be in and to look at, built to last, and to top it all off, also save them […]