Lewallen Builders is dedicated to providing customers in Vermont and New Hampshire with high quality construction at a reasonable price. We believe in building long-lasting and trusting relationships with customers as well as taking an environmentally conscious approach to all aspects of construction.  ...read more

Take to Lessen Lead Poisoning Risk in Kids There is a lot of talk about lead in the news. Here are some questions you should ask yourself. If you answer yes to any of them, you should dig deeper to learn more about how to control the risk of lead poisoning: 1. Does your child like to put things in his or her mouth? 2. Does your home have peeling paint? 3. Was your home built before 1978? 4. Does your child play in the dirt near your home? 5. Do you live near an industrial facility, especially anything related to treatment of iron ore or steel? 6. Do any neighboring families have instances of lead poisoning if your child plays in their homes? 7. Do you or anyone in your family work with lead jewelry makers, stain glass, plumbers, x-ray, auto mechanics? 8. Does your child go to a daycare facility built before 1978? If you have any of the risk factors, which might indicate exposure to lead poisoning for your kids, here are some proactive steps you can take. 1. Test your child. The American Academy of Pediatric recommends testing kids at 12 and 24 months, but if you have some of these risk factors, you may want to test every year through age 6. 2. Don't do home renovations involving removing lead paint unless you've been trained to do so. 3. Have an expert check to assess lead exposure in your house. Go to epa.gov/lead for pros in your area. There has been controversy about the reliability of over-the-counter tests sold at drugstores and hardware stores. 4. If you work with lead, change your clothes and shower before you play with your kids. Wash your clothes separately. 5. Inventory your kids' toys to remove any that have been recalled for lead poisoning. 6. Remove your shoes before walking through your house, especially if you have babies crawling around on the floors who could be exposed to lead poisoning. 7. Run tap water for 30 seconds or use water filters. Remember that lead leeches more into hot water, so never use the hot water tap to fill bottles of formula. You can call the EPA's safe water hotline at 800-426-4791 for more information. Read more about compilation of all the great parenting advice that help to raise child safe and healthy. - 1 - About the Author: Paul Banas is a founder of GreatDad.com. He writes articles on babysitter games, baby nursery, baby bedding, baby names, and many more topics related to dads. This article was printed from: http://www.easyarticles.com/article-267200.htm - 2 - ...read more

Climate Change Threatens National and World Security If you think that global warming is a problem that is simply limited to a few rare plant and animal species and does not impact world harmony, think again. Climate change has far reaching implications for international peace and security.  Many of the projected byproducts of human induced global warming, including deforestation, enlarged deserts, coastal flooding, lower crop yields, increased rates of infectious diseases, and water shortages pose grave threats to many regions across the world.  The failure to address these looming problems by refusing to aggressively address climate change will likely result in dire consequences in the form of regional conflict which, as recent experience has sadly shown, world powers cannot avoid or ignore. According to a report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense, “there is substantial evidence to indicate that significant global warming will occur during the 21 Century”…and that climate change poses a “U.S. national security concern”.  The extensive report discusses the adverse effects of global warming and concludes that preparations should be made for climate consequences that may well alter the political and economic states of nations across the globe, destabilize regions and provoke conflicts with the potential for warfare.  The Department cites “potentially dire circumstances” for world security if climate change is not stemmed promptly.   Commenting on the breadth of the problem, the report soberly states:  “(w)ith over 400 million people living in drier, subtropical, often over-populated and economically poor regions today,climate change and its follow-on effects pose a severe risk to political,economic and social security.”  More recently, a panel of 11 retired general and admirals were convened to assess the connection between national security and climate change.  Following similar reasoning found in the Department of Defense report, they concluded that global warming is a “threat multiplier” in the world’s fragile regions, “exacerbating conditions that lead to failed states---the breeding grounds for extremism and terrorism.”  Similarly, this month Britain convened members of the Security Council of the United Nations to discuss the worldwide security threat posed by climate change; many of the countries expressly recognized the need to address the societal dangers inherent in failing to abate the ongoing trends of global warming. It is not a far stretch to comprehend that climate stress with its attendant heat waves, agricultural damage and loss, drought, and water shortages will naturally result in starvation, abject poverty, population migration, increased infectious diseases---and these translate too readily into insurgency, genocide, guerilla warfare and terrorism. If as nations and individuals we fail to take aggressive steps to limit greenhouse gas emissions, our security may very well be compromised. By joiningUSJunkmailyou can do your part by reducing the flow of junkmail and reducing paper waste.   ...read more

Asbestos Prevention & Tips for Vermont Homeowners  There a number of things worth considering in the real estate industry. If you are a potential homeowner, are remodeling orperforming home improvementson an older home, it is important to hire professionals to examine the property for toxic building materials. Homes built before 1980 have a strong chance of containing asbestos.  Although asbestos is only harmful when it is damaged, citizens of Vermont should be aware to the fact that exposure to asbestos fibers can be a grave health concern when high levels are inhaled over time.  Heavily throughout the 20 century in many industrial products such as insulation, roofing, piping, brake linings and flooring products, inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause a severe lung-ailment known asmalignant mesothelioma,a rare form of asbestos lung cancer that takes the lives of thousands every year.Mesothelioma metastasiscan occur when the illness spreads through the lymph nodes or the blood stream. This can occur in the disease later stages as it can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years for mesothelioma to develop, making it one of the most difficult diseases to diagnose.  It is not always an easy process to determine whether or not a particular insulation contains asbestos. Anyone who is unsure about the insulation in their home should have the materials in question tested or inspected by a professional.The Vermont Department of Health Agency of Human Servicesis an organization whose goals are to protect the environment and public health from asbestos exposure. Removal of asbestos in public facilities, workplaces and homes must be performed by licensed abatement contractors who are trained in handling toxic materials.  Once the removal is complete, green insulation options should be given serious consideration, such as: cellulose, cotton Fiber and lcynene. A water based spray polyurethane foam, lcynene features no toxic components. According to studies done by manufacturers, lcynene foam can cut costs at about 25 percent annually. These asbestos alternatives will not only reduce energy costs, but allow for a healthy home away from any health damaging materials. ...read more

DOE/CE-0180 2008 Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Introduction Why Insulate Your House? How Insulation Works Which Kind of Insulation is Best? What Is an R-Value? Reading the Label Insulation Product Types Insulating a New House Where and How Much Air Sealing Moisture Control and Ventilation Installation IssuesPrecautionsAtticsWalls Design OptionsCrawlspaces and SlabsAdvanced Wall FramingMetal FramingInsulating Concrete FormsMassive WallsStructural Insulated PanelsExternal Insulation Finish SystemAttic Ventilation or a Cathedralized Attic Adding Insulation to an Existing House Where and How Much How Much Insulation Do I Already Have? Air Sealing Moisture Control and Ventilation Insulation Installation, the Retrofit ChallengePrecautionsAtticsWallsBasement WallsFloors and Crawlspaces Resources and Links About This Fact Sheet Why Insulate Your House? Heating and cooling account for 50 to 70% of the energy used in the average American home. Inadequate insulation and air leakage are leading causes of energy waste in most homes. Insulation: saves money and our nation's limited energy resources makes your house more comfortable by helping to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the house, and makes walls, ceilings, and floors warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The amount of energy you conserve will depend on several factors: your local climate; the size, shape, and construction of your house; the living habits of your family; the type and efficiency of the heating and cooling systems; and the fuel you use. Once the energy savings have paid for the installation cost, energy conserved is money saved - and saving energy will be even more important as utility rates go up. This fact sheet will help you to understand how insulation works, what different types of insulation are available, and how much insulation makes sense for your climate. There are many other things you can do to conserve energy in your home as well. The Department of Energy offers manyweb sitesto help you save energy by sealing air leaks, selecting more energy-efficient appliances, etc. How Insulation WorksHeat flows naturally from a warmer to a cooler space. In winter, the heat moves directly from all heated living spaces to the outdoors and to adjacent unheated attics, garages, and basements - wherever there is a difference in temperature. During the summer, heat moves from outdoors to the house interior. To maintain comfort, the heat lost in winter must be replaced by your heating system and the heat gained in summer must be removed by your air conditioner. Insulatingceilings, walls, and floorsdecreases the heating or cooling needed by providing an effective resistance to the flow of heat. Batts, blankets, loose fill, and low-density foams all work by limiting air movement. (These products may be more familiarly called fiberglass, cellulose, polyicynene, and expanded polystyrene.) The still air is an effective insulator because it eliminates convection and has low conduction. Some foams, such as polyisocyanurate, polyurethane, and extruded polystyrene, are filled with special gases that provide additional resistance to heat flow.Reflective insulation works by reducing the amount of energy that travels in the form of radiation. Some forms of reflective insulation also divide a space up into small regions to reduce air movement, or convection, but not to the same extent as batts, blankets, loose-fill, and foam. ...read more

Energy Conversion Devices and CertainTeed to develop Sustainable SolarResidential RoofingproductsNext-Generation Residential Roofing MaterialsWill Generate Clean, Renewable Energy (Valley Forge, Pa. and Rochester Hills, Mich.) October 2, 2008 –Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD) (NASDAQ: ENER), the leading global manufacturer of thin-film flexible solar laminates, and CertainTeed Corporation, a leading North American building products manufacturer, today announced a joint agreement to develop roofing-integrated photovoltaic products for the residential market, combining ECD’sUNI-SOLARcells with CertainTeed roofing products. The companies expect these new products to be commercially available beginning in 2010. Mark Morelli, ECD’s President and CEO stated, “This agreement is a significant expansion into a new market for ECD. CertainTeed is clearly an industry leader in building materials and has a broad product offering that can take advantage of the unique characteristics of our flexible, lightweight and reliable UNI-SOLAR cells.” “We are very pleased to be working with ECD to develop solar roofing products for residential roofing applications,” said Guillaume Texier, President of CertainTeed Roofing. “The lightweight and flexible design of the UNI-SOLAR solar cells makes them ideal for integrating directly into our roofing products and will help us create aesthetically pleasing solar solutions that blend seamlessly into the homeowner’s architecture, while generating clean, renewable energy. This agreement reinforces our commitment to developing sustainable building products, which is in line with our parent company Saint-Gobain’s strategy to provide innovative solutions for the construction markets” About Energy Conversion DevicesEnergy Conversion Devices, Inc.(ECD) (NASDAQ: ENER) is the leader in building integrated and commercial rooftop photovoltaics, one of the fastest growing segments of the solar power industry. The company manufactures and sells thin-film solar laminates that convert sunlight to energy using proprietary technology. ECD’sUNI-SOLARbrand products are unique because of their flexibility, light weight, ease of installation, durability, and real-world efficiency. ECD also pioneers other alternative technologies, including a new type of nonvolatile digital memory technology that is significantly faster, less expensive, and ideal for use in a variety of applications including cell phones, digital cameras and personal computers. For more information, please visitwww.ovonic.com. About CertainTeed Through innovation and creative product design, CertainTeed has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Company, the firm made its slogan "Quality MadeCertain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," which quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeedis North America’s leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, windows, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, gypsum, ceilings and access covers. Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 7,000 employees and more than 70 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. In 2007 the group had total sales of more than $3 billion.www.certainteed.com. ### ...read more

Why You Should Be Using R19 Insulation Products R19 insulation products maintain insulating power for long time. They are heat and cold resistance. They are used to provide home insulation; they can observe sound and energy waves. They are useful to prevent transmission of sound waves from one room to another. They are useful to make home sound proof. It will increase overall comfort of the homes. The R19 insulation products can resist the flow of heat and cold waves. Theses products are useful to achieve energy efficiency. The heat is a form of energy and it flows out of home in the winter. It also flows into the home in the summer. Therefore, to achieve energy efficiency R19 home insulation products are necessary. These products are naturally resistant to heat, moisture, evaporation and water. These R19 insulation products are used in home insulation methods, these insulation methods are determine by R-value of insulation products such as cellulose and fiberglass. The R-value is stands for heat resistance. Proper insulation level is identified by R-value of materials such as fiberglass and cellulose. These materials are labeled by R-value. The R stands for heat flow; it provides greater insulating power for material. Most manufacturers are printing R values for their products. Higher R-value means that product is more heat and water resistance. There are many kinds of insulation products such as mineral wool; fiberglass, cellulose, foams and cottons etc. cellulose and fiberglass are most common home insulation materials. Cellulose provides much greater insulation because it has higher R-value. It is one of the most popular types of insulation. Most of Americans are using cellulose home insulation methods. On other hand fiberglass insulation is different from cellulose insulation because it dose not require chemical treatments. It is made from sand and recycled glass. Cellulose insulation is used for ground or crawl insulation methods. It is used to protect crawl area from water, fire and humidity Insulating the upper floor of house is the easiest and cost effective method. The insulation method is selected by the thickness of insulating material. Most homes in United States use insulated material between R-19 to R-49. There are some products those have insulation level below 19 such as 5 inches of cellulose, 6 inches of fiberglass and rock wool. These products are widely used to provide necessary insulation level. The R19 insulation products are used for exterior walls of homes. They are expensive and applied as per guidelines by contractors. The R19 insulation is used for exterior walls of homes. R19 insulation products - 1 - are natural insulators than R11 insulation products. They are less heat resistance than the product having insulation level 19. The insulation level of products is determined by the amount of insulation from their thickness. Generally, insulation of material is decided by the average R-values per inch of a given material. R19 insulation products are used in many home insulation methods, they are useful to increase energy efficiency. They are easily available in the market. These products are easy to use and provide long time energy efficiency. About the Author: Muna wa Wanjiru Has Been Researching and Reporting on Insulation for Years. For More Information on R19 Insulation, Visit His Site at    R19 INSULATION  I Will Also Highly Appreciate Your Views On R19 Insulation At My Blog here   R19 Insulation This article was printed from: http://www.easyarticles.com/article-158251.htm ...read more

Six Ascutney Park Road Windsor, Vermont 05089 800.638.4560 March 28, 2008 To Whom it May Concern: I̢۪ve known James Kelley for over the past 15 years. During that time he has performed various types of construction for us. We have been thoroughly satisfied with the work he has done, both from the standpoint of completing the assignment in a timely manner and in the quality of work he performed. I would definitely recommend him to any one for his conscientious work ethics and overall performance. Sincerely, Brent A. Turner President TOTC Six Ascutney Park Road Windsor, Vermont 05089 800.638.4560 ...read more

Author: Mike Milliman Does Home Improvement Make Sense ? Last night I watched a home improvement show in which a Florida couple had spent $50,000 updating their home. Now they were asking their realtor for a home appraisal. Amazingly, the realtor told them their renovation had increased the value of their home by $120,000 - more than a two-to-one return on their investment!Cable TV is filled with shows like this that inspire homeowners to take on kitchen remodeling, bedroom makeovers or similar projects.But many of these shows were filmed two or three years ago during the height of the housing boom.As we enter 2008 we face a very different housing market in which nationwide home prices are stagnant and even declining in some markets.In this sort of environment, does home improvement still make sense? The answer depends on what sort of home improvement you want to tackle.Avoid Style MakeoversFirst, it’s time for a reality check. Even during the peak of the housing boom, the idea that remodeling your home produced a high return on investment was simply a myth.According to 2004 survey by Remodeling Magazine, the average home renovation returned only 80% of its value at the time of resale.So for every dollar you invested in a major renovation, you could expect $0.80 back in your pocket. And that was in 2004, when home values across the country were climbing at an unprecedented rate.If you want a style makeover to make yourself happy, by all means you should do it. But you shouldn’t expect it to dramatically increase the resale value of your home.In fact, your taste could well end up driving away potential buyers. Personal tastes can be tricky. You may love red and gold walls in your living room, but some buyers will see this as a liability that needs to be fixed.Even if your tastes are in step with current tastes, styles will change over time. Your choice of kitchen tile and countertops may be in line with current fashion, but if you don’t plan to sell your home for another ten years, the style may well be dated when you sell.Keep in Step with Your NeighborhoodYour home’s location is still the biggest factor determining its value. With that in mind, renovations make the most sense if they bring your house up to the norm for the neighborhood.If your 3,000 square foot home has only two bathrooms, adding a third bathroom makes sense. If all other homes in your neighborhood have a deck, then adding one to your home makes sense as well.But this rule only applies to major items. Just because your neighbor added solid gold faucets and a sunken marble bathtub doesn’t mean you should remodel your master bath to keep pace.And if you are already the biggest house on the block, further home upgrades will do little to increase the value of your home.Invest in Home MaintenanceHome repairs and preventative maintenance are the best investment you can make in your house, and they make sense regardless of whether the housing market is in a boom or a bust. They won’t necessarily raise the value of your home, but they can prevent your home from loosing far more value due to damage and wear.Putting off repairs simply means they will cost more when you do get around to fixing them. A crack from a settling foundation will expand over time. Water damage from a leaky gutter will only cause further wear to your exterior walls.When you sell your house these issues will almost certainly come up in the home inspection, and you may need to discount your home’s price to allow the buyer to make repairs. Worse, too large a repair bill may simply scare a buyer away.The Bottom LineOverall, the best advice is to invest in sound home improvements that keep your house in good shape and up to the standard of your neighborhood.If you still want to make a style upgrade, that’s fine. But do it for aesthetic reasons, not financial ones.About the Author: Mike Milliman is a managing partner of GutterSupply.com, the leading online seller ofrain gutters. ...read more

The Freedom of Choice Veriuni's wireless soulution provides you the freedom to choose the plan and phone that's best for you. With multiple brand name wireless carriers, dozens of coverage plans and a variety of phones, we have the perfect wireless package for you. Not sure what you need? Our easy-to-use rate plan wizard will guide you to the best plan for your individual needs. Free Phone and Accessories Veriuni’s wireless solution gives you a free top-rated phone from Motorola, Nokia, Sony Ericcson, Samsung and more. Plus, each plan comes with a free in-car charger, belt clip, and hands-free ear bud. Coverage around the Country Veriuni’s wireless solution is available in 98.5% of the United States. Tell all your friends and family today, no matter where they live. Easy Sign Up With Veriuni’s easy-to-follow online sign up, getting a wireless plan is easier than ever. Best of all, you can order over the phone and still receive the same great online deals. Finally, you can shop for every wireless carrier, see every phone, and compare every plan without having to leave our website. The perfect wireless plan is waiting for you! Choose the best plan for you Veriuni is proud to bring you the most comprehensive wireless solution avaliable today. With Veriuni’s wireless solution, you have the most plans with the most carriers available to the most people. Whether you’re looking for the perfect plan with your favorite carrier, a specialized phone, the best value, or even trying to overcome a credit problem, Veriuni has the wireless solution for you. ...read more