Video of energy efficient home in Wyoming.

Tom explains how to build metal handrail for a handicap ramp.

A few questions before buying investment property.

Tom welds steel posts and beams for a tornado room for a new construction home.

Tom helps weld up a large steel church steeple.

DIY home building continues…

A few tips from Tom on using the TTI Screedright Pro concrete screed.

Tom reviews tips on securing a metal building frame during construction.

It is that time of year again when our attention turns to the outdoors and the curb appeal of our homes. One easy way to give your front porch a quick face lift is to add or replace an outdoor stair rail.

We received an email from Tim in Southwest Oklahoma. He had seen the video we made of our adventures while constructing our metal building house/shop. His main questions centered around our experience with insulation. He wanted to know what type of insulation we used for the home and if we had experienced any problems with home sweating during the winter months. He also asked if Tom had any advice on how to prevent sweating. Thanks for the questions Tim and we will do our best to try and answer your questions. By the way, best of luck with your building project and send us some updates and pictures for our website!

I continue to blog on the great pictures and notes that my brother in law sends updating family and friends on the home they are building themselves in northern Wyoming. Not many people can say they built their home themselves and really mean it! Way to go Chip and gang… keep the updates coming!

Most auto body shops have small covered anchor pots with a removable chain feature installed into the floor. It is easy to incorporate anchor pots into a concrete floor while constructing a new shop. Tom included several anchor pots into the new addition of his machine and welding shop.

We have been busy. It has taken us forever to rough in the electrical work. To date we have run well over 2000 feet of 14-2 wire, 500′ of 12-2 wire, 150′ of 8 gauge wire, 100′ of 10 gauge wire, 750′ of CAT 5 communications cable, 500′ and counting of plenum rated speaker wire, [...]

The Millers continue to plug away at building a new energy efficient home themselves…

Do it yourself home construction continues.

One great way to save money and boost the look of your home in any kind of economy is to replace carpet yourself. Tom usually replaces living room carpet about every 3-5 years. The living room is heavy used in the Gabriel household and it is directly adjacent to Tom’s busy shop area. It is [...]

An easy and attractive way to attach metal stair rail to a concrete or stone wall.

Tom builds new metal roof finials to match antique finials.

Check out designer metal handrails.

When traveling in the northern New Mexico area, one stop along the way that you won’t want to miss is the Visitors Center for Earthship homes. These structures are very interesting.
Earthships are buildings that are designed to be built with recycled materials. These structures take green living to it’s extreme. Each structure is basically old tires packed with earth and stacked on top of one another to form walls.