I grew up in an older home and my father Ed Levitch MHRIP was an Architect and remodeling contractor in and around Berkeley California and the surrounding cities since 1958. Growing up I learned so many things from him, he taught me the value of family, respect and everything I know today about remodeling homes safely.
I remember a time at Levco Builders when I received a call from a man who shared a personal story about lead poisoning. He thanked me for advocating for the rule. I assured him of my commitment to safety. I was an early supporter of the EPA’s RRP rule, and I’m still a strong advocate today for ensuring people are safe in their homes.
What is a Healthy Home?
We all believe our homes are healthy places but all too often the opposite is true. As a remodeling contractor too, I deal with it every day. From the materials we use to how they are installed and the environment we create within the envelope of your home is unbelievably important. The CDC describes a healthy home as “One that is designed, built, and maintained to support our health” I couldn’t agree more. The other pivotal moment in my quest to promote healthy homes was a document written by the then Surgeon General, Steven Galson in 2009 who articulated the need for a healthy housing stock. This blog is dedicated to all things related to healthy homes with an emphasis on lead, lead detection as well as protection of humans and pets.
Thermocouple with a button?
This situation caught me off guard. I was presented with a thermocouple from an AO Smith, sealed combustion chamber water heater. The symptoms included that the water heater would go off for no reason. Eventually, he couldn't even get the pilot lit. With careful...
I Like Fixing Stuff
Although repairing broken things is not for everyone, I have fixed some amazing things in my day. The wise among us realize that this is not always the most cost effective or smart thing to do. Even I will admit that there are un-fixable things in this world, usually...
Settling Houses
So you got wrapped up into the new home building frenzy of a few years ago, and purchased a freshly built home out in the 'burbs'. Lots of folks were doing it; The money was flowing and building was rampant. the home you moved into was so fresh the darn thing didn't...
Prepare for Vacation
Have you noticed that vacations have been getting shorter and less frequent? I have coached many a friend and neighbor on how to prepare your home for vacation. The information contained here comes from the school of hard knocks. The odds of having a home problem...
Radon and your home
Who knew your house could hurt your lungs? Here in Idaho we live in a relatively moderate Radon level region that seems to get more intense the further north you live. It turns out Radon is even emitted from slabs of granite along with almost all other products of the...
Duct Cleaning
OK you have been in the home for 10 years and you are looking for something to do that will improve your home. You are wondering what would be a good bang for the buck. Or say you have unexplained health issues and you just can't put a finger on it but you think your...
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What makes a toilet work?
Since the evolution of the outhouse and the gravitational hole in the ground toilet, first world countries have staved off disease in the last century by creating domestic plumbing and municipal sewage systems. One of my early fond memories of toilets is the Loo...
How Hard is Your Water?
I was recently asked to look into add water softeners for several clients. Having added them before I thought I would explore a bit about what hard water is and why anyone would want to condition it in the first place. Here is what I found Water naturally has elements...
To rebuild or not to rebuild a carburetor
This article is about something that constantly plagues me. As a self proclaimed fix-it guy I thought that once I owned a chain saw and had a sharpening file that I had made it. Next thing you know the gas powered tools for lawn care just started adding up. Next it...
Flooring underlayment explained
The layers of the floor are often confused. The terms are used by some interchangeably Underlayment (Goes under the floor but above the sub-floor Sub-Floor (goes on top of the joists) Underlayment Underlayment is a general term for what goes under the part of the...