Architects and builders have first-hand experience with the importance of exterior cladding for both aesthetics and energy conservation of a structure. Poor-quality materials and inefficient or even confusing installation requirements can wreak havoc on both short- and long-term performance of the building, its tenants or residents, and the reputations of the professionals who designed it.
 

Buying an existing home or building a new one is one of life’s big decisions, primarily because of the amount of money required to participate in the process. Both sides of the purchase transaction — the builder/seller and the buyer — struggle with the cyclical nature of mortgage interest rates and the supply and demand of available homes.  
 

Maybe there’s something in the water, or perhaps the clay.

In this job-hopping era, where no one seems to stay in one place very long, Acme Brick Company stands out. Nearly every Acme workplace has at least one employee with 20 or more years of experience. 

And on June 13 of this year, the ranks of the 40-year men and women increased by one – as Ed Watson, Acme’s President and CEO, celebrated his 40th anniversary with Acme.

Homeowners think long and hard about their kitchen design. There are several excellent reasons for this measured contemplation. First, this is where the daily meals are prepared and often consumed, and this translates to a buzzing hive of (often messy) activity. This room is as close to a “factory” floor as any other room in the house.

When the COVID pandemic forced everyone to spend more time at home and less time going out, the backyard became the new entertainment “room” for most families. Now that the incidence of this disease has subsided, the outdoor entertainment trend has become even more pronounced.

Old timers, such as grandfathers or kindly uncles, are fond of waxing eloquent about “the land.” And why not? It’s true what you’ve heard them say. “They're not making any more of it.”
 

Just two years after “Art Deco” was introduced to the world in 1925 at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, architectural and business visionaries in Houston began planning and building one of the most iconic buildings west of the Mississippi. It was called The Gulf Building, and it epitomized the Art Deco style.

The process of hiring an architect for a custom home design, or for remodeling rooms and spaces in an existing home, can be intimidating for many. This is like the feeling one might experience when hiring an attorney or CPA. The training and knowledge required for these services are highly specialized and can require a hefty investment on the part of the client.