HOME materials

NEW DAY!! 3rd Wednesday of The MONTH! May 15! NOON LIVE! 89.5FM STREAMING wpkn.org

It is easy to say “They don’t make’em like they used to.” And that, of course, for good or ill, is true. But there have been real improvements of some of the materials that can be used to make homes. Sixty years ago “Miracle” materials like aluminum siding, vinyl windows, asbestos entrained vinyl floor tile, sheets of wood pulp and glue, pressure treated wood foundations and popcorn ceiling surfacing. Oh, and electric resistance heat.

Those materials failed dramatically, and building codes have dramatically stiffened, raising costs, but often providing better built products. After 20 years, it may be that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic trim and siding may just be a miracle material. Spray foam insulation has become necessary to meet energy codes. LED light fixtures are no longer blue death rays, but simulate natural or incandescant light at a tiny fraction of energy use. There are others, and HOME PAGE will have experts to opine on them!

Joining us are those who know building materials. Ben Bogie  Director of Outreach & Education and Production Manager of BPC Green Builders in Ridgefield CT Builders of custom “green” homes.  Steve Badanes is a Professor of Architecture, Director of the Neighborhood Design Build Studio at the University of Washington, and a partner in Jersey Devil Design Build, an architectural firm perpetuating the tradition of medieval craftsmen and Robert Swinburne Architect and principal of Bluetime Collaborative focusing on rural homes in New England located in Guilford, VT

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