Green building practices are not completely new.  Many of the techniques to acquire a LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design) certification for your home have been plain old “good building practices” since long before LEED came along.

When I was a kid working for my father, one of my jobs was to grout between the foundation and the 2 X 4 plate that the entire house rested on.  It served two purposes; one was to prevent cold air and bugs from getting into the basement and the other was to help transfer weight evenly from the plate to the foundation.  I remember my dad making me do one house over again because I just shoved a little grout between the two and didn’t try and fill it in properly.  He explained (not very nicely as I recall) that there was a purpose to my job and if I didn’t do it right, the house wouldn’t be built according to his “good building practices”.

Then someone came up with the idea that a ¾” strip of fiberglass insulation between the foundation and plate would keep the cold air out.  Now, it is a 1/8” piece of foam!  LEED is bringing back many of those building practices that have been lost and adding many new ones.  That’s a good thing

Tom Green Remodeling, remodeling

I hate going to an unfamiliar grocery store.  I don’t know where anything is and I feel like I’m lost in the wilderness.  Our regular store was closed because of a small fire in the back and they had evacuated everyone.  I’m too impatient to wait so I went a little further down the street to a Schnuck’s market.  I was amazed to learn just how much a good grocery business and a good remodeling business are the same.

Like most of our clients, I had never been to this place before and I was a bit apprehensive about how much it would upset my routine.  The management at Schnuck’s must understand how stressful it can be to walk into a new store where everything is different and nothing works out quite like you think it should.  It took about 5 minutes before a stocking person noted that I was wandering around completely lost and asked if she could be of help.  She asked what I needed, explained the layout of the store and helped guide me through the process of shopping at Schnuck’s.  At the end of my shopping, even after I bought my goods, someone bagged up my groceries and offered to take them to my car!  Although slightly embarrassed that someone thought I should need help, I was intrigued by the unexpected quality of the experience.

I learned that Schnuck’s used the same business model as a good remodeling company!  From recognizing a client’s bewilderment, asking and listening to their needs, walking them through the entire process, properly communicating with them and keeping them important even after the sale, a good company services their client from start to finish.

By the way, even though it’s further away, I shop at Schnuck’s.

Tom Life In General