Over the years, there have been housing styles that have come and gone. The craftsman, the Tudor, the Victorian, the ranch: all these homes were very popular in their day. One modern option that is quickly gaining ground to remain in the records of history is the tiny house. Though the definition differs depending on who you talk to, these go from an ultra-portable 80 square feet to a "tiny mansion" of 1,000 square feet. Focused on the movement towards minimalism and simplicity, the tiny house forces its occupants to only retain what has value to them, instead of plastic totes full of decorations for every holiday and boxes full of old records that "might be needed".

1) This beautiful floating tiny house in Maine brings a whole new meaning to the term house boat! At 240 square feet, it's solidly a tiny house, but after building it, the owners decided to ditch their plans of using it as a vacation and rental home in favor of enjoying a permanent home on the water. The decision was probably easier due to the home's design with an off-grid electrical system to provide the amenities. Image courtesy of Country Living.

2) This tiny mansion in Oklahoma is at the top end of the legal limit at 1,000 square feet. After spending a month in an RV at various national parks, the owners decided to sell their large home in Oklahoma city in favor of camping for eight more months on family property. Though the original plans were somewhat smaller, the family added an upstairs loft for a much-needed master bedroom suite and office space. Image courtesy of Country Living.

3) Are you in love with the idea of a simple New England cottage? This beautiful Maine vacation cottage is technically not a tiny house at 1,200 square feet, but most people would still consider it very small. But that doesn't prevent it from having all the amenities you'd expect in a traditional home, such as a full-size oven and a soaking tub. Due to its location on a small island, the owners - successful designers from Charleston, SC - had some challenges with the renovations as everything had to be brought over by bridge or causeway. Image courtesy of Country Living.

4) If you're determined to have a modern tiny house, this beautiful 300 square foot studio home in New York gives you the best of both worlds. The window wrap, somewhat unusual in tiny houses, provides both a frame for the beautiful scenery and expands the visual appearance of the living space, making it seem much larger than it actually is. Walnut is used extensively in the interiors and the site's rock features compliment the cable railing front porch. Image courtesy of House Beautiful.

5) Prefer a taste of the eclectic with plenty of elbow room indoors and out? This 800 square foot cottage was designed using sustainable materials and one-story living for the retiree owners. What you can't see from the outside is the amazing timber framed interior and beautiful woodworking throughout this home. Because of its size, the owners were able to splurge on high quality, full size appliances and granite countertops. A beautiful counterpoint to the large beams and living space are all the tiny niches and crannies for easy storage. Image courtesy of Tiny House Talk.

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When you're installing an acoustical ceiling tile project, do you have the right tools for the job? Although it can be tempting to simply improvise or mock up your own tools, having the right tool for the task at hand can mean all the difference between quickly completing a high-quality job and providing poor performance with ill-fitting material. But what tools really make the difference when it's time to get the job done? Here's a review of some of the most necessary and productive tools for your acoustical ceiling tile job.

Edge Cutters and Snap Blade Utility Knives

Ever had to replace material because of a poorly-scored cut made by a bad utility knife? Investing in a utility knife that has a comfortable grip and can quickly be changed for a fresh edge allows your crew to continue working quickly and effectively. Edge cutters help you refine the edge for a perfect shadowline or reveal.

Flanges

If you've never had to work on an acoustical ceiling in a building that wasn't square, level or plumb, you're more than due for one of these problem projects. When you need to adapt your ideal ceiling installation to less than perfect conditions or need better security to keep it in place, flanges will help get you there.

Punches

To quickly punch a hole in your grid without having support behind it, you need the right tools for the job. Punches allow you to easily punch holes with just one hand, making it much easier to get the holes where you need them to go while working on a ladder or a scaffold.

Rivet Guns

To quickly and effectively join your grid pieces together, nothing holds it together as quickly as a rivet. Rivet guns make it easy to get the job done, but not all rivet guns are created equal. Make sure the rivet gun you're looking at can get into small spaces and sharp angles to get the best use out of it.

Lag Drivers

Getting your frame attached into the framing members can be a tough job, especially when a suspended ceiling is far lower than the original ceiling. Fortunately, there are a wide range of tools available to make the job easier, including extension rods to reach from a distance.

Alignment Tools

There's nothing worse than getting all your ceiling tiles in place and realizing that it isn't level. Today's installer has it much easier than past use of line levels, as today's laser levels are available with self-leveling options to quickly get an easy, reliable baseline to work from.

Touch-Up Paints

Let's face it - there's always going to be an "oops" on the job site. Touch up paints are available to correct mistakes made on the tiles or grid, quickly restoring the ceiling's appearance to its original beauty without a lot of extra mess and fuss involved in the overall process.

In addition, feel free to download the CertainTeed Acoustical Ceiling Product Guide belowáfor a complete breakdown of product details and job applications.

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Your feet hold you up, hour after hour, day after day, while you're doingáa demanding job. But how well do you take care of them? When you're choosing a quality work boot that isávital to how successful you are working in the field, knowing what to look for in a work boot that will deliver when you need it takes a little time and effort. In this post, we'll discuss the ins and outs of construction work boots, what features to look for and which features really make the difference between a solid day working and one spent just getting along.

What to Look for in Quality Construction Work Boots

Proper Fit - Size, Width andáFlexibility.áWhen it comes to work boots, having a good fit is vital to how effectively the boots can protect your feet. A too-small pair will leave you with blisters and aching feet, while a too-large pair allow your feet to slip when you need solid traction on the job. A pair that is too wide or too narrow enters into the same hazards. Flexibility is something that often isn't considered, but is very important if you need to stretch, bend or otherwise move through a range of positions safely to get your job done, when a stiff boot may keep you from having full range of motion.

Safety Features - Toes, Tread Grip,áPuncture Resistance andáElectrical Resistance.áSafety features are also very important. Steel-, aluminum- or composite-toed boots help protect your feet from crushing or dropping injuries, keeping you moving. Tread grip helps keep you in place, preventing the primary accident that occurs in construction, slips and falls. Puncture resistance means there's a much lower chance that the nail hiding in the grass from the roofing job you've completed will go through your foot, while electrical resistance protects you from shocks when something goes wrong on the job site.

Construction - Sole Attachment and Weatherproofing.áThere are several ways soles can be attached, including gluing, which tends to be the lowest-quality and will fail fastest, Blake stitching which is durable, but requires a special machine to re-sole the boot, and Goodyear welt stitched, which is a durable classic that is easy to have repaired or re-soled. Weatherproofing ensures that your feet stay dry when the weather is wet, making you more comfortable and keeping your feet in better health.

Comfort - Support and Weight.áBoots that provide sufficient flexible support allow you to maintain a range of motion while protecting your joints from injury due to overextension. A boot with proper support helps protect you from rolling your ankles or otherwise injuring your feet and ankles. But at some point as you're adding options and features to your boots, you may realize that they're getting heavier. In construction, you do enough heavy lifting without adding heavy boots into the mix. If the boots seem excessively heavy, look for a better option if possible.

Options - Zippers, Laces and Insoles.áAs a law enforcement volunteer, I love that my duty boots zip up the side. I can completely customize the fit through the laces and then enjoy the convenience of just zipping them back off again at the end of a long day without having to fuss with the fit. Cheap laces can leave you hanging when you need to work, so make sure to get heavy-duty boot laces or latigo leather laces. If you have problems with flat feet, high arches or any other number of similar issues, make sure to get a pair of work boots with great insoles or the option to add separate insoles to your boots.

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There's no doubt that there's a strong push for green construction in residential and commercial construction these days, a demand that grows by the day. Though we've discussed a number of green products in the past, we felt it was time to feature a specific product, ComfortBoard from Roxul. A mineral wool product, it's created in board form instead of the batt-like formats that many of our clients are more familiar with. Here's a bit more on this remarkable product:

When it comes to insulation products, there are a lot of different options available on the market. One of the more popular options that is gaining ground is rock wool or mineral wool insulation, especially as insulative sheeting. Compared to foam plastic extruded foam board, mineral wool board doesn't outgas, doesn't use blowing agents that can contribute to greenhouse gasses and can be used readily on the exterior, reducing retrofit costs and heat transference through studs, providing a better insulative envelope for the home. At the same time, because mineral wool has been available on the market for a longer period of time, it's easy to find the exact material you need while still enjoying a reduced cost.

ComfortBoard is created from slag and basalt material, making it virtually fireproof for most residential applications. It won't melt until it reaches at least 2150║F, much higher than most house fires can reach, rendering it noncombustible. This means ComfortBoard, like most mineral wool insulation products, is much safer than most other green insulation options available on the market.

It's also water repellent, helping prevent further water damage from burst pipes or roof leaks. It does, however, allow water vapor to pass through it, which allows moisture from leaks to exit the structure. This property allows ComfortBoard to dry out if there are issues with moisture in the home, reducing or eliminating the need to replace the insulation in many cases. At the same time, it's also resistant to mold and mildew growth, which tends to be a problem in many insulation products not treated with chemical mold inhibitors that can then outgas into the home, creating a less than ideal atmosphere and indoor air quality issues.

ComfortBoard also provides superior sound insulation, witháa noise reduction coefficient of 0.9 across a range of frequencies. Combined with the ease of installation, this makes it a prime candidate for home theaters, noise reduction from loud neighborhood noises such as an airport or train track and to separate shop or garage noise from the rest of the home.

Because Roxul is based in Canada with several plants in the United States, it's products qualify for several LEED project points for locally-sourced material. It also recycles slag, which is often otherwise considered a waste product, so it can provide points for recycled content in a LEED certified structure, with third party certification of 75-93% recycled content available for documentation. It's available in 1.25", 1.5", 2" and 3" for ready to install products, with capabilities of producing stock up to 6" in thickness for specialty construction and superinsulated structures.

It has an R-value of 4.0 per inch of thickness. Though this is a little lower than many foam board insulation materials, ComfortBoard retains its R-value over time, as compared to the degradation of foam insulation products that start out with higher R-values but decline over time. This happens because the less conductive bowing agents can outgas over time, and are then replaced by air.

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There are a number of new buildings being constructed using cold form steel framing. These products are well known for offering all the structural stability that many teams need to complete projects on time. There are a few aspects that will set cold form steel framing apart from many other materials. Versatility and lightweight are a few reasons why cold form steel framing has been gaining ground for projects.

These materials are increasingly seeing a wide range of uses, which should draw in support from a few different sources. They are popular materials for use in large buildings and bridge designs. But they have also been used to construct storage racks and car bodies.

Benefits

• Versatile, can be formed in many ways
• Used in Large or Small Structures
• Lightweight
• Can be stored in many forms until they are needed

Transmission towers and poles have been used using this material as well. Consumers are increasingly looking to use this material to adapt to the some of the different types of options that they have. But they should plan to use it alongside other materials to improve the structural stability that may be in place.

Since modern techniques have diversified, there are a few different types of systems available to people. Most owners will appreciate the opportunity to use the highest grade cold form steel framing. It can be generated into bars, which are increasingly common for some structures.

Other structures can be pressed in to plates and set alongside other materials. Modern techniques have made it much easier for people to adjust to the way that these products are made over time. Builders should coordinate with their team to use these kinds of materials effectively as well.

Finally, the price point of these different types of materials are starting to decline as well. This has made it surprisingly simple to stock up on these products over time. Builders may want to find a way to store these materials in a few different types of settings. This is part of the appeal behind these projects, since the cold form steel can actually be put into storage until it is ready to be put in to place.

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1. Photo credit: kaz k / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

2. Photo credit: D H Wright / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)