Houses and buildings are moving like crazy, but supply chains are still nuts! Remodeling has been affected by all the craziness that is going on with homes and homebuilding. However, when we decide to do a remodel, we have the opportunity to do some amazing things to make our homes even better! I am Marla, the Green Home Coach, and today, my occasional co-host, Tony Pratte, is joining me to have a conversation about remodeling and building. We will cover the building envelope, systems, and changing fixtures and finishes. Build My Future Build My Future is a one-day construction event. It is an interactive job fair designed to give high school students a hands-on opportunity to experience how things get done in the construction industry and skilled trades. I assisted in bringing a Build My Future event to Oklahoma City in 2019. We hosted another event in Oklahoma on October 26th, 2021, and I was both honored and excited to be part of it! Labor shortage The labor shortage keeps on getting worse, but we need people to build houses. That is why events like Build My Future are vital.   People power There appears to be a trend towards making things more and more efficient, but we still need people-power on building sites and behind the brains to make it all work. Commercial building versus home building The commercial environment has done a much better job of adopting healthier, greener, and more sustainable building principles than the home building environment has done. That is so because the homebuilding environment is based on repeatability, while commercial building is based on one-and-done plans. So, with commercial building, everything gets re-engineered, and with home building, there is a set of plans.  The goal The goal of homebuilding is to build as efficiently as possible, using the same plan but with some tweaks. Bridging the gap There are tremendous opportunities in the home industry for adopting greener and more sustainable building principles. People who do what I do help bridge the gap between the home industry and the commercial industry. A labor of love When remodeling a home, we often take products built in a repeatable fashion and tailor them to our specific needs and desires. Remodeling a home is usually a labor of love because it tends to be quite a challenging undertaking! Unforeseen situations Whenever you remodel or redecorate a home, you have to make provision for unforeseen situations. The building envelope The building envelope is what protects the inside of a home from the outside. It includes the walls, the windows, the doors, the roof, the basement, and the foundation slab. That is the best place to start with a remodel or an upgrade if it involves tearing out or removing walls or building an addition to the house.  Some key things to do for the building envelope Do an air-sealing package. That should include the exterior walls, the base or floors, and the ceiling and roof. Caulk the joints if you see any light shining in from the outside. Seal everything up properly. Particularly around the windows, doors, and openings for electrical wires, plumbing fixtures, or anything else that has to go through the walls. When buying sealants, ask the salespeople for advice about the best products to use for each different area of the house. Put in healthier and better insulation than there was before. (You can get a low VOC insulation that will not off-gas as much as others. There is a certification called Green Guard Gold that independently verifies products that do not off-gas much.) Have a conversation with your contractors and sub-contractors about using greener and healthier products. If they don’t want to do things your way, find another contractor. Windows and doors  Buy the best windows and doors that your budget will allow. Remember that windows are harder to replace than to install. Also, make sure that you put in windows and doors with the best insulation rating. It helps to work with an experienced