Rudy writes:

 >>we need to be smart and ask the
question "what works and what do we know"
We need to build houses of quality that last for hundreds of years and 
not just twenty. <<

Just last month I submitted my session proposal for the Traditional 
Building Conference in Boston next March. I'm astonished that my 
write-up begins with your words: "what works and what do we know."

**********************************
Title: Looks Great! (but will it last?)
Practical testing of products, materials and methods.

Description:

What will work best? You never truly know, but one method or material is 
bound to work better than another, and that you can know. The process of 
comparative field testing skirts around all of the commercial product 
marketing hype and its brand-name belief system. We dare not depend 
solely on the biased marketing from the building product manufacturers 
as our only source. We must depend on our own information, experience 
and knowledge.

John Leeke shows how he adapts the scientific method with his famous 
farm-yard physics and kitchen chemistry approach. Simple side-by-side 
tests clearly demonstrate which methods and materials perform best over 
time. Test are done ‘on the cheap’ with costs and results shared by 
tradespeople, contractors and building owners. Detailed documentation 
and publication assure results are available over the long-term to 
future owners and workers. Immediate benefits include controlling 
project costs and demonstrating worker capabilities--a good way to 
overcome many of the unknowns in building preservation. Over the 
long-term future maintenance costs are reduced--a good way to save more 
historic fabric. Learn how to set up effective testing and how to use 
the results.

Participate in the open planning for this session at Leeke’s Historic 
HomeWorks Forum:

http://historichomeworks.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1270

************************



Take care, work safe and keep in touch.

John
by hammer and hand great works do stand
by pen and thought best words are wrought

John Leeke, American Preservationeer
26 Higgins St.
Portland, ME  04103
207 773-2306
[log in to unmask]
www.HistoricHomeWorks.com

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