The office of the U.S. Trade Representative recently held a marathon three-day hearing to discuss the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the Trump era. This effectively began the process of renegotiating one of our most important and controversial trade pacts.

To say NAFTA has been a political lightning rod would be an understatement. On the campaign trail, Trump wasted no opportunity to trash the pact, at one point saying, NAFTA is the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere, but certainly ever signed in this country.

Unfortunately, President Trump does not appear to be following the same pattern as his predecessor. In addition to taking steps to renegotiate NAFTA, the administration has engaged in several smaller, yet still troubling trade spats that have strained economic relationships in North America.

For instance, frustrations over access to Canadian dairy markets led to the administration retaliating with a hefty 20-percent tariff on Canadian softwood lumber, a key product for home building. This could significantly increase the price of new homes, asthe cost of lumber accounts for about 17 percent of the construction cost of the average house, according to data from the National Association of Home Builders.

Tensions have increased further due to a recent spat between U.S.-based Boeing and the Canadian company Bombardier. Boeing has alleged it is being harmed because Bombardier is dumping its aircraft in the United States. This is a peculiar claim because the dispute centers around a Bombardier airplane in a class where Boeing manufactures no competing products.

Nonetheless, the U.S. Commerce Department is currently reviewing Boeings request for duties and is expected to issue a ruling in September. This could raise the price of aircraft and, subsequently, result in higher prices for airline passengers.

Things are escalating even further now that the Trump White House is reportedly considering hefty tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. The exact size and scope of these tariffs which almost comically are being suggested in the interest of national security remains unclear. Yet, Canada, which is our largest source for imported steel, is far from pleased with the threat and currently pursuing an exemption.

The economic implications of these tariffs are enormous, as steel and aluminum are essential for the manufacturing of everything from automobiles to beer cans. Consumer prices could skyrocket if the administration puts these taxes into effect.

These are troubling times when it comes to free trade, broadly, and our critical relationship with our North American neighbors, specifically. The worsening climate will only make NAFTA renegotiation more difficult. Still, if done properly, this process could be beneficial to all three nations. That would require the Trump administration to approach the process with several key priorities in mind.

First, NAFTA renegotiation must not result in any new tariffs on imports or exports. One of NAFTAs crowning achievements was phasing out virtually all tariffs between the three countries. Moving in the opposite direction would be harmful to American businesses, consumers and taxpayers. Particularly problematic is the fact that import tariffs are almost always regressive in nature, meaning that lower-income Americans would be hit the hardest.

Second, the Trump administration should push to reduce non-tariff barriers to trade. This means working to open up Canadas highly protected dairy market and liberalize Mexicos protectionist sugar and energy policies. These will not be easy tasks and will arguably be more difficult in a trilateral arrangement than they were in the multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership process.

Finally, its imperative for the administration to recognize the vital importance of a strong relationship between the three nations. In an economic sense, Canada and Mexico are our largest trading partners and 14 million U.S. jobs are directly dependent on these relationships.

Outside the economic realm, Canada and Mexico are important allies in geopolitical affairs. NAFTA renegotiation is about far more than economic growth and job creation. The stakes are extremely high, and its essential that this enormous undertaking leads to a stronger, more prosperous integrated relationship with our neighbors to the north and south.

Brandon Arnold is the executive vice president of theNational Taxpayers Union, which supports lower taxes and smaller government at all levels, and theNational Taxpayers Union Foundation. He has testified on fiscal policy before Congress and numerous state legislative committees, and has appeared on several television and radio networks, including C-SPAN, Fox News, Fox Business, BNN, and Russia Today.Previously, he was director of government affairs at the Cato Institute and a research analyst at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Follow him on Twitter@BrandonNTU.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.

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On NAFTA: Good trade deals, not fences, make good neighbors - The Hill (blog)

Related Coverage

KNOXVILLE (WATE) A handyman business has left yet another customer completely dissatisfied. Money was collected and some of the work was started, but it was never finished.

EPM Handyman Services is operated by two brothers. WATE 6 On Your Side has been following them for two years. The name of Jonathan and Warren Presleys business has changed since then, but the people who have hired them tell the same stories and are not happy.

They were supposed to paint the ceiling a pale blue and the trim while, said Peggy Ogle.

Ogle hired contractors who never did the job they were hired to do. They didnt paint the ceiling of her carport, nor did they paint the supports to the structure. They didnt fix her front porch steps and didnt repair and paint the front door, nor did they replace an old wooden door.

Ogle paid the handymen $3,000 on March 29.

They tell me theyre going to be out Monday. Monday comes, theyre not here. You call them on Friday. Oh, well be there, Ive been sick. They dont show up, she said.

Ogle discovered EPM Services on Angies List.

Previous story: Handymen leave work unfinished on Tellico Village widows house

I was on the computer looking for handyman services because I needed help around here. I wasnt even finished looking through the ads when they called me on the phone, she said.

The Presleys hired Mikael Moses to paint inside Ogles home.

I painted this bathroom, that bedroom and the other bedroom, said Moses.

Moses said she first scraped the rooms walls to remove old paint and fill in holes. The work she did for the EPM Handyman Services took several days and the job is very professional. However, Moses said the Presleys never paid her.

WATE 6 On Your Side tried to reach Jonathan Presley but never got a response. Attempts to reach his brother Warren also failed. When you look for the Presley brothers contractors license on the Department of Commerce and Insurance website, no file is found. Theyre not licensed.

Olge is about to take legal action against the Presleys. Shes looking into filing felony charges with Knoxvilles district attorney, which she can do. The law says if work is unfinished after 90 days of signing a contract and a certified letter is sent to the contractor requesting completion but nothing is done, charges can be filed.

Three thousand dollars is a lot of money to me. Id hate to see another little old lady get taken, said Ogle. Dont hire them. Please dont. You are going to get taken.

Previous story: Kingston couple pays 75 percent up front for garage remodel in April; work still isnt done

Earlier this year, Amey Elias hired EPM Services to do extensive handyman work inside her home in Tellico Village, but the laminate flooring they were paid to replace was never removed. Paint was slopped on the floor throughout her home but never cleaned up. In the garage, kitchen cabinet doors and shelves were stacked up by workmen to dry after being painted. However, once dried, the cabinet doors were never returned. Many that had been painted had unprofessional work.

Last November, Carolyn Whited explained that for years, she and her late husband had planned some renovations to their West Knoxville home. Work started a year ago, but then abruptly stopped not long after she had paid Jonathan and Warren Presley more than 90 percent of the bill upfront. The Presleys then operated a company called RFG Construction of Knoxville.

In October of 2015, Barbara Croft was frustrated about the 6 month delay in finishing the garage at their home in Kingston. Material like windows and doors were delivered but the job stalled and excuses piled up. The work was contracted then with RFG Flooring different name, but Jonathan and Warren Presley were the operators of the business. The Crofts had paid the brothers more than 75 percent of the total bill up front.

Each time, the people who contracted with the Presleys were forced to hire a second contractor to finish the work. Some of the online sites that provide information about contractors have dropped EPM Handyman Services from their list of recommended contractors.

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Knoxville woman is latest with unfinished work by handyman brothers - WATE 6 On Your Side

Charles Winokoor Taunton Gazette Staff Reporter @cwinokoor

TAUNTON Congressman Joe Kennedy stopped off Friday at Community Counseling of Bristol County to get feedback from officials representing the non-profit group about their concerns over possible cuts to Medicaid funding.

But it was a subsequent, informal roundtable meeting with people who have received treatment at the community-based CCBC that seemed to leave the greatest impression on the 4th District congressman.

Its extraordinarily powerful for me to hear your stories, Kennedy told a group that included three men and two women some of whom had just provided harrowing details of their personal lives, and all of whom praised the Taunton-based non-profit for keeping their lives from completely spinning out of control.

Before Kennedy sat down to listen to those personal stories, he met in a different conference room with CCBC president and CEO Philip Shea and some of Sheas staffers, who provided numbers outlining the impact Medicaid funding has on their various treatment services.

Besides CCBC in Taunton, Kennedy was also scheduled Friday to visit both Horace Mann Educational Associates in Bellingham and Seven Hills Pediatric Center in Hopedale.

The purpose of the visits was to stress Kennedys opposition to the latest version of President Donald Trumps proposed replacement of the Affordable Care Act which Kennedy says would directly slash Medicaid funding by more than $800 billion over 10 years and would collectively reduce all Medicaid-related funding by $1.4 trillion over the same period.

We lost money in 2017 and will probably lose more next year, and Im not absolutely confident well be here in three years doing the same sorts of things the same way, Shea said.

Shea told Kennedy that the federal Medicaid program provides funding for 58 percent of CCBCs programs and services. He said the mental-health and addiction treatment non-profit currently has close to 12,000 clients or patients.

Fall River native Ted Lopes told Kennedy that Community Counseling of Bristol County has been providing him with temporary lodging at one of its houses and is helping him find a new health insurance carrier after he was dropped by the states MassHealth program.

Lopes recounted how he drifted into opioid addiction first oxycodone and then heroin after contracting cement poisoning in a knee from working as a union bricklayer and mason.

I was in Rhode Island Hospital 30 days. They almost cut my leg off, Lopes, 54, said.

He said he blames himself for a stint in jail It was all self-induced and ended up homeless on the streets of Fall River, at one point crashing in an abandoned mill in 2015 that caught fire.

But Lopes, who described himself as Irish Catholic, said his faith in God kept him from becoming just one more statistic: I didnt want to go out (die) as a junkie on the street, he said.

After rehab and detox stints in other towns and cities, he said he landed a solid job driving a truck but blew out two discs in his back by simply opening a door.

I was paralyzed, he said, until receiving injections at Morton Hospitals pain clinic. But by then, Lopes said, he had lost his medical coverage.

We try to help them with insurance, said Ellen Bruder-Moore Abramowitz, vice president of housing and community initiatives at CCBC.

Lopes said during his treatment at Morton a doctor discovered a cancerous spot on his liver, for which he will be operated on at Bostons St. Elizabeths Medical Center.

I take one step at a time, he said. Im scared, but Im doing what I can do.

Demitri Marovelli, 44, told Kennedy he considers CCBC to be a truly angelic network and truly a blessing for their professional counseling services.

With his service dog Opie, a chihuahua mix, at his feet, Marovelli described how the non-profit has helped him deal with long-term anxiety after his release from prison where he served time for drug-related charges.

CCBC, he said, convinced him that recidivism is curable.

After collecting government assistance, Marovelli says he was encouraged to start his own business. He said he now employs six workers and has three trucks as part of his T&K Handyman Services.

A woman named Mary said CCBC kept my son alive until he could be accepted into a psychiatric program at Bradley Hospital.

She said her son, who is now almost 21, was molested as a boy by her cousin in her own house while he was visiting from Minnesota.

He was brazen, she said of the cousin, who eventually was arrested and charged.

But her son, said Mary, 52, developed full-blown obsessive compulsive disorder and was most recently treated at McLean Hospital in Belmont.

She asked Kennedy why the government cant provide funding for a treatment center for children who have been sexually molested by sexual predators and years later suffer the psychological, emotional and behavioral scars of those assaults.

I cant tell you there is (such a childrens services program), but I will tell you that I can try, Kennedy said.

She said at one point she and her second husband sold their home to continue paying for her sons treatments.

Mary also said she knows firsthand how devastating drug addiction is, having lost a brother and two cousins to fatal overdoses.

Its inspiring, the soft-spoken Kennedy told the group. I promise that well keep trying. Im really honored that youve shared your stories with me. hang in there.

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Kennedy in Taunton to learn firsthand impact of Trumpcare on ... - Taunton Daily Gazette

Drainage reconstruction works at La Clery, St. Lucia.

Several OECS communities affected by the 2013 Christmas Eve Trough floods have benefited from disaster risk reduction interventions implemented by the OECS Commission in collaboration with the Government of New Zealand.

The partnership, entered into in September 2014, sought to increase the resilience of at-risk communities through the establishment of disaster preparedness facilities, rehabilitation of community infrastructure and provision of training.

A Grant Funding Arrangement (GFA) with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in the amount of US$140,000.00 assisted affected communities in Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and the Commonwealth of Dominica, under the Caribbean Community Flood Response Programme.

The OECS Commission, as recipient of the Grant, was responsible for identifying and monitoring the project interventions through its Social & Sustainable Development Division.

Projects completed under the Grant include:

* Installation of a Fuel Tank and Pump in St. Vincent and the Grenadines;* Stabilisation of the River Bank at Anse La Raye, St. Lucia;* Reconstruction of Drainage Works at La Clery, St. Lucia; and* Rehabilitation of the Gutter Village Shelter in the Commonwealth of Dominica.* A section of the Gutter Village Shelter was designated as a library and after school review space for community children. The non-profit organisation, Hands Across the Sea, donated books to furnish the new facility.

River bank stabilisation at Anse La Raye, St. Lucia.

Public and private sector entities, including Ministries responsible for Infrastructure and Social Transformation/Community Development; Local Government (e.g. town and village councils); National and community disaster management agencies/committees; local businesses and other NGOs and stakeholders, also provided support to the initiative.

Below video of aerial footage of the 2013 Christmas Eve Trough in St. Lucia:

This article was posted in its entirety as received by stlucianewsonline.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of stlucianewsonline.com, its sponsors or advertisers.

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PRESS RELEASE: Saint Lucian communities affected by 2013 Christmas Eve trough floods get assistance (see video) - St. Lucia News Online (press...

In order to comply with attic ventilation requirements number of attic vents needs to be calculated and strategically installed. This is one of or rather the most important issue associated with attic area, having huge impact on your house health and proper functionality (especially in cold climates).

As long as you have an attic (most likely if your house has a pitched roof and none or partial cathedral ceilings), it should be accessible, and periodically checked for any abnormalities. Inadequate attic ventilation often results in such abnormal issues.

Many of the home owners dont even realize, that theres an attic, and how important it is to maintain attic ventilation and control amount of moisture migrating into this area. Providing attic ventilation by using a combination of various types of attic / roof vents, plays a key role in preventing such problems as attic mold, condensation, and ice damming

So, how much of that air circulating through your attic you really need

You can find online calculators, to give you explanation in numbers calculator 1 and Ill try to add a few words to it.

Basic attic ventilation principal is to keep that unused section of our house as cool as possible critical condition during the cold season dividing amount of the roof upper and lower vents 50/50.

Some of us think absolutely opposite, and seal all of the attic ventilation ports,sometimes insulate roof decking, assuming that such action will lower the utility bill. Unfortunately, by doing that, they are creating ideal attic mold growing environment (moist and warmer than exterior). You can partially determine how good is your attic ventilation by examining roof surface during the winter (from the ground of course!).

After some snow accumulates on pitched roof surface, monitor it over the next few days, and if roof remains snow covered, theres a good chance, that your attic ventilation and attic floor insulation is adequate, and whatever heat is being transferred through the attic floor (house ceiling), and all other penetrations between the house and attic area has enough escape routes.

Any roof surface section, where snow starts disappearing, usually corresponds to a heat source in the attic, or pin-points attic part where the warm air has been trapped, instead of being vented to the exterior. With ambient temperature above freezing, such investigation might not be accurate, and youll need to open the attic hatch

The ideal roof / attic ventilation would consists of combination of vents located in upper section of the attic (ridge vents, turbine, box shaped or dome static vents, electric motor powered vents), vents installed along the bottom parts of the roof overhang, called intake, or soffit vents, hip vents, and / or gable vents (all of the provided links are just samples, vents manufactured by one company). Roofs with no, or very small overhang might be able to utilize vented drip edge .

Do not combine attic gable vents with roof soffit and ridge / upper roof vent systems it will disturb attic ventilation process.

Complexity of some roofs might prevent such installations, and compromise proper attic ventilation, but each of those unique designs would have to be examined and discussed separately. Lets assume, that we have as many venting ports as we should (based on simple formula above, and house exterior examination), and that everything was installed the way it should be, without cheating

We can only see this element of attic ventilation roof soffit vent cover, and expect to have an opening behind it. Once installed, it is hard to determine, if the cover has been secured directly over the cut-out in soffit board. The easiest way would be to access attic area, and check for a light shining through the soffit vents, you should be able to see it from access point.

However, in some cases, you might have to walk further from the attic entrance be extremely careful if you decide to do that, use good lighting and watch your steps, because most of the attics have no floor boards installed, and you have to step on framing members.

If roof soffit vents are visible on exterior, but you cant see any light shinning through them, your attic ventilation could be suffering, and you can expect that:

roof soffit vents are sealed with attic floor insulation, so called vent chutes / baffles correct this problem, and they should be installed in rafter / truss spaces corresponding to soffit vents on exterior, or in all spaces (just like on the pictures with black chutes) they are cheap and more can only do better

Most common problem with gable and roof top vents is that they get clogged by bird nests or dust / lint, which compromises ventilation. If that happens, just clean it periodically and if wire screen is damaged replace it.

Some people install screens on the inside (from the attic), covering cut-out in roof decking board, it is easier and it does prevent rodents penetration, but it is still great spot for a bird nest.

Follow links to attic mold, cathedral ceiling ventilation,attic power vent , and Roof and Attic Ventilation Inspection posts for more attic ventilation answers.

Search existing Q&A inAttic Area Answers

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Attic Ventilation | How Many Attic Vents Your Roof Needs ...

Permits issued in East Baton Rouge Parish from June 30 through July 6.

Old Hammond Highway 12909: $125,000, Owner: Ron Sutto. Total square footage: 3,000. Flood renovation and repair. Water damage. Replacing 18 feet of drywall on existing walls, all exterior and interior doors. Adding a landing at the side entrance. Replacing breakroom sink, hot water heater in the attic, both H/VAC systems in attic and exterior condensing units. Removing and adding partitions to reconfigure the space. 30 occupants. Issued July 6.

Jefferson Highway 6700: $528,000, Owner not listed. Total square footage: 5,175. New construction of building for single tenant business use. Issued June 30.

Bluebonnet Boulevard 7524: $175,000, Owner: Kent Ward. Total square footage: 6,041. Interior renovation to 6,041 square feet of existing 8,465-square-foot restaurant for continued such use. Modification of existing partial height walls in dining area. New bar layout. Modification of existing server stations. Creating new storage, reducing dining area. New vanities and lavatories in restrooms. Issued June 30.

Florida Boulevard 11244: $250,000, Owner not listed. Total square footage: 15,075. Interior renovation to existing space for use as a grocery store/supermarket. (UDOD 6.) Adding two wall partitions to the underside of roof deck in stock room area. 370 occupants. No alcohol sales. Issued July 3.

South Choctaw Drive 10694: $15,000, Owner not listed. Total square footage: 42. Renovation to add new paint booth in an existing 25,000-square-foot nonsprinkled storage and distribution facility of industrial bolts and fasteners. Issued July 6.

Tennessee Street 1943: Owner: Victor and Marilyn Robinson. Total square footage not listed. Demolish single-family residence. Issued June 30.

Pieta Lane 9328: $24,000, Owner: David Barnett. Total square footage not listed. Gunite pool. Issued July 3.

Nashville Avenue 5808: $1,200, Owner: Rayfield Riley. Total square footage not listed. Addition of 16-by 16-foot metal canopy on existing concrete slab. Issued July 6.

Jefferson Highway 5935: $110,000, Owner: James Knipe. Total square footage: 923. Master suite addition. Issued July 6.

Longwood Drive 794: $200,000, Owner: Sal Baghian. Total square footage: 1,422. Remodeling of existing residence and addition of two-story living area and rear porch. Issued July 3.

Salem Drive 4625: $47,710, Owner: Chevis Cole. Total square footage: 3,930. Enclosing the carport and adding an attached garage. Issued July 3.

Coursey Cove Avenue 14321: $187,000, Owner not listed. Total square footage: 2,395. New single family residence. Issued July 5.

Cypress Barn Drive 11557: $348,972, Owner not listed. Total square footage: 4,474. New construction residential. Issued July 6.

Old Landing Drive 4858: $184,158, Owner not listed. Total square footage: 2,361. New single family residence. Issued July 5.

Palm Street 4568: $378,000, Owner: Kirt Raymond. Total square footage: 3,323. Single family residence. Issued June 30.

Red Rose Drive 6552: $195,000, Owner not listed. Total square footage: 2,491. New single family residence. Issued July 5.

Red Rose Drive 6553: $209,000, Owner not listed. Total square footage: 2,677. New single family residence. Issued July 5.

Red Rose Drive 6618: $195,000, Owner not listed. Total square footage: 2,491. New single family residence. Issued July 5.

Red Rose Drive 6634: $246,000, Owner not listed. Total square footage: 3,142. New single family residence. Issued July 5.

St. Claude Avenue 11470: $8,000, Owner: Kenneth Stevens. Total square footage: 720. 720 Steel accessory building. Issued July 6.

Settler's Circle 7637: $500,000, Owner: Mike Telich. Total square footage: 5,552. New single family residence. Issued July 6.

Silo Drive 11712: $1,000,000, Owner: Scott and Lisa Baldridge. Total square footage: 6,890. New single family two-story residence. Issued July 6.

Canyonland Drive 3436: $43,371, Owner: Lillie Gumm. Total square footage not listed. Flood damage. Issued July 6.

Catalina Avenue 12038: $60,000, Owner: Albert Gray. Total square footage not listed. Remodeling to repair flood-damaged residence. Flood zone X. Issued July 5.

Conrad 3436: Owner: Viola Breaux. Total square footage not listed. Issued July 5.

Cora Drive 449: $1,500, Owner: Rodolfo Perez. Total square footage not listed. Removing damaged fireplace and enclosing opening. Issued June 30.

Country Way Drive 3923: $30,000, Owner not listed. Total square footage not listed. Flood damage of 12 inches. 4 feet of drywall, insulation, baseboards, new interior doors, all appliances, removed cabinets will repaint and reset in place. Issued July 3.

Dancy Avenue 9522: $60,000, Owner: Mary Ventress. Total square footage not listed. Remodeling to repair flood-damaged residence. Flood zone X. Issued July 5.

Grand Teton Avenue 9895: $60,000, Owner: Edwin and Alicia Akujobi. Total square footage not listed. Remodeling to repair flood-damaged residence. Flood zone X. Issued July 5.

Halifax Drive 3225: $8,783.34, Owner: Rick Thomas. Total square footage not listed. Remodel to change windows in existing residence. Issued July 5.

Maribel Drive 4070: $50,000, Owner: Robert Riddle. Total square footage not listed. Flood damage. Issued July 6.

Memo Place 7335: $50,000, Owner: Xavier Hoskins. Total square footage not listed. Flood damage. Issued June 30.

North Shamrock Drive 5347: $8,000, Owner not listed. Total square footage not listed. Flood damage. Issued July 5.

South Acadian Thruway 1612: $60,000, Owner: Steve Myers. Total square footage not listed. Tree damage from storm. Issued June 30.

Wexford Drive 5319: $9,000, Owner not listed. Total square footage not listed. Flood damage. Issued July 5.

Woodlore Drive East 15512: $94,000, Owner: Melanie Felker. Total square footage: 1,685. Remodeling to repair flood-damaged residence. Issued July 6.

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East Baton Rouge Parish building permits for June 30-July 6, 2017 - The Advocate

Q: We are remodeling a home and doing most of the work ourselves. We are pulling permits and following up with the necessary city inspections. When it comes to electrical and plumbing, we will be contracting for these jobs.

My question is: Would a potential buyer be assuming a risk if we provide them with permits and city-approved inspections when we sell?

A: My hat's off to you for several reasons: being willing to undertake a big remodeling job on your own, pulling all the necessary permits, hiring pros for the things you're not comfortable with, and keeping your future buyers in mind. Talk about doing everything right!

To answer your question, most jurisdictions allow the owner of a property to do work on a building they own, typically even plumbing and electrical work, without having a contractor's license, so long as it's not the building owner's intention to sell the property within 12 months.

In addition, the building owner needs to obtain building, plumbing, electrical and other permits for any work where those permits are required, the same as a contractor would. The building owner is held to the same standards of workmanship as a contractor, has to comply with all the same building codes, and has to request and pass all the same inspections.

When it comes time to sell the property, your real estate agent will ask you a series of disclosure questions about any work that's been done to the home while you owned it. Some of those questions will pertain to whether or not any of the work required building permits, and if so, were those permits obtained.

You're obviously required by law to answer truthfully, which won't be a problem in your case since all of the necessary permits will have been obtained.

From there, it's in the hands of the buyers. They need to perform their own due diligence, and check with the city to ensure that everything is correct and legal with the property that you're selling them.

Assuming that you have obtained all the necessary permits for your work, and any subcontractors you hire have done the same, and assuming all necessary in-progress and final inspections have been successfully passed, the buyers shouldn't be assuming any risk whatsoever.

I need to caution you that I'm not an attorney, and there can be local laws and even homeowner's association regulations that can affect the sale and transfer of real property where remodeling work has been done. So if you want to be doubly sure, you might also want to pose this question to your attorney.

Q: I had a company come out to check my recently cleaned dryer duct work from the dryer to the wall, up the wall and across the attic. The technician said the duct work that runs up the wall and across the attic was put in going the wrong direction.

He said that is why lint is getting trapped because the duct was not connected properly and when the person prior to him cleaned the dryer duct out, he pushed it apart, and in addition his brush did not get far enough to push the clogged lint out to the exterior vent that comes out on the roof.

Can the duct work from the back of your dryer to the outside be going the wrong way? Also, is a bathroom vent that lets the air out that is installed on your roof different from a dryer exterior vent?

A: Each piece of duct pipe has one end that's crimped so that it's slightly smaller than the other end of the duct pipe. That allows one end of the duct to slip into the other end of the next piece of duct. The same is true of the fittings, with one end crimped to be smaller than the other end.

When a duct system is assembled, the installer starts at one end and works to the other end, inserting one pipe into the next. It can be done from either end, so there's no real wrong direction. Also, the people who do dryer vent cleaning often work from both ends of the duct system, so the brushes they use are very flexible and are designed to move smoothly across the crimped joints in either direction.

From your description, the only thing I can think of that the technician may have been referring to was that the original installation was poorly done and the joints in the duct system were either loose and came apart when a brush hit them, or there were some very sharp bends that got lint packed into them.

It's also possible that he's saying some flex pipe was used somewhere in the system. Flex pipe is not allowed by code because lint gets trapped in it; only smooth wall galvanized duct pipe should be used.

I recommend that you have a licensed heating and air-conditioning contractor come out and take a look at the entire dryer duct system. At this point it may need to be repaired or replaced. Since it appears to be damaged, I definitely would not ignore it.

And your bathroom vent and your dryer vent are two completely different things, with two completely different vent systems.

Have a home repair or remodeling question for Paul? He can be reached by email at improvingyourhome@ykwc.net.

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Paul Bianchina, Homeowner doing everything right with this remodel! - NewsOK.com

Photo by Kay Kirkland

The Asian Buffet restaurant in Daleville caught fire on Tuesday, July 11.

Photo by Kay Kirkland

The Asian Buffet restaurant in Daleville caught fire on Tuesday, July 11.

Photo by Kay Kirkland

The Asian Buffet restaurant in Daleville caught fire on Tuesday, July 11.

Posted: Tuesday, July 11, 2017 10:42 pm | Updated: 11:49 am, Wed Jul 12, 2017.

Daleville restaurant catches fire By Cassie Gibbscgibbs@southeastsun.com The Southeast Sun |

On Tuesday, July 11, a Daleville restaurant was completely destroyed in a nighttime fire.

According to Assistant Fire Chief David Grubbs, the Daleville Volunteer Fire Department received a call of a structure fire at the Asian Buffet at 8:15 p.m.

The business was open at the time of the fire.

When the DVFD responded, smoke was coming from the eaves and roof of the building. Flames were also seen coming from the exhaust vent, Grubbs said.

The fire was located in the attic area of the building. Grubbs said fire fighters had difficulty reaching the fire because a recent remodeling of the building added extra layers of material to the top of the building.

Fort Rucker Fire Department and Enterprise Fire Department both responded, providing ladder trucks. Level Plains Volunteer Fire Department, Clayhatchee Volunteer Fire Department and the Dale County Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene.

Grubbs said there were no injuries as a result of the fire. He said the fire is believed to have been caused by grease in the vents, though there have been no official findings at this point.

Fire fighters left the scene at 2:45 a.m. Grubbs said the building is expected to continue to smolder for a few more days.

Posted in Daleville, News, News on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 10:42 pm. Updated: 11:49 am.

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Daleville restaurant catches fire - The Southeast Sun

Building catches fire near Detroit's Eastern Market

A warehouse caught fire in Detroit's Eastern Market Saturday morning.(Photo: Brent Snavely/DFP)Buy Photo

Arson investigators are investigating a warehouse fire in Eastern Market today that they've described as suspicious, according to Detroit Fire Department Deputy Commissioner Dave Fornell.

Fornell said the fire, which started at 9:30 a.m., was on both floors of the two-story building at Riopelle and Division streets. Crews fought the fire from the inside for about an hour until the fire spread to the attic and roof, at which point crews had to be pulled out of the building because of the danger of the roof collapsing, Fornell said.

Crews are still on the scene fighting the fire from the exterior, and Fornell expects them to be out there for a couple more hours.

"The building is too dangerous to go into because of the weakened walls and, again, the roof is pretty much burned off," Fornell said.

The building, which has been undergoing remodeling work, was in use today, Fornell said. About a dozen people were evacuated and the area around the building was cordoned off, he said. No injuries have been reported.

"The people are being kept away from that particular block because of the danger of the building," Fornell said.

Brent Snavely contributed to this report.

A warehouse caught fire in Detroit's Eastern Market Saturday morning.(Photo: Brent Snavely/DFP)

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Warehouse catches fire in Detroit's Eastern Market - Detroit Free Press

John Green

The state has banned a Lyons man who was operating as a roofing and paving contractor in Reno County from conducting door-to-door sales or engaging in roofing services in Kansas.

Reno County District Judge Tim Chambers also ordered Anthony Joe Jeffery, alias Tony Brown, to repay more than $10,000 to seven local consumers, according to a news release from Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Schmidt accused Jeffery, who used nearly a half dozen business names, of engaging in door-to-door sales of home improvement services, including installation, sealing and repair of asphalt driveways, without complying with state law, and of engaging in roofing contractor services without registering with the state.

The state accused Jeffery of violating the Kansas Consumer Protection Act by failing to notify consumers of their three-day right to cancel the transaction, cashing the consumers checks prior to midnight of the fifth business day and willfully misrepresenting material facts about the work.

Jeffery, whose business names included Quality Construction, Quality Paving, Quality Coatings, Asphalt Maintenance and Pro-Tech, was ordered to repay a total of $10,001 for violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.

Schmidt warned consumers to be especially cautious of door-to-door home repair sales, which claim to offer a good deal.

With the summer construction and storm season underway, consumers should be on the lookout for disreputable operations looking to make a quick buck, Schmidt said. Consumers who are in need of driveway or roofing repairs should seek out local, reputable contractors, get multiple written estimates, and carefully check references before having any work done.

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Lyons contractor banned from doing roofing, asphalt business in Kansas - The Hutchinson News