VIDEO- Why I post Remodel and Construction video programs

Posted by Peter Brown on Mar 13, 2012 in Video Blog | 1 comment Producing these home remodel and construction video programs is a real commitment in terms of time and effort. I’ve been asked a number of times why I go to the trouble to put this material online. My answer is to help educate homeowners about the effort that goes onto a home remodel and construction project. These short programs are a great opportunity to give the homeowner a glimpse of my...
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VIDEO – Structural Concrete Design of a Garage Floor Allows for a Full Basement Below

Posted by Peter Brown on Mar 12, 2012 in Video Blog | 1 comment The topic of this program will be the Structural Concrete Design and construction of a two level detached three car garage on a steep building site overlooking Bozeman, Montana. This two level garage features 900 sq ft of living area below the structural concrete parking slab. I will focus on some of the building site issues that influenced my design decisions. I will also show some of the...
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VIDEO- Roof and Siding Details for a Workshop in Bozeman, Montana

Posted by Peter Brown on Mar 11, 2012 in Video Blog | 0 comments In part four of the workshop Design/Build video series Bozeman, MT Contractor Peter Brown looks at the back patio roof construction as well as some finish detailing issues with regard to siding and trim.     Patio Roof Details The entire patio roof assembly had been pre painted on site. The roof consists of 4×6 rafters with an exposed layer of painted T&G pine. The pine is...
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VIDEO- A Home Built thermo-siphon solar air heater in Bozeman, Montana

Posted by Peter Brown on Nov 29, 2011 in Uncategorized, Video Blog | 0 comments   With this short video program General contractor Peter Brown describes an innovative owner built residential solar air heater on a garage in Bozeman, Montana. This solar air heater takes advantage of this garage’s very large south facing wall. The simple passive thermo-siphon design uses only the buoyancy of heated air to create circulation through the collector.     How...
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VIDEO- Brick laying technique for a Workshop in Bozeman, MT

Posted by Peter Brown on Nov 7, 2011 in Video Blog | 0 comments Design/Build Contractor Peter Q Brown of Bozeman, Montana takes you behind the scenes for a look at what really goes on inside his current residential remodeling and new construction projects. Brick laying will be the focus here in Part 6 of the new workshop series.  For this new workshop we are matching an architectural wainscoting detail that exists on the main house. Wes Herd of Maverick...
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VIDEO- Grand Sequoia shingle issues for a workshop in Bozeman, MT

Posted by Peter Brown on Oct 23, 2011 in Video Blog | 1 comment Design/Build Contractor Peter Q Brown takes you behind the scenes for a look at what really goes on inside his current residential remodeling and new construction projects. This project is the design and construction of a very high end workshop for a furniture building client After finishing the house wrap, windows, and associated wall waterproofing materials , Part 5 of this new workshop...
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VIDEO- Framing a Design/Build workshop project in Bozeman, Montana

Posted by Peter Brown on Oct 2, 2011 in Video Blog | 0 comments This is Part 3 of the series on a Design/Build workshop project here in Bozeman, Montana. We will look at the wall, floor, and roof framing of the structure and the related framing details.   Well organized project Ordering essential materials well ahead of time is an important element of project organization and efficiency. As the Design/Build contractor, having drawn it, I know it like...
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VIDEO – Building a New Workshop from a General Contractor point of view

Posted by Peter Brown on Sep 10, 2011 in Video Blog | 0 comments This is part 2 of the video series on the  execution of a new work shop construction project by a Bozeman general contractor. As a general contractor, I will give you my view of the initial steps of this project and the installation of our finished monolithic slab foundation. After my client and I determined an ideal building floor elevation, the excavators prepared the site. In the course of...
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VIDEO- Design and Construction of a workshop in Bozeman, Montana

Posted by Peter Brown on Aug 13, 2011 in Video Blog | 0 comments   This is the first of a multi part program looking at the design and construction of a workshop by Designer and General Contractor Peter Brown in Bozeman, Montana. Peter Brown will demonstrate the 3D modeling used in the planning process for this workshop. This modeling technique facilitates identifying, communicating, and resolving design issues with his client.   Design...
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VIDEO- Beetlekill Boards provides sustainable building materials in Bozeman, MT

Posted by Peter Brown on Aug 11, 2011 in Video Blog | 0 comments This program looks at a valuable source of local sustainable building materials here in Montana. Beetle kill boards is a Bozeman company that is harvesting beetle killed pine trees from the forests of Southwest Montana.     The mountain pine beetle has affected millions of acres of forest in Montana and throughout the west. Although the beetle kills the tree, the wood is not affected,...
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VIDEO- Solar Electric Basics in Bozeman, MT

Posted by Peter Brown on Jun 1, 2011 in Video Blog | 0 comments Solar Electric or Photo Voltaic technology converts sunlight directly into electricity. It works any time the sun is shining. Investing in solar electric allows you to produce your own electricity with no noise, and no air pollution. Solar electric technology is commonly referred to as the ultimate clean energy source for the 21st century. This video will first explain the very basics of three...
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VIDEO- Solar Water Heating Basics in Bozeman, MT

Posted by Peter Brown on May 24, 2011 in Video Blog | 0 comments   This is the first of a series of short video programs discussing solar water heating. A solar water heating system uses the sun to heat water circulating through solar collectors, and this hot water is transferred to a solar storage tank. The water from the solar storage tank will preheat water for a traditional water heater. The warmer the water in the solar tank, the less conventional...
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