GAPScore GC

03/18/2026

I would like to convey a story of a friend of mine, Kelvin Domineck Sr.
I met him when he became a cashier at the gas station that I visited for years, They have rewards points, anyways, he started there and we talked. I would arrive there full of saw dust on my clothes. He kept the place clean and I had to apologize for the trail that I had left behind. He didn't seem like the type of person that would settle for a cashier job, at least to me. He was a high school football coach on the South Side. "They won conference that year. They call me coach." He was a Chicago Public Schools security guard for many years. He is good with people.
He offered to help me with the new company GAPScoreGC in December 2024. I was teaching him to start a contractor business. We did work for friends and family. Each experience was a learning experience for him. He was getting the hang of it after 6 months.

We had plans to teach others from the community like I had taught him. The communities with low contractor populations and the need for quality service. We were to grow with the knowledge base of underprivileged communties.

And then at the end of July, I was going to make him an owner of GAPScore GC, Inc. and build a board of directors, he disappeared.
He was in Cook County Jail.
I can only believe that he was working at a private security firm for extra money in 2020. There was a terribly horrific incident while on duty. He had shot some one and hit another. It was in mistaken instance. He isn't violent or a danger. He was scared, made a mistake. The other people hurt filed charges.
He was arrested onsite and released on bail bond after 3 days. He didn't go to the sentencing hearing scheduled in 2020. They found him guilty of aggravated use of a fire arm and aggravated battery with a fire arm.
He made had been so afraid to go to jail, that he made another mistake. His shame made him keep it a secret from his family and friends.

Kelvin is to be released from Statesville Prison in July on good behavior.
We wish him God's speed.

GAPScore GC is closing it's doors this month, cancelling insurance and dissolving the corporation.
Thank you for your patronage.

When he gets out, I think we'll have to start a different kind of company to fit the communities needs.

02/22/2026

Neither! They are both not without flaws. "A" releases moisture under the soffit and into the roof attic. "B" allows, cold or hot air in, rain and condensation to flow into the interior envelope.
The best design is horizontal through the gable with the pitch outward and exhaust air and water away from the roof line.

If you must go through the roof, use PVC pipe and use a 180° bend with the opening pointed down at least 18" above the roof material.
If you must go through the soffit, extend the piping past the roof line and gutters and point the opening down.

Bathroom Ventilation Done Right: Type A vs. Type B 🏠💧

1️⃣ Why bathroom moisture is a real issue
A hot shower can fill the room with steam in minutes. That moisture sticks to cold surfaces, turns into condensation, and slowly feeds mold. Many people only notice the problem when paint peels or the ceiling starts to smell musty.

2️⃣ What the fan is actually supposed to do
A bathroom fan isn’t just noise on the ceiling. Its job is to pull humid air out and send it completely outside. If that moisture stays in the attic or duct, it can cause hidden damage over time.

3️⃣ Type A: Venting to the soffit
This setup sends the air toward the soffit area under the roof edge. It can work, but if the duct is long, poorly angled, or exposed to cold air, condensation may build up. Sometimes the humid air even gets pushed back into the attic.

4️⃣ Type B: Venting through the roof
Here, the duct runs upward and exits through a roof cap. Moist air goes straight outside, with less chance of backflow or trapped condensation. In many homes, this ends up being the more reliable option.

5️⃣ The tiny mistakes that cause big trouble
Long, twisted ducts, no insulation, weak fans, or vents ending in the attic are common issues. Everything may look fine… until mold shows up months later.

6️⃣ Simple habits that help a lot
Keep the duct short and straight, insulate it in cold areas, and let the fan run for 15–30 minutes after showers. A small timer switch can save years of headaches.

Relatable moment 😅
Many people install a fan and assume the job is done… only to discover later that the moisture was never actually leaving the house. A good vent path makes all the difference.

02/21/2026

We made a good living by following home addition builders. They built it a year ago.
We fix it for today.
This addition has a roof that goes over the exterior deck. That's a good green design attribute. However, how well you seal the open exterior of the original house and the new addition will tell if you know how to build for energy efficiency. This 18x12 single room addition has 6x framing, R-19 fiberglass bats, R-20 foam boards insulation on the interior of the crawl space foundation, and R-30 Attic insulation over the living space.
The occupants had to use an electric space heater and the home's original natural gas usage went up. The kitchen sink area became extremely cold.
That really shouldn't happen.

Don't wait to include us in your next project.

01/20/2026

Everyone's getting older. Your house is too. Our age is the result of our actions in sustainability. The least sustainable room in the house, the bathroom. Water can slowly deteriorate everything. When we did this tile floor over 10 years ago, the sub floor of the original build had fallen out, the toilet was crooked and couldn't stay sealed, and water poured over the tub into the crawl space.
The original tile was laid on top of the 3/4" sub floor.
So, we replaced the damaged sub flooring, installed an additional 5/8" subfloor, a liquid membrane and 1/2" durarock virtually saving the floor joists framing beneath. The tile was purchased at a local vendor, but we only needed 3 big ones. The rest of the tile boarder and base are left overs from other jobs. We anticipated replacing the tub someday, so the tile design made it easy to remove the existing old tub and fiberglass overlay enclosure.
2 years ago, we replaced the tub with the shower basin, tile floor to ceiling, added upper/lower double shower heads, and installed an oak sliding door to the room.
Today, it has a 17-1/2" high toilet.
We're all getting older, might as well be comfortable too.

01/20/2026

Before and after. This window hadn't been air sealed, was leaking when it rained, always had condensation, and it was thought it needed to be replaced. After air sealing around the window and repairing the caulk on the trim molding outside, it was still cold.
When the window air leakage was stopped, it only exemplified the thermal bridging and other sources of cold air.
So, we removed the drywall and insulation on the entire exterior wall. Use NAHB green building air sealing technique, we used 1" closed cell rigid foam board between each stud onto the sub wall sheeting and sprayed foam around it to air seal. Then, we re-installed the existing R-13 fiberglass insulation and reused the drywall, trim, and fixtures.
If you think your house is as green as it can be, talk to me.

01/19/2026

Before and after. Note the corner of the wall of this 2nd floor bedroom and the temperature change in the framing. There's R-39 insulation in the attic, R-13 in the walls, and insulation siding on the house. Yet, it could become more efficient and more comfortable with proper air sealing techniques.
Note in the after picture, the dark spot on the wall is colder than the rest because there's an exterior sconce light fixture and the electrical junction box is less R-rated insulated than the framing cavities.
A 20F degree change makes a huge difference.
"You should feel the difference."

01/19/2026

"Dang, it's cold!" At -20F wind chill, every opening in your house is a point of failure that can cause a real head ache. This hole in the structural brick that allows the gas pipe to enter the home was the reason for the frozen pipes last year. That hole created a couple thousand dollars worth of headaches, because it goes all the way through the wall allowing cold air to blow with the wind directly onto the water pipes. Without the wind, the house runs at a high rate and creates positive pressure within the envelopes and pushes conditioned air out of air leaks to keep the pipes warm. When the pressure goes down, the cold air enters and the HVAC starts again. It's not comfortable nor energy efficient.
The wind makes it worse. Wind has a higher positive pressure than the inside of your house and can force air into areas which are usually warmer. By sealing the exterior of your house, it reduces the risk of wind blown energy loss and provides better air quality management capabilities.
The home owner, Josh, called us to seal a totally different issue on the other side of the house after the fact. He had already called a plumber to fix the leaks from frozen supply pipes under the kitchen, but didn't fix the reason why it had frozen.
"I wish I had called you guys sooner." proclaimed Josh.
Thanks, Josh.
Hope you're doing well. It's going to be really cold again this week.

11/21/2025

We're into
A bathroom energy remodel can make a second floor more sustainable. The entire floor and walls don't always need to be torn out or replaced, like a total gut job. Note in this picture the floor, ceilings and walls are original.
A lot of the original parts can be reused to prolong the life span. Other contractors may say it's $25K for a bathroom.
Ours depends on the energy needs and actual work that's needed. The money is better spent with sustainability in mind.
Bathrooms start at $9500, Kitchens at $15000.
Have you gotten $40k quote for your kitchen or bath?

11/21/2025

People have a false sense of value when looking at skilled labor. Some will do it $100 because they're really not a company, just a friend. Others have insurance, do it correctly and provide a quality wall repair at a fair price.
We provide that, plus we're a friend.
In Chicago and need a house done, soup to nuts?
Every repair involves an energy upgrade, we'll save 60% of your operating costs and fix the walls.

I'm losing my mind. I called a handyman to fix this one small hole. He had the nerve to quote me $600! For what?! A $20 patch kit from Home Depot? He's trying to tell me he has to 'cut a new square,' 're-tape the seams,' and 'paint the entire wall' to blend it. What a joke! Does he really think I'm that dumb?! He's just trying to scam me into paying for a full day's work for a 30-minute job.

11/21/2025

A film student at Columbia college in Chicago was my helper and asked if he could video a segment 15 years ago.
"Thank you and on behalf of the crew, I hope we pass the audition."
In my mind, a bamboo floor doesn't make a home or the house green. It's all of the green attributes that add up to provide .