If you want to keep your house from looking like a millstone, the first step is to understand how cement contractors protect their customers’ homes.

To keep your house from looking like a millstone, you need to protect it from the elements. A house can be protected from the elements by one or more of several means: tiling, waterproofing, and air sealing.

Tiling is what most people know about; it’s done with tile and mortar. But while some houses are covered with tile, a lot of them aren’t. It’s fairly cheap to do a tile roof on an ordinary house, but not very effective in keeping rain out or heat in. And if you have a brand-new house that has never had a roof before, it might not have any tiles at all.

So: you have your house covered with tile; or not covered at all; or covered with stucco or plywood panels and then covered with shingles; or tiles on the outside but not on the inside – in any case there are still gaps between the different materials where water could get through . . .

But that’s not much good if it rains hard for a week. What if it rains for months? Even if you’re living in a

“One of the steps to protecting your home from the elements is to insulate your walls and attic. This is important in both winter and summer.”

Scroll down a little before you hit the blog’s comments. Someone writes: “I can’t believe that anyone would want to live in a super insulated home with no windows and doors. I wouldn’t want to be stuck in there all winter.”

The commenter must have been confused by how insulation works, because in fact it’s the opposite. In summer, insulation keeps heat in; in winter it keeps heat out. The reason most homes have so many windows and doors is that they need to stay cool in summer, but warm enough for people to feel comfortable in the winter. By contrast, if you live in an air-conditioned apartment, you are likely to be spending more on heating than on cooling because you will spend less time outside than if you lived somewhere else.

It’s not that people are confused about insulation; it’s that they don’t understand what other people think they understand about what insulation does.**

There are three main kinds of cement contractors. One is the “mishmash” contractor, who mixes it up on demand, more or less at random. They’re the ones you find in the basement; they mix a little bit of everything and hope for the best. They will make an excellent basement if you live in a house that is not subject to flooding. But if you live in a house that floods, their work will not stand up to scrutiny. You may notice that your basement is leaking, and it may be leaking for years before the leak is located, repaired and documented.

The second kind of contractor is what we call the “cement specialist.” He has taken a one- or two-year apprenticeship course (some states require three years). It’s very intense: he gets up at dawn to work all day long, then works late into the night, then starts all over again in the morning. He mixes up everything by weight, which probably would have been more accurate even 50 years ago but has become too expensive now that digital weighing equipment can do it so much faster and more accurately. He often adds special ingredients to meet specific criteria.

The third kind of contractor is the “cement master.” These guys usually start life as an

1. Put a waterproof skylight over your shower.

Most home insurance policies cover damage due to fire, wind, lightning, and other natural disasters. But many people don’t know about coverage for floods, earthquakes, and other hazards.

A flood is when water gets into your house through a broken pipe or leaky roof. Earthquakes and tornadoes can cause roofs to collapse or walls to fall down. A flood can do that too. And most likely it will happen during the time of year when your homeowner’s policy only covers problems associated with the weather.

The second major hazard is what I call “snowballing.” Snowfall usually causes water to collect on sidewalks, driveways and roofs. When it melts the next day, flood damage often results. If a storm hits during the time you are off work, your insurance company may not know about it. And you won’t be able to tell them either, because your insurance policy doesn’t cover damage from natural disasters.

A third hazard is damage from bugs or rodents. They can burrow into walls, floors and ceilings; they can chew through electrical wiring; they can cause structural damage; and they can make “bird traps” out of outlets and switches in the ceiling. You might not see these things until after your home is damaged by flood or just

When you start thinking about the work you’re going to do, or about the materials you’re going to use, it helps to know what’s around.

Sitting in your chair, looking at a blank piece of paper or a blank screen, is pretty much the same as sitting on a cloud and looking down. You have no idea what’s lurking underfoot. People who are used to being on the ground are more likely to get hurt.

So while we’re at it, let’s look up once in a while. Let’s try standing on our heads for a while.