Q&A / 

Quick Column Summary: Siding replacement height from ground Building code standards Better than building code installation Michael Slater is putting new wood siding on his house in St. Catherine's - Ontario, Canada. Here's what he said: "I am replacing old vinyl siding with pine board and batten. How far off the ground level should I Read More »

READ THE ANSWER »

Quick Column Summary: Garage sided with no sheathing material How to stop water from entering No easy fixes Remove siding and add sheathing, tar paper or house wrap Judy Saulle, who lives in a cedar-sided house in Earlysville, VA, has an interesting problem with her house.  "Our garage does not have any sheathing just cedar Read More »

READ THE ANSWER »

Quick Column Summary: Installing rigid foam on house House wrap on top of foam Link to house wrap information Shane lives in Burien, WA. He's wondering about putting rigid foam on his house. He's also not sure about house wrap. "Can I put rigid foam on the exterior of my house and does the house Read More »

READ THE ANSWER »

Quick Column Summary: Soundproofing windows High quality storm windows might help Sound leaks into any air gap in your home Link to sound control information Arlene Vargus, who lives on a race track street in Lynn, MA has a problem. "I live on  a noisy street and want to soundproof my three double-hung windows. Would Read More »

READ THE ANSWER »

Quick Column Summary: Painting tiles to hide grout lines Grout lines may not fill  thick enough Easier to replace tile with drywall Stefania, who lives in the wonderful city of Johannesburg, Africa, has a fascinating question: "Hi there! I would like to paint over my bathroom tiles, however I don't want to see the lines Read More »

READ THE ANSWER »

Are you a new subscriber in the past three days? Fridays are Weekend Warrior blasts. Very, very short, but full of info. Here goes: Carlton has a problem that you may have. His toilet wasn't flushing right. Be SURE to click the secondary link in the column about Carlton, THEN watch this video showing you Read More »

READ THE ANSWER »

Quick Column Summary: Toilet will not flush solids Test for clogged drain line Problem might be toilet design Or it might be hard water deposits Carlton, who live in the epicenter of delicious, juicy peaches in Peachtree City, Georgia, has a nasty problem with his toilet that won't flush properly. Let him describe his distress: Read More »

READ THE ANSWER »

Quick Column Summary: How to remove adhesive/thinset from brick fireplace Try adhesive removers Thinset must be chiseled off Danielle Torkensen is a new homeowner in Bloomington, California. She inherited a mess where the previous homeowner, well let her tell you: "I am a recent new homeowner & the previous owners messed up our brick fireplace.  Read More »

READ THE ANSWER »

Wireless Mailbox Alert Systems - Quite a Few Great Ones Wireless mailbox alert recommendation Many ways for a system to fail Check mail the old fashioned way CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local electronics experts who can install a  wireless mailbox alert. Paul Loudenslager, lives in Tifton, Georgia wrote to me. Read More »

READ THE ANSWER »

Quick Column Summary: OSB roof boards swelling Pull off or cover over OSB OSB can swell and still be good Question builder on delays Steve, who's having a house built in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has a questionable builder. I see big trouble brewing. "We are having a home built and OSB boards were used for Read More »

READ THE ANSWER »

SPONSORS /