| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| stucco | 9/5/2008 | Bill |
Q: On the new housing where stucco is the preferred type of siding, columns made of styrofoam and/or ...
A: Jim, You are correct that a lathe is fixed to the backboard to allow bonding and a key for the ...
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| BUILDING A NEW HAWAIIAN TROJAN HOME | 9/5/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: Read your answer to Eric conc: Pier & Post or concrete slab. The lumber co. prefers pier & post & ...
A: I personally prefer a concrete slab foundation as opposed to a post and beam crawlspace. Even in a ...
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| Insulating concrete block, new heating system | 9/5/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: My husband and I are working on my mother-in-laws cottage in Michigan. It's at least 60 years old ...
A: first of all I would like to address your heating and cooling concerns. You mentioned window A/C ...
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| Converting a shed | 9/4/2008 | Marc Byerley |
Q: I really appreciate it! Ok so I have a pre-fabed shed that came with my house when I bought it. It ...
A: Great way to add a nice space on a budget! OK, I'm going to go down your list 1 by 1. 1. I would ...
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| crawl space to basement dealign with venting & moisture | 9/4/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: I am having my crawl space made into a basement professionally however I am wondering about venting ...
A: He merdith weiss, venting will not be a problem because the basement is now part of the house so the ...
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| Concrete slabs separating | 9/3/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: About 2 years ago I installed a brick walkway on a concrete base in front of my home. To install ...
A: you didn't say what size the piece of concrete was that you replaced and whether or not you mud set ...
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| decking screws | 9/3/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: if my decking boards are 32mm thick and im using 100x50mm joists (on concrete base) what length ...
A: The way I would frame this floor is to lay my studs (joists) on edge as you are, then I would have a ...
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| Put dry wall on ceiling in the basement | 9/3/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: I try to put dry wall on ceiling in the basement and want to make it as higher as it can go. Can I ...
A: I don't see any reason why you can't. As long as the ducts don't show signs of moisture ...
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| Put dry wall on ceiling in the basement | 9/3/2008 | Dan Griffin |
Q: I try to put dry wall on ceiling in the basement and want to make it as higher as it can go. Can I ...
A: JZ, yes you can nail drywall directly to the bottom of the floor joists. The long dimension of the ...
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| Patio | 9/3/2008 | Dan Griffin |
Q: I am looking to hire someone out to build a patio for me in my front yard. I already have the ...
A: George, it is not the intent of this forum to try to price work in your locale. I have no idea ...
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| concrete | 9/2/2008 | Dan Griffin |
Q: Had a new home built between Sept. 2007 and Feb. 2008. the driveway, basement, and garage were ...
A: Jason, I assume we are talking about conventional grey Portland cement work, not stained or ...
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| decking screws | 9/2/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: if my decking boards are 32mm thick and im using 100x50mm joists (on concrete base) what length ...
A: if your joists are on edge you can use a 76mm screw (if there is such a thing, I use 3" screws which ...
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| movement of concrete steps | 9/2/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: Concrete steps (7 high) have separated from the front porch. The wood railing that lines the steps ...
A: you can probably patch the gap caused by the separation and fix the railing. But to really repair ...
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| Leaking Enclosed Porch | 9/2/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: Bruce, We recently had a porch enclosed and we have a leak a corner around the floor. It looks like ...
A: Silicon is not a good caulk for this application. For one thing unless the slab and the wood are ...
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| cutting a opening in weight supporting wall | 9/1/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: There was an addition added to my huse. The original weight supporting wall was left in place. I ...
A: basically you have to shore up the roof trusses or rafters that bear on the wall in question and ...
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| addng decorative columns | 8/31/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: We are in the process of building a new home. We are our own general contractor and do quite a bit ...
A: if your columns have an adjustable base or capitol then they should be installed after the flooring. ...
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| refurbishing a flat roof | 8/31/2008 | Dave Johnson |
Q: I have a 2 car addition on my house that has a flat roof. The roofing looks a bit aged and the ...
A: I would use rubber roofing. After stripping the old material off, check the sheathing. And go by the ...
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| Roof trusses vs. rafter construction | 8/30/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: I am in the process of designing a 14x26' garage and wish to mimic the hip roof design on my house. ...
A: trusses are overall generally less expensive than conventionally framed roofs for the following ...
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| Nail in truss | 8/30/2008 | Marc Byerley |
Q: MARC Need to know on factory buit common web truss square cut Flush to outside top plate there ...
A: Its my experience that most trusses have a real small bottom cord & thus makes it only possible to ...
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| New Home Construction Labor/Material Ratio | 8/30/2008 | Marc Byerley |
Q: I wonder if you would be good enough to give me a general answer to a question that I have. Simply, ...
A: Good morning Jeff; I think that's one of the great "MYTHS" still going around! The cost of the ...
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| Fibre concrete floor | 8/29/2008 | Dan Griffin |
Q: Griffin We have a case when in the basement the fibre concrete garage floor finish (5 inches thick) ...
A: Ross, you want the columns separated from the slab with a full construction or isolation joint. It ...
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| Attach a ledger to a brick house | 8/29/2008 | Marc Byerley |
Q: I am attempting to build my own addition. I have fairly good all round construction knowledge. What ...
A: Joe, if I'm understanding you properly, its sounds like to me that I would reccomend removing the ...
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| Attach a ledger to a brick house | 8/28/2008 | Marc Byerley |
Q: I am attempting to build my own addition. I have fairly good all round construction knowledge. What ...
A: Im trying to understand what the ledger will be for? Can you try to describe your addition in how it ...
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| Support Beam | 8/28/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: I have a balloon frame house with a totally open floorplan (no walls)and the second floor deck is ...
A: a 1X12 ledger? Are you sure it's not a 2 x 12? Plus I'm not sure what you are asking. You want a ...
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| floor load for whirlpool tub | 8/28/2008 | Marc Byerley |
Q: I am thinking of installing a whirlpool tub - 54" x 54" (corner tub), with a floor load rating of ...
A: Being in the Remodeling Industry for a number of years, we have run across this issue a number of ...
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| T-111 for interior walls | 8/27/2008 | Ted Barnhill (Principal, Design45 LLC) |
Q: I happened to see the previous question to you regarding use of T-111 for interior walls. We have a ...
A: Tina, If you aren't especially chemically-sensitive, you will likely be fine. The offgassing is ...
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| Wood and ceramic tile flooring and particle board | 8/27/2008 | Dave Johnson |
Q: I am buying a 1979 home that has "Redx"(sp?) sub-flooring. To my eye it is dense particle board and ...
A: Ideally you should replace the particle board before placing the tile. As far as the wood goes, it ...
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| load bearing walls | 8/27/2008 | Dan Griffin |
Q: Does a 24x52 double wide mobile home have a load bearing wall in it. Since each section is only 12 ...
A: Elizabeth, I'm sorry I am not very familiar with trailer construction. I assume each 1/2 is self ...
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| removing support post | 8/27/2008 | Dan Griffin |
Q: I have a two story building. On the first floor there are like 8 post that run from the front to the ...
A: javier, all things are possible, but sometimes not practical. YOu have posts/columns about 12' ...
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| addition on home | 8/27/2008 | Dave Johnson |
Q: Iam putting an addition on my present home which measures 8'x24' and need a formula for cutting the ...
A: Thats called a 4/12 pitch. (meaning that the rafter rises 4" in every 12" of run) If you hold a ...
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| Steel Beams vs. Wood | 8/26/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: Building a home on the Rogue River in Oregon - steel beams vs. wood beams with concrete block ...
A: I'm jealous. I love that area! My brother lives in Cave Junction, beautiful country! Anyhow, ...
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| House out of square by 2" | 8/26/2008 | Dave Johnson |
Q: I am adding a generator and tool room to the back of my house and am doing it by adding two walls- ...
A: I think you should always build anything square, that way you aren't creating any more problems than ...
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| laying stone for patio and knee wall | 8/25/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: I have poured a concrete base for a stone patio and built a small retaining wall (Knee wall 18" ...
A: A cleat is merely a piece of 2x4 pt attached to the wall, preferably at a stud. Keep it small ...
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| cap top of concrete walls | 8/25/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: I am building a 2-story residence.The first floor is concrete block. I would like to know if it is ...
A: a single 2x8 mudsill is really all that is needed. I am assuming that the top of the masonry is ...
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| Bathtub Weight | 8/25/2008 | Dan Griffin |
Q: Griffin - We just remodeled a bathroom on the second floor supported by 2x8's with a 1/2" plywood ...
A: Kevin, I used 40# per square foot as a typical residential required minimum load. The big issues ...
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| Bathtub Weight | 8/25/2008 | Dan Griffin |
Q: Griffin - We just remodeled a bathroom on the second floor supported by 2x8's with a 1/2" plywood ...
A: The 1/4" cement board helped provide an even and tile compatible substrate, it really didn't add any ...
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| Help with rim joist wrap | 8/24/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: I have just recently removed the lower siding from our new house (5 years old) to install a deck, ...
A: If you only have a few soft spots in the joist and it is dry you can repair it with a product ...
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| laying stone for patio and knee wall | 8/24/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: I have poured a concrete base for a stone patio and built a small retaining wall (Knee wall 18" ...
A: a post base attached to the concrete with a redhead or sleeve anchor is the best way to attach your ...
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| drywall plaster spider cracks | 8/24/2008 | Bruce E. Johnson |
Q: I have an old house that has plaster walls with a rough surface, I applied drywall plaster over my ...
A: putting down a layer of mesh won't help that much. The mesh may keep the cracks from getting wider ...
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| Bathtub Weight | 8/24/2008 | Dan Griffin |
Q: Griffin - We just remodeled a bathroom on the second floor supported by 2x8's with a 1/2" plywood ...
A: I will be surprised if the tile job does not fail. Ceramic tile demands limiting deflection to ...
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