| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| Asphalt Driveway | 7/7/2009 | Sarah Leech |
Q: I'm looking to have my driveway re-paved. It's cracked and has deep ruts. I'm in the Northeast where ...
A: Hey Mike! Part of the challenge when getting bids on asphalt is the fact that you will always get ...
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| new sliding glass door leaks at top | 7/6/2009 | Bill Rodgers |
Q: We had a new sliding glass door installed about 2 months ago on our house which was built in 1976 ...
A: Your door is improperly installed. I would not allow them to do any more caulking. "...you don't ...
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| attic insulation | 7/6/2009 | Len Kroll |
Q: I have a hip roof around the entire parameter of my house, my soffits are open not inclosed, each ...
A: David, If you use poly vent baffles you can just cut a slot in the baffle so it fits over the ...
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| Driveway slabs | 7/1/2009 | Len Kroll |
Q: the concrete slabs on my driveway are pulling apart leaving a 4 in+ gap between slabs. How do we ...
A: Karen, Before you repair the gaps you need to stop the movement. This can be done by embedding ...
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| Tools for scraping off foam from roof | 7/1/2009 | Bill Hutson |
Q: I've been remodeling my roof and I filled the interior of my roof with polyurethane foam, but I need ...
A: John, Without resorting to industrial tools, I am not aware of any tools made speficically for ...
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| exterior door leak | 6/30/2009 | Bill Rodgers |
Q: I have a flat metal out swinging door that leaks. The home is only 2 years old and the door has ...
A: I've a fair impression of what you have, and what I'm sure of what you don't have. Per your ...
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| Repair stripped metal door / hinge | 6/30/2009 | Bill Hutson |
Q: I would like to repair our external metal storm/screen door instead of replacing it. The only ...
A: Caryn, You have a couple things you can try, use larger screws, fill the holes with a metallic ...
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| Garage door | 6/30/2009 | Bill Hutson |
Q: I am helping my elderly mom with the upkeep of her house. The garage door and a section under the ...
A: Bud, You could use a scraper on that, but, try going to your local tool rental place and see what ...
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| Asphalt paving over gravel | 6/30/2009 | Sarah Leech |
Q: I live in Southwest Florida. Our driveway is about 100' by 16' of what I'll call 1/2 inch river rock ...
A: Sure Dave! Tar and Chip: Its a 3 step process. 1. A layer of hot tar is sprayed onto the ...
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| Asphalt paving over gravel | 6/30/2009 | Sarah Leech |
Q: I live in Southwest Florida. Our driveway is about 100' by 16' of what I'll call 1/2 inch river rock ...
A: A tar and chip driveway is a great alternative to asphalt paving and/or gravel alone. It would ...
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| new asphalt driveway uneven | 6/27/2009 | Sarah Leech |
Q: My driveway is pretty steep. The contractor recommended putting 2" of base layer (in Ohio it's ...
A: OH BOY, this is a tough one. The only thing that I can tell you is that the only way to remedy all ...
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| Cedar stain turning black | 6/27/2009 | Len Kroll |
Q: I had sided my cottage in pine with an semi-transparent oil base cedar stain three years ago. The ...
A: Wayne, The finish applied must contain UV protection and a water repellent. The discoloration is ...
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| Bath tub squeaking | 6/27/2009 | Bill Hutson |
Q: We had a bathtub installed and now when we take a shower, the bathtub squeaks when we move in the ...
A: Carrie, Call the installer and tell them to come back and install it right. 2 things may be ...
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| Grass growing up thru driveway | 6/27/2009 | Sarah Leech |
Q: I had my driveway torn up and redone last August. In February, I noticed it started to crack. In ...
A: I am sorry for the delay Sue, as your contractor has already come to look at the driveway--but here ...
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| patio doors | 6/27/2009 | Bill Rodgers |
Q: We recently (six months) ago moved into our custom home. This spring we experienced a heavy rain / ...
A: Regarding the hose test. I believe that hose test results are among the most subjective of measures ...
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| patio doors | 6/26/2009 | Bill Rodgers |
Q: We recently (six months) ago moved into our custom home. This spring we experienced a heavy rain / ...
A: My bet is that your doors leaked because of installation errors rather that any manufacturing ...
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| Vinyl Siding Question | 6/25/2009 | Bill Hutson |
Q: I purchased an end-unit townhome about 2 months ago. During the inspection (and before it), we ...
A: Jason, If you'll look at the siding during different air temperatures, you will see this bubbling ...
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| water on transom window ledges | 6/25/2009 | Bill Rodgers |
Q: We noticed water was sitting on the ledge between the transoms and the windows on all of our ...
A: I agree with you. An exterior "Cap Bead" is not a good trade off against a properly set piece of ...
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| replace thermoglass | 6/25/2009 | Bill Rodgers |
Q: When replacing thermo-glass in a wood frame can I use 100% silicone instead of window glaze? Thank ...
A: I suggest that you use any neutral cure silicone. Examples would be GE Silicone II or Dow Corning ...
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| windows with condensation on the outside | 6/25/2009 | Donald Bosch |
Q: We can't see out our new windows! I live in Wisconsin- Brookfield (by Milwaukee). In the early ...
A: There is indeed nothing to worry about. This condensation on the outside of your windows is normal ...
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| Applying a primer/tack coat prior to pavement coating | 6/25/2009 | Sarah Leech |
Q: Sarah, I have a bid for seal coating my new 2000 sq.ft. asphalt driveway. The bid is a 2 step ...
A: A primer coat does help improve adhesion and wear resistance. And a slurry coat of sealer is much ...
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| aggregate coming up from new asphalt | 6/24/2009 | Sarah Leech |
Q: I had my driveway repaved and expanded last spring. Shortly thereafter, the aggregate started coming ...
A: Probably not the answer you are looking for, but I am not keen on the sealcoating over aggregate ...
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| water on transom window ledges | 6/24/2009 | Bill Rodgers |
Q: We noticed water was sitting on the ledge between the transoms and the windows on all of our ...
A: Please bear with me on this. By "ledge" do you mean the interior window surround or sill? What sort ...
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| Log siding care & maint. | 6/23/2009 | Len Kroll |
Q: I live in Missouri and my siding is exposed to many types of weather. We built our home 4 years ago ...
A: Susan, You didn't say what product you are using so I can't address that. If you are only getting ...
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| Bi-Level Home Staircase Handrail | 6/23/2009 | Bill Hutson |
Q: We just remodeled our newly bought home, which was built in the mid-70's. It is a bi-level house ...
A: Andrea, A newel post is the big post at the end of the rail, it has the most strength so it can ...
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| re asphalting of existing driveway | 6/22/2009 | Sarah Leech |
Q: 1 month ago we had our fairly large driveway re-asphalted and they also sealed it at the same time. ...
A: The protocol for immediately sealcoating a driveway after new asphalt is installed is different in ...
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| Do I REALLY need to replace my downspout diverters? | 6/22/2009 | Bill Rodgers |
Q: I purchased this 1960's house 3years ago. Upon inspection, about 1-2inches of water was in the ...
A: It's too bad that you did not replace the underground piping of your drain leaders before you ...
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| Driveway with Millings | 6/22/2009 | Sarah Leech |
Q: we have had a pit gravel driveway for about 14 years now. Over the years it has washed away, been ...
A: Millings are old asphalt pieces that are removed from a parking lot/driveway. They are called ...
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| white pine post 6X8 or 8x8 | 6/21/2009 | Len Kroll |
Q: I am attemping to build a post and beam cabin in northern ontario. I have some standing white pine ...
A: Todd, You can erect the frame and let it dry standing. White pine is fairly stable but there is ...
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| Improvements to lower electric bill | 6/21/2009 | Bill Hutson |
Q: my name is Jordan and I have a bit of a problem that maybe you can assist me with. I currently live ...
A: Jordan, Here is a link with a lot of good tips for enegy savings, http://www.energy.gov/summer.htm ...
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| Sliding Screen Door | 6/20/2009 | Donald Bosch |
Q: I have purchased a sliding screen door from Home Depot a couple of months ago, and have had trouble ...
A: Your friend may be correct. You'll have to measure the distance between the stationary door and the ...
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| Marvin Casement Window Lock Repair | 6/20/2009 | Donald Bosch |
Q: We have two large wooden Marvin casement windows that have locks broken (one is broken unlocked and ...
A: I'm not well versed on Marvin windows, but from what I can tell, they have quite a lot of ...
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| Grass growing up thru driveway | 6/20/2009 | Sarah Leech |
Q: I had my driveway torn up and redone last August. In February, I noticed it started to crack. In ...
A: This is a common problem in areas where there is a freeze/thaw cycle. I am not sure what area you ...
|
| Bathroom remodel | 6/19/2009 | Len Kroll |
Q: We are planning on remodeling our 55yrs. old bathroom in our cape cod style home. The room is about ...
A: Ivette, First, I am not a real estate expert so I can't offer any useful opinion about remodel ...
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| Patio Drainage | 6/18/2009 | Harvey Chichester |
Q: I have a raised patio that is not more than an inch from T111 siding (didn't know they were going to ...
A: If the patio is not moving up an down I would try grouting in the area between the siding and the ...
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| contractors | 6/18/2009 | Bill Hutson |
Q: ok my mom is getting some work done upstairs in 3 bedrooms.i have seen contractor after ...
A: Michelle, Unfortunately, this type of thing happens a lot and gives the industry a bad rap. You ...
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| "Unmstaining" Fiberglass door | 6/17/2009 | Bill Hutson |
Q: Bill: I brush stained a fiberglass door with a gel stain. The result was much darker than I hoped. ...
A: Nicholas, I am not really sure what a furniture stripper would do to the fiberglass, you could try ...
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| residential footer | 6/17/2009 | Bill Rodgers |
Q: I am in the process of building my new home. I had the excavator come in and level out the ...
A: The 4' in every direction was only to facilitate being able to walk around the footing during ...
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| shower replacement | 6/17/2009 | Bill Hutson |
Q: I am planning a bathroom remodeling 9not DIY) involving replacing a bath tub and a shower (32”X48”). ...
A: Alex, Actually, I installed two of those in the last house I built for myself. I cannot remember ...
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| windows leaking from the top | 6/17/2009 | Bill Rodgers |
Q: Mr. Rodgers, Yes - my house is wood frame with brick veener. Yes, the windows are similar to the ...
A: "...the dining room hasn't leaked again. Somehow I'm thinking that isn't the correct way to fix the ...
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