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Home Improvement--General/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Electric Dryer Vent | 2/4/2012 | Kevin Marcum |
| Q: We live in a condo and have an electric dryer vent which goes from the front of our home to the back ... A: Good Question. You Can Do That. I Would Recommend That you Get A Kit That Will FILTER The Air ... | ||
| Hardwood floor meet exterior door | 2/1/2012 | Steve Young |
| Q: Steve, I'm preparing to install a hardwood floor and have a patio door that has one hinged door ... A: You have a very unusual setup at that door. I have never seen it. I would think that you need to ... | ||
| Hardwood Floor | 2/1/2012 | Steve Young |
| Q: I am preparing to install a maple hardwood floor that will cover several rooms without any breaks, ... A: OK, but I would still staple the parquet if it was my floor. As far as where to start that's a ... | ||
| Hardwood floor meet exterior door | 2/1/2012 | Steve Young |
| Q: Steve, I'm preparing to install a hardwood floor and have a patio door that has one hinged door ... A: Is this the same Ron that I am answering a hardwood floor question floor? If so, it's OK but we ... | ||
| Shower Leak | 2/1/2012 | Steve Young |
| Q: A water pipe leading to my shower is leaking, and this pipe is behind a plaster wall. I've removed ... A: I can't finish your answer until tomorrow (Wed) night or Thursday, depending on how things go ... | ||
| Hardwood Floor | 1/31/2012 | Steve Young |
| Q: I am preparing to install a maple hardwood floor that will cover several rooms without any breaks, ... A: How are you going to secure your floor? Nail, float or glue? The reason I am asking is that I would ... | ||
| windows | 1/31/2012 | Steve Young |
| Q: We are remodeling the bathroom in our 110 year old row house in the Capitol Hill area of Washington ... A: I would, and have done, the glass block many times and I have found ways to control the problems ... | ||
| windows | 1/31/2012 | Diane Plesset |
| Q: We are remodeling the bathroom in our 110 year old row house in the Capitol Hill area of Washington ... A: Marcia. I don't know where your contractor gets the idea that you'll have mold and mildew problems ... | ||
| Windows | 1/31/2012 | Thomas Buford |
| Q: We are remodeling the bathroom in our 110 year old row house in the Capitol Hill area of Washington ... A: I do not understand the contractor's concern about mold and mildew. Isn't the shower tiled? Doesn't ... | ||
| Windows | 1/31/2012 | Brian Michael Flickinger |
| Q: We are remodeling the bathroom in our 110 year old row house in the Capitol Hill area of Washington ... A: I suggest using a two part epoxy based grout , this grout is already water proof and can resist any ... | ||
| Window in Shower | 1/30/2012 | Bill Hutson |
| Q: We are remodeling the bathroom in our 110 year old row house in the Capitol Hill area of Washington ... A: Marcia, Yes, I do have some thoughts, unfortunately for your contractor. Ever seen a tile shower? ... | ||
| Showe Leak | 1/30/2012 | Steve Young |
| Q: A water pipe leading to my shower is leaking, and this pipe is behind a plaster wall. I've removed ... A: Your question was in our answer pool - this usually means the expert either doesn't have an answer ... | ||
| Bathroom Remodel | 1/29/2012 | Steve Major (Owner - Major Design Group) |
| Q: I'm currently in the middle of a complete gut/bathroom remodel with a contractor/friend doing the ... A: Eddie, It turns out that your contractor is doing the installation correctly. However, he probably ... | ||
| Bathroom Remodel | 1/29/2012 | Steve Young |
| Q: I'm currently in the middle of a complete gut/bathroom remodel with a contractor/friend doing the ... A: Your question was in our question pool which means whoever you originally sent it to couldn't answer ... | ||
| Best gluing method | 1/29/2012 | Steve Young |
| Q: I have a minimalist plastic hand shower head that rests on a vertical plastic peg attached to the ... A: You seem to know more about this kind of a repair than I do. My experience with is with home ... | ||
| Bathroom Fan | 1/25/2012 | Diane Plesset |
| Q: State of Rhode Island - I just had an exhaust fan installed in a bathroom of a house that is 100 ... A: Sandra. So glad you listened to a little voice inside, telling you that something isn't right. ... | ||
| Shower Tile | 1/22/2012 | Steve Major (Owner - Major Design Group) |
| Q: I've got a question for you about shower tile. Actually, the question deals more with the grout that ... A: There are several possible reasons that the grout is cracking. Please provide more information ... | ||
| Inside walls are wet on new addition | 1/21/2012 | Gordon Petersen |
| Q: My question was what is causing the walls to be wet and what can i do about it? I dont want mold ... A: Melissa, I'm just guessing, but it could be condensation. This would be caused by the inside of the ... | ||
| how to widen door frame in metal mesh wall | 1/19/2012 | Steve Major (Owner - Major Design Group) |
| Q: I live in a 1950s-era apartment building in New York City. The load-bearing walls are made of ... A: I would use a reciprocating saw (Sawzall) with a fine tooth blade such s a metal cutting blade. ... | ||
| question | 1/17/2012 | LaDonna Ash |
| Q: i live in an 2008 mobile home i want to get rid of the spacers between the paneling or drywaal [not ... A: I was thinking of the older paneling where there was a line about every 8 " or so. It will work in ... | ||
| question | 1/16/2012 | LaDonna Ash |
| Q: i live in an 2008 mobile home i want to get rid of the spacers between the paneling or drywaal [not ... A: Joyce I think you are talking about the line in the paneling. If so then you could use a joint ... | ||
| window condensation | 1/12/2012 | Gordon Petersen |
| Q: We just purchased a factor-built house. It is a ranch style house with a full basement. Our ... A: Susie, The inside should be dry - - It's hard to diagnose without being there, so I'd suggest you ... | ||
| storm shelter | 1/11/2012 | Steve Major (Owner - Major Design Group) |
| Q: I am wanting to install an inground storm shelter beneath a new deck I am building.What will keep ... A: Without knowing much about your proposed construction methods, a trapezoid shape (wider at the ... | ||
| Popcorn ceiling removal | 1/10/2012 | Gordon Petersen |
| Q: We have a popcorn ceiling in a fairly large room. It has started to come down in three spots around ... A: Linda, It's not a job for the weak of heart, or somebody with asthma. I'd get a professional to do ... | ||
| Soft Close Hinges for corner cabinet | 1/7/2012 | Paul Polletta DBA TOP-NOTCH RENOVATIONS |
| Q: We just moved into a new place that has Blumotion soft close hinges on our kitchen cabinets. All of ... A: Morning Jeremy: Is this a new kitchen? Who manufactured the cabinets. If all the cabinets ... | ||
| backdraft on exhaust to hotwater tank | 1/6/2012 | Thomas Buford |
| Q: how to prevent backdraft or can i reroute exhaust through wall A: Gary, There are many things that impact how a chimney works. Total height, diameter, height above ... | ||
| Sweating Concrete Walls | 1/6/2012 | Steve Major (Owner - Major Design Group) |
| Q: Good evening, I have a question about sweating concrete walls I'm hoping you could help me out ... A: Alyssa, This is almost certainly caused by a combination of two factors: excess indoor humidity, ... | ||
| how to widen door frame in metal mesh wall | 1/3/2012 | Steve Major (Owner - Major Design Group) |
| Q: I live in a 1950s-era apartment building in New York City. The load-bearing walls are made of ... A: Susan, If the wall is truly non-load-bearing, I would remove the door frames, cut out the wall ... | ||
| how to widen door frame in metal mesh wall | 1/3/2012 | Brian Michael Flickinger |
| Q: I live in a 1950s-era apartment building in New York City. The load-bearing walls are made of ... A: I suggest taking it all down and replacing it with metal stud wall , they are light weight easy to ... | ||
| Building bookshelves around a window | 1/3/2012 | Paul Polletta DBA TOP-NOTCH RENOVATIONS |
| Q: My husband and I want to build bookshelves around our bedroom window which is pretty much in the ... A: Happy New Year. WOW I just finished a Cabinet set around my front window in the dining room just ... | ||
| insulation | 12/30/2011 | Thomas Buford |
| Q: I have a walk in attic. We took up the plywood floor so that we could install a beam (after a ... A: Adam, You may reuse the blown in insulation. You do need to accommodate the distance your can ... | ||
| water infiltration | 12/22/2011 | Bill Hutson |
| Q: I was wondering if I could get your opinion about a water infiltration problem? I have a front ... A: Keith, I would say more than likely the window has failed. I would think water is getting in through ... | ||
| Bi-fold Mirror Door | 12/18/2011 | Brian Michael Flickinger |
| Q: I've already made a basic design for a shoe closet. 78.7 in height by 66.9 in width and 12.2 in ... A: typically bi fold doors require a specific opening and requires the height and width to be the ... | ||
| Storm door closer issue | 12/15/2011 | Bill Hutson |
| Q: I installed a storm door closer on my storm door and the problem is it feels like there is too much ... A: Tracy, The pressure is only affected by the adjustment of the screw in the end of the closer. If it ... | ||
| Patio concrete seal and tile? | 12/10/2011 | Harvey Chichester |
| Q: My house has the original concrete floor in the patio, and has a few thin cracks (less than 1/16 of ... A: I am not familiar with radonseal. I do know that if you seal your floor with a two part epoxy it ... | ||
| Long exterior stucco wall crack | 12/10/2011 | Gordon Petersen |
| Q: I was cleanimg my gutters, and saw a long-running crack on an exterior wall (stucco). I guess it's ... A: Rick, If it's just a crack, clean out the loose stuff in the crack, then fill it with a good ... | ||
| Attic insulation | 12/10/2011 | LaDonna Ash |
| Q: I own a 2000 doublewide home.We recently removed the cellulose insulation that was in the attic.If i ... A: Bob, It all depends on if they put up a vapor barrier on the ceiling. I would use a blow in ... | ||
| Repair vintage door mounts | 12/9/2011 | LaDonna Ash |
| Q: I live in a house that was built in 1904 and still has eight-inch baseboards and door trim. One of ... A: Dale, The only thing that I have good luck with is to get a large diameter dowel rod and drill out ... | ||
| Bathroom Sink | 12/5/2011 | Bill Hutson |
| Q: I recently (within a year) redid my bathroom and put in a new vanity with granite countertop and an ... A: Oren, That's gonna need to come out, those clips are epoxied on, and the sink is also epoxied to the ... | ||
| Poorly installed siding | 12/5/2011 | Brian Michael Flickinger |
| Q: in 2005 a well-known local company installed Hardiplank on our house. They failed to put any ... A: Please send me some photos of what has been done and the problems you still have , and I will walk ... | ||
Home Improvement--General
Answers by Expert:
Steve Young
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I will answer questions dealing with home improvement. My specific areas of expertise are flooring (except carpeting), all types of carpentry, water treatment, and minor electrical. I have also built several treehouses and am currently considering expanding my business to concentrate on children's play areas. I love working with all kinds of wood. My favorite types of home repair/remodeling are water treatment, hardwood flooring, cabinetry, bathroom remodeling, and kitchen remodeling. I also have knowledge in residential water treatment, including filters, softeners, reverse osmosis systems and various other types of treatment systems.
Experience
I have been working in various forms of construction both personally and professionally for the past 20 years. I am currently the Owner/Contractor of a home repair/remodeling company.
Education/Credentials
I have a BS in Environmental Engineering and have done Masters work in Management Development. I have also attended various community college and fine arts classes in the Piedmont Triad area and EPA water quality certification classes.
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