| Subject | Date Asked |
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| Cracked Floor Joist | 11/4/2009 |
Q: This house was built in 1962, this cracked floor joist is right underneath of bathroom tub. I am ...
A: Some sort of steel (channel, angle, I-beam) attached either above or below the electrical wires ...
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| interior cedar siding | 10/10/2009 |
Q: I have 50's style house I recently bought that has tongue and groove cedar siding in the ...
A: An orbital "finish" sander would be my choice. Some medium grit sand paper to start graduating to a ...
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| Wet Sub Floor, leaky dishwasher | 9/17/2009 |
Q: Recently we went to replace a tile in our kitchen that had "popped" and looked like it needed ...
A: If the subfloor (plywood) doesn't delaminate or warp in the drying process it'll be o.k. But there's ...
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| Ceiling Fan in Foyer | 9/7/2009 |
Q: My home has a large foyer as you walk in through the front door. It goes up two stories, with the ...
A: Sounds like you have one central system serving both floors. This usually causes one floor or the ...
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| putting concrete on a dirt basement | 8/10/2009 |
Q: When we bought our house, we noticed that part of the basement floor was uneven. We decided to ...
A: The prep is the same as it would be for any new pour. Make sure your dirt is graded level. It ...
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| bulging walls | 7/13/2009 |
Q: My wife and I purchased our house two years ago. It had recently been remodeled and passed ...
A: Cetainly if there was any structural changes made in this area some after construction ...
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| floor weights | 5/26/2009 |
Q: I am paranoid of floors falling in. When my son jumps off the couch onto the floor and the whole ...
A: The floor needs some structural support. A beam added midway in its span would probably be enough. ...
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| basement door | 5/2/2009 |
Q: I have a 1941 home with a basement access door from the backyard that's original and made from wood. ...
A: You should be able to get a fiberglass door made to your specs. Check with a local door sales ...
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| Installing 1x6 pine on wall | 4/11/2009 |
Q: We want to install 1x6 pine horizontally on one wall over sheetrock, in a bedroom, to add some ...
A: I'd start the staggering on one side then start the next run on the other side. Back and forth and ...
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| Removed a Wall - Now Gap in Hardwood Floor | 4/8/2009 |
Q: We live in a home that was built in the '50s. There is wonderful hardwood flooring in all of the ...
A: Sorry but I'm afraid there is no easy fix here. The only way to make it disappear is to remove ...
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| Leak from our concrete balcony into our room below | 2/14/2009 |
Q: We moved in to our newly built house in November 2007 and since then we have had a leak coming from ...
A: A visual inspection would be necessary to suggest a solution here. But whether the problem is a leak ...
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| Interior Water vapour on drywall | 1/14/2009 |
Q: I have been living in my home for almost two years. The home is about 5 years old and i have ...
A: Sounds like you have some leaks in your undereave cornice that is allowing direct air flow to the ...
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| popcorn ceiling painting | 11/27/2008 |
Q: I purchased a home in 2006 with popcorn ceiling on the ceiling of every room. Within a few months ...
A: Sorry for the holiday delay. Did your painter use a stain killer like Kiltz before he painted? If he ...
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| Tilted steps | 9/23/2008 |
Q: I have a 6 year old home that was constructed with concrete steps (4-5 steps) bolted to the house ...
A: This isn't typical construction in my area but I don't see why your proposed solution wouldn't work. ...
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| Rafters and interior walls | 9/22/2008 |
Q: This summer I built (framed and mechanicals) a 21 x 28 Maser suite on our home. The exterior walls ...
A: If the trusses are on 24" centers, I'd strip the ceiling with 1"x 4"'s on 16" centers and let the ...
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| wobbly toilet | 9/21/2008 |
Q: Re: wobbly toilet Our bathroom floor is tiled (12 x 12 tiles). The toilet wobbles on top of the ...
A: It may just be the floor bolts (located under the cover caps) on each side of the base need ...
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| renovatotors | 9/20/2008 |
Q: Question for you all: Question #1 - a renovator say's he can do a job in about a month...and 6 ...
A: Having done this for 30 years I can sympathize with you both. Is there a contract with an agreed ...
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| New Slab Low Spot | 9/14/2008 |
Q: I'm having a new garage built. They poured the slab yesterday morning and it looked a little low to ...
A: Is one contractor covering all of the construction including the slab or is the foundation all this ...
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| small area of wet wall, near stand up shower. | 9/5/2008 |
Q: I think this should be fairly easy, but need the instructions for fixing the wall. It is near the ...
A: Being in the bathroom it should be moisture resistant drywall. You should be able to let it dry, ...
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| studs in wall and ceiling are bowing | 8/20/2008 |
Q: We've been in our home a year. We noticed seams in the ceiling and wall. The builder sent a ...
A: Bowed studs and ceiling joist can make drywall seams more visible. Are the walls, etc painted with ...
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| Filling holes in a wall | 8/20/2008 |
Q: I am ENTIRELY new to DIY. I've just moved into a new house and has some lights taken off a wall. ...
A: Put a piece of 1 x 4 or plywood thru the hole in the drywall. Hold in againt the back of the wall ...
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| "carriage house" style garage door plans | 8/3/2008 |
Q: I have been searching without any luck to find some general instruction or detailed plans on ...
A: I suggest finding a picture or drawing of what you want, build a 2x frame faced with 1/2 plywood ...
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| replacing an exterior door | 8/2/2008 |
Q: i want to replacing an 36 x 78 wood door with a prehung 36 x 80 metal door. home depot told me to ...
A: Ideally you'd want to raise your rough opening the 2" you're short so as not to damage the metal ...
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| Collar Ties | 7/14/2008 |
Q: I'm a looking into buying a house and have a question. The house I'm interested in is two stories ...
A: My first question would be how old is the house? If it's been standing for a while then chances are ...
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| Home Renovating | 7/13/2008 |
Q: I'll try to keep this as short as possible. We have a morning room extension the full width of our ...
A: As long as the beam is supported, which could certainly be incorporated in bookcasing, etc., the ...
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| Issues with our contractor's tilework -- what to do? | 7/10/2008 |
Q: I hope you can help me. We're currently having our hall bathroom renovated -- not a big bathroom, ...
A: Is he aware you're dissatisfied? If not, let him know and see if he has a reasonable explanation. ...
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| Buckling of Hardwood Floors | 6/8/2008 |
Q: We've recently bought a condominium where the hardwood floors were discoloured. As a result we had ...
A: The contractor who did the refinishing is where I'd start. Then the original if I wasn't satisfied. ...
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| vinyl coated aluminum siding? | 5/20/2008 |
Q: and thanks for taking the time to answer my question. I live in a home that has wood shingles. ...
A: Living in the Mississippi Delta I've never been a vinyl siding proponent. Our heat and humidity ...
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| Redoing bathrooms | 4/5/2008 |
Q: We are down-sizing and moving into an older condo. Both bathrooms need to be done – one has a stall ...
A: I'm not a tile fan because of the maintenance issue so the three piece is fine. But buy a good one ...
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| cathedral ceiling crack | 1/22/2008 |
Q: I have a 3 years old condo, on one side of the '12 foot ceiling slope, I'm getting a crack from one ...
A: Sorry for the delay, been out of town. Sounds like a settlement issue. Sooner or later doing what ...
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| hardwood | 12/30/2007 |
Q: I have half inch particle and half inch plywood on my floors. Particle is on the top with plywood on ...
A: Check the recommended procedures from the flooring manufacturer and unless prohibited you should be ...
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| floor | 10/2/2007 |
Q: My friend recently purchased a house that was built in 1940. Last week her daughter was jumping on ...
A: Usually there is a second layer of decking underneath the finish flooring. There are two choices ...
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| Remodeling problems/ roof and exterior trim | 9/17/2007 |
Q: I have asked several experts about issues I am having with my remodeling job. It started by hiring a ...
A: Without knowing how you hired your contractor, I'm not sure. If he's reputable and came recommended ...
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| Removing a Jalousie Window | 7/2/2007 |
Q: I have a Jalousie window in a steel frame. The exterior wall is Block w/stucco. And the wall has ...
A: I'm not familiar with a "Jalousie window" but the chances of being able to remove it from the inside ...
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| hardwood floors | 6/23/2007 |
Q: If I run my boards in one direction then stop with my vertical boards and run horizonal, how do I ...
A: Sorry, been out of town. Creating a t & G (or groove and spline) would be the only way to join the ...
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| Drainage Problem | 5/17/2007 |
Q: We recently purchased a home that was built in 2001. We have severe water problems in the back as ...
A: Sounds like you have the same problem. Slow deterioration of the buried debris would cause the ...
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| Refinish Covered Concrete Porch | 5/2/2007 |
Q: My covered concrete porch is stained from potted plants and other things. I want to refinish the ...
A: Sorry for the delay, Ive been out of town attending my son's wedding. Acid stain is the easiest ...
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| Reinforcing Wobbly Newel Posts | 4/27/2007 |
Q: I need advise on Reinforcing Wobbly Newel Posts at my new home. The bottom post appears to be hollow ...
A: Sorry for the delay but, I've been out of town attending my son's wedding. You should be able to ...
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| insulating floor | 4/14/2007 |
Q: I have what I hope is a simple question. I live in NW Ohio, and I want to insulate the floors of my ...
A: Sorry for the delay. Been out of town attending my son's wedding. 6 mil poly spread on the ground ...
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| Widen an old staircase | 4/10/2007 |
Q: It's built in 1890, and it's a great buy. And it's biggest drawback: would be very difficult to move ...
A: Sorry for the delay. I thought I answered this before I left town for my son's wedding but obviously ...
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| Hump in floor | 4/7/2007 |
Q: Recently bought a house started the demo. Noticed hump in the floor. Identified a support post ...
A: Sorry for the delay. I've been out of town. This is a problem that is gonna require a visual ...
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| Replacing windows in a building with vinyl siding | 3/7/2007 |
Q: My parents bought our daughters a playhouse sided with vinyl siding. Its a very nice playhouse ...
A: To be honest not being fan of vinyl siding I don't have a lot of experience with it. But I can say ...
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| replacing staircase | 12/31/2006 |
Q: Warren, I've ripped out an old angled staircase which I'm replacing with a curved staircase. I ...
A: This is a question that I really need a visual inspection to answer. It sounds like you're o.k. You ...
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| window | 12/17/2006 |
Q: i want to install a basement window thru a 2x4 wall how much bigger than the windwow do i cut the ...
A: The rough opening is usually within 1/2" of the call size of the window but it depends on the make ...
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| Separation between ceiling and wall | 12/14/2006 |
Q: They are simply using caulk to fill the gap. They say that the best time to caulk is when the gap ...
A: This is not common in my area. I'd suggest consulting with another local contractor or building ...
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| Log Home | 10/3/2006 |
Q: The logs are curved on the outside. The smell is musty/old house smelling and that has been from ...
A: The smell isnn't necessarily bad unless you smell it inside the house. It could be the vegetation ...
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| fencing | 8/31/2006 |
Q: I am going to have a fence installed. The total liner feet would be about 120 on a very flat ...
A: Cedar fencing is excellent but, any wood fencing including preated pine is going to "weather" if it ...
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| Shed concrete pad? | 8/28/2006 |
Q: Sorry this isn't shorter but here it is. I bought a 6'x8' plastic shed a while back. I've now ...
A: Don't know anything about self leveling concrete. You'll need to pour a minimum of two inches if you ...
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| Log Home Purchase | 7/29/2006 |
Q: I am familiar with conventional homes, but we are looking at a 15 year old log home. Cedar Shake ...
A: You should not be able to see daylight through the logs. Depending on the log configuration, simply ...
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| window framing | 7/25/2006 |
Q: I am adding an addition to my home with 3 windows. I understand the rough framing, but not how to ...
A: 1) 2 x 4's are fine for a non weight bearing wall. For a weight bearing wall, if these are single ...
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| Structural Alteration - Ceiling Fan | 6/13/2006 |
Q: Harper, We own a ranch and want to install a ceiling fan either in our kitchen or living room. ...
A: Most ceiling fans are designed to hang a certain distance below the ceiling (this distance is ...
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| removing island counter | 4/17/2006 |
Q: I hope you can help me with my problem. I am trying to remove an island in the center of my kitchen ...
A: Sorry about the delayed response, I've been out of the country. This is a situation where an actual ...
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| pink insulation | 12/22/2005 |
Q: .i have a question about pink insulation. is it acceptable to cut it and put it under the shingles ...
A: The air trapped in fiberglass insulation is an integral component, thus its availability in ...
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| outlet | 11/14/2005 |
Q: My daughter bought black receptacles for the kitchen with stainless covers. when I removed the old ...
A: Hey, Fred: You are fearless, and in a dangerous situation, so be careful. This request was ...
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| Home Fixing | 10/17/2005 |
Q: I am a journalism student at Sacramento State University. I have an article - that is open to ...
A: 1)Impossible to answer without qualification. Varies according to location (both nationally and ...
|
| --Hi,
Should the new joists... | 9/7/2005 |
Q: --Hi, Should the new joists be hammered into the old cross beam supports or be nailed to the old ...
A: If the old cross beam supports are undamaged just fasten the new joists to them. Nailing them to the ...
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| hooking up a gas dryer | 9/5/2005 |
Q: In the basement of our apartment building, we have traced the pipe that comes off our Gas Meter.. ...
A: Naturally, the danger in disconnecting and reconnecting a gas line is the importance of sealing the ...
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| Basement issue..what to do? | 8/12/2005 |
Q: Sorry..I just thought of something else regarding the joists... What are the pros and cons of each ...
A: By end to end I mean they should match the existing joists. Powder post beetles are usually easy to ...
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| Curvaceous rim joist | 7/22/2005 |
Q: Hey Leo: I am building a 28'width x 15' length deck and everything seems to be going smoothly ...
A: It doesn't look like the splice is contributing. It looks more like there is a bow in whatever your ...
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| How to minimize door slamming | 5/1/2005 |
Q: Our front door fits very snugly and as a result the tenants tend to exert too much strength when ...
A: A closer might be a solution, but most likely the door keeper needs adjusting. That's the metal ...
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| floor | 4/25/2005 |
Q: 2-questions 1- Interior - The situation is I removed floor sheet linoleum that was glued to quarter ...
A: The screws should be 8 inches on center. You should also glue the underlayment to the sublfloor ...
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| Installing trim problem | 3/30/2005 |
Q: We have been serving as general contractor of a home we have been building over the past 3 years. ...
A: I don't think caulk is the answer. Seems like a convenient solution but I don't think you'll be ...
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| Anderson hinged patio doors | 1/23/2005 |
Q: I have a set of 5 yr old. anderson hinged frenchwood patio doors. I am unable to pull up on handle ...
A: My suggestion would be to get some technical assistance directly from Anderson. I'm not famililar ...
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| Insulation | 12/18/2004 |
Q: I live in Southern Ontario and the room I have built on the back of the house faces North. With the ...
A: I'm located in the Delta of Mississippi. I really don't think I could be any less qualified to ...
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| replace bathroom floor in mobile home | 10/28/2004 |
Q: how to start removing old floor and how to cut pieces around plumbing? please walk me throught this ...
A: You'll need to pull the toilet before removing the old particle board and reapplying the ...
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| ceilings | 9/22/2004 |
Q: can you sheetrock over existing popcorn ceilings? ceiling is a cathedral ceiling
A: First thing you need to do is determine if there is asbestos in the texture material. You can find a ...
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| Porch Posts | 5/5/2004 |
Q: I had wood porch posts and railings installed about 3 years ago and we are in the process of having ...
A: It's very seldom necessary to fasten the posts to the slab. Unless they are endangered by an auto or ...
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| log home staining | 4/10/2004 |
Q: . I have a new log home being built; a small chalet 24 x 36 with very little interior sheetrock. My ...
A: Are you staining the interior of the logs, etc.? My only experience is with exterior staining (I use ...
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| working with asbestos siding | 4/6/2004 |
Q: I have decided to go into residential real estate rehabbing and have begun work on my second ...
A: Environmental inspectors are not an issue in my area so what kind of hassle to expect I'm not sure. ...
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