If you are a homeowner or maybe you live on a small farm and you need a concrete pad but you feel limited in your ability and can’t hire the work out because of the cost or other reason then you are likely to look at alternative methods of getting what you need done. You might need a concrete slab to go under a shed for its floor, maybe for a patio sitting area …
Foundations
How To Overview Of How Stone Exterior Homes Are Built
In this HowTo we will cover the very basics of stone building design. In reality very few stone homes are built today because of the cost. There are many homes that were built prior to about 1950 that are stone homes and many that have survived hundreds of years. Today if you see a home with a stone exterior it is likely imitation or thin vernier stone that is applied to a …
How To Patch A Hole In Stucco Skirting On A Porch
Spring is here so everyone is looking for jobs to do around the house. As a friend of ours was working on their front porch doing some landscaping they found a hole in the stucco that was applied to the wrap around skirting. Its not really big but its something that they want to take care of before pests get in there and cause them problems.
The surrounding stucco does have some cracking but …
How To Remove Mold Under Bathroom Flooring
A friend writes us about a mold problem in their concrete floor that they found while remodeling their bathroom. They are wondering what steps they can take to remove the mold and prevent it from reoccurring.
This is a very common problem found in bathrooms. Whether the house is new or old the bathroom is one of the worst places in the home where mold will grow. It just seems pretty much eventual that over …
How To – Waterproofing Block Wall Foundation After Exterior Water Line Leak
A friend of ours is asking for advice about waterproofing their block wall foundation after their water supply line leaked in their front yard and caused seepage into their basement. The line had been leaking for an extended period and saturated the ground and then with some moderate rain they experienced some slow leakage which resulted in some mold growth in their basement.
They have been asking a few people about the problem and have …
How To Evaluate Your Building Site With A Soil Compaction Test
If you are considering building a structure on a vacant lot then there are a number of different tests that you need to complete before you begin framing up your footings and pouring concrete.
One of the big things that many people run into is thinking that the lot they are building on is virgin soil, meaning no one has ever built on it before and it has never been used for any other reason.
Sometimes …
How To Refinishing Basement Should The Walls Be Painted With Waterproofing?
A friend is asking about a new 2 year old home that they are now getting around to remodeling the basement to make it livable. They are wondering if it is worth the time and expense to coat the interior concrete basement walls with a concrete waterproofing paint. They explain that the exterior of their foundation was sprayed with an asphalt coating and it has a 10 year warranty for protection.
This is a very …
How To Repairing A Brick Border Fence
A friend unfortunately just had the rear brick fence to their property collapse and they are wondering what they should do now. With a little bit of background the fence separates their property from a golf course and along the fence line is a concrete pathway used by the golf course.
After a little discussion it seems that they are not living in a HOA situation where the fence might have been installed by the …
How To Deal With A Neighbor Who Has Built Something On Your Property
A friend of ours contacted us about a problem they just realized they had. After moving into their home about 2 years ago they had time to look up their plot map on their county website and saw that their neighbor’s detached garage is actually on their property about 10 feet. The garage is near but not at the street and they live in a small city so parking is an issue and in …
How To Make Better Use Of A Bricked In Garage Window
A friend is asking about a garage window on the side of their home that has been partly bricked in by the previous owner. It seems that previously it was fitted with a double hung window but now there is a pattern of brick that has been placed to offer ventilation and some light. Additionally it seems that on the interior the previous owner had ended up covering the window with plywood.
The first consideration …