A friend is getting their roof resurfaced with new shingles and they are going to replace their aging skylights at the same time so that they don’t fail in a few years and cause a problem. They are wondering what shape skylight they should get and are hoping that the flat flush mount glass skylights will fit their needs. Their home has a rather flat roof and at parts it is only 12/3 or …
HowTos
How To Know If Wall Cracks Are Pointing To Foundation Problems
A friend asks about a new home they just bought. It is a 1950’s home that was built on cement block and the home is in general good condition for its age. Obviously there needs to be a lot of upgrades performed to bring it up to today’s standards but it is livable and most of the upgrades will be performed as time allows and not because they are required.
The problem they are having is …
How To Pour A New Concrete Slab Over An Older Damage Slab
A friend asks about their garage floor that they are using as an exercise room and is wondering what is the best method they can use to level the floor with a new slab placed on top of it. The existing job was performed maybe 40 years ago along with deterioration there are many cracks and unlevel areas. They are also wondering about a smooth vs brushed finish for the floor. They have talked with …
How To Fix A Dangerous Problem of an Oil Heater and Wood Stove Sharing a Chimney
In this how to a friend is asking about a problem they are having with their oil heater however the problem is much worse than they really understand. The situation is that they live in a home with Oil Heat and over the past few years the cost of Oil has been astronomical. To the point that some people replace their oil heaters with gas heat if available and others end up replacing older oil …
How To Removing Linoleum Tile From Wood
A friend that is remodeling their kitchen wants to remove their old linoleum flooring from wood wood floor that is under it. At that point they will make a decision if the wood floor is worth saving or if they will need to go with something else.
Unfortunately removing old linoleum can be a difficult task because the tar based mastic that was used to attach it to the substraight many years ago is a really …
How To Considering Building a Dog Door into Exterior Wall
One of our friends asks about building a dog door on an exterior wall. They live in a suburban community and have a medium sized dog. Their rear yard is fenced in and they are considering a dog door to allow the dog more freedom.
They are asking if it is a bad idea or a really bad idea to put a dog door in an existing wall.
Most of the time dog doors are cut into …
How To What You Need To Know Before You Consider Van Dwelling
In this How To we will look at some of the things you need to know before you jump into living in a converted van. This has become a popular option for many people and it is more likely that people in your area are doing this if the rents are high but there is also a good availability of jobs.
This is really the trade off many people choose van dwelling as a conscious decision …
How To Pour A Concrete Slab For Your Trashcans
One of my final fall projects is to pour a small concrete slab for my trashcans to sit on. Until now I have been placing them in the same spot that the slab will go but once winter comes I will need something more substantial to place them on and I will also need some type of fencing to hold them in place during the harsh winter winds.
Probably the hardest thing about this project has …
How To Repair Cracks And Pits In Granite Countertops
Eventually most people will have some type of problem with their granite countertop that needs repair. A friend asks how they can fill in a small surface crack so that it looks good and is sealed. As you may or may not be able to see from the image the countertop seems to have a crack that is caused by the natural stone material not being as strong in one area and then degrading. If …
How To How Long Should You Wait Before Staining Your New Deck?
If you have a pressure treated deck and you thought that it would be low maintenance then think again. Although it will last about 15 years and that is much longer than untreated wood, you can expect to be staining and treating it every other or every 3 years as long as you have it. Now if you have a roofed off porch or a gazebo the area that is protected will last much longer …