Do it yourself

Hello all, I was wondering if someone would give me thier opinion? I had a leak around the tub grouting and windowsill. It damaged the drywall badly. Upon removing it I discovered that the studs were a little black and mildewed. They arent rotten to the touch, but look a little water damaged. To replace them i would have to tear a lot more up to get the tub out of the way. Is there a soulution that I could spray on them to kill the mold/mildew and stop it from spreading? It would be more practical and economical if I did. The tub has maybe 1/8 to 1/4 on the sides by the studs so it will be very difficult to remove it. I would appreciate immensly any help anyone could give me.... Thank you in advance, regards, AJ

Anyone have a ballpark idea of whether this is even feasible? I live out on ten acres, and everything in the house is electric. The oven/stove is old and I am thinking about replacing it, but would prefer to put in a propane gas oven. That way, if (when) the power goes out, while I am waiting for the electric company to remember I'm out here, I can still cook. I've got a wood stove, but it was definitely built for show and not function. Would it be cheaper to convert the oven or just rip out the wood stove and put a "real" one in?

Hi I'm just introducing myself, i'm John from Australia. One of my current projects is to convert our downstairs garage into a music room. I want to soundproof the ceiling. So i need some sort of material that will fit between the joists/beams of the ceiling. Something lightweight, easy to install and very important, cheap. I was thinking of polystyrene. But haven't had any luck with my local Hardware stores. Any ideas?? regards John

Next project! I have an antique (100+ years old) brass bed that needs to be painted. The top horizontal railing is unpainted brass and that will stay like that, but the rest of the bed (vertical railings) currently have some existing old paint on it needs to be repainted. Can I paint directly over the old paint (sanding down any rough spots) and what type of paint do I need? Do I need to prime first? Thanks! Wendy

Well, we had our cabinets, but....Lowes messed up big time!! They had the size of the room way too large tan what it really is. So we sent back the cabinets and today we get to redo our kitchen again. Only thing is the window will not fit in the smaller space according to the regulations for the Stove. I really think that this house is cursed. Well I uploaded some pictures of the recent changes.

I would very much like to ask for some help with a question regarding a drywall screw up on my part. I have been a do it yourself guy forever and recently retired in northern Maine.(100% disabled Veteran) I am remodeling a home we purchased that was built in 1916. It is in remarkably good shape but I am running into some snags here and there. I have drywalled a room where the studs were not exactly perfect and after painting the ceiling I find it needs some more mud. I was wondering if it is possible to mud over the paint or do I need to light sand it first? Would it be easier to put up stucco spray?...Help if u can,.........thanks.......wackyicefishaman@...

OK, I'm going to be replacing the existing, butt ugly, medicine cabinet in my bathroom. I have the dimensions (17x23) but the only things I've found so far that fit those dimensions are the same basic, butt ugly, cabinet. The handyman that I am going to have put it in for me is telling me that I MUST stick with the same size, that it cannot be changed. I think it's a bunch of crap and he's just saying that because he doesn't feel like getting the sheetrock saw out and making the hole larger. Width wise I believe him that it might not be able to be changed, height wise I'm not so sure. So, who is right here? Can it be changed or am I stuck with this hideous thing? Wendy

I've helped other people on this board, yet when it comes time to get help (twice), I've been ignored. Well clichish or not, whatever the reason, I won't interupt you again. Bob

hi. just found this group. i,m heating-a/c mech. will help in any way i can there. my prob. whirlpool glasstop elec. range. it went into self clean, locked the door and wouldn't open. self clean wouldn't stop. got the door open. now, door latch goes back and forth continuously,open,close. also self clean light comes on and off. any ideas? any and all help appreciated. thanks in advance, jim.

I've always been told to wait a few weeks to paint concrete and the folks around here are telling me to paint it now, because it mixes in with the surface and adheres better. Am I going crazy or are they? Thank you, Bob

My washer is draining as fast as it fills up during the rinse cycle, so my clothes aren't getting rinsed. Any ideas?? Alan

I think all the download versions use the same registration number to here is the one on my system 60108850 Try it and good luck. Dale in the Flat Lands

Well, I have been reading about vapor barriers in walls, and I have learned just enough to confuse myself. I gather that there are different approaches in different climates, and woe betide you if you do it wrong! I don't know if we should be placing the wall vapor barrier on the outside (to keep water from coming through the stucco) or the interior wall side (since many articles insist that the vapor barrier goes on the "warm" side). I don't know if I should be putting up roofers paper on the interior of the stucco, or putting up batt insulation with the vapor barrier side toward the drywall. Or something else entirely. So I'm going to put forth the list of our house's attributes (regarding vapor and moisture) and see if someone far more knowledgeable than I can tell me where the heck to put the vapor barrier! (also what to use, etc). 1) We are in Northern California, where we get lots and lots and lots of rain in the winter, and none at all in the summer. 2) Our house is in a flat area with a high water table. At present, water from both the front yard and back yard drain down toward the house. The crawl space is, as you might expect, somewhat muddy. (We are fixing the grading this summer, but haven't done so yet. We will also be installing a sump pump under the house, and french drains around the house.) 3) Our next door neighbors are farmers, and we just realized the other day that when they water their field, they also water the south side of our house!!! This could explain why there are mold problems in that part of the house and not so much through the rest of the house, dontcha think? (We will be addressing this problem also in the very near future, but there are language barriers, so we have to figure out how to approach it.) 4) The wall that gets watered by the farmers is old stucco, as are two other walls. The front wall of the house is wood siding. 5) We will be painting the house exterior in the near future, and we expect to hire someone to put on some sort of special stucco paint that is supposed to seal out water. 6) We are normal human beings (well, most of the time) and do take showers, cook, breathe, and participate in other activities that produce water vapor in the interior of the house. So, folks, where the heck does that vapor barrier go??? :) Thanks! Ann

I've run into a difficult situation on my bathroom/laundry room remodel. I need to solder a water supply elbow that is very close to the gas line. I figured I'd turn off the gas and vent that particular pipe by opening a valve (the dryer that this pipe feeds is already disconnected). Any suggestions? My primary goal here is not to blow myself or the house up.

My husband and I have owned our home, our first home, for one year now. So far we have painted two rooms. One out of necessity, the other out of my desire to be have a purple room. Now our first big house purchase is being delivered in a few weeks, an eight foot pool table. It is getting it's own room. what we would like to do is give it a whole adult play room feel with, a bar (ice cream and sodas only)and bead board around the room below a chair rail and paint above it. Until recently the paint was going to be Dark Green. But my hubby saw the Trading Spaces where Genevieve used chalkboard paint to do a kitchen, and he had an idea. So here is my question, Where can i find chalk board paint? how erasable is it? and what colors does it come in? Thanks Sara

Gang, I'm new to the group, and after reading some of the archives I can see you are a lively lot. Glad I found you. I'm in the planning stages of a partial basement finishing job (a place to store my teenage daughter), and wonder whether anyone can recommend sites that deal with such projects. Books, too. Thanks in advance, Bill Kirkland, IL

We are finishing out a room in our basement and looking for suggestions on the best way to texture the concrete walls of the basement. Thinking about trying joint compound on the wall, then coming back with a moist sponge. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks, Tom

I bought a house that seems to have a squirrel infestation. They have chewed a hole in the side of the house, and started chewing through the floor in an upstairs bedroom. I'm going to fix the hole in the house, and tear up the floor in the room with the damage, and see if they chewed on any wires, or tore out the insolation. Is there any way to tell if I have have any shorted/bare wires, or check to see if they did damage in any other rooms? Would an ohm meter show abnormal resistance on the meter with bare wire? What would the average resistance in a copper wire circuit be? Electric power to the house is shut off, and the meter is pulled. The house has sat for about a year before I bought it. Squirrels are like rats with fluffy tails... Thanks, Steve

As we have been tearing the drywall out of our "new" house, I have been getting a good look at the insides. Three walls of the house are stucco, and from the inside of the wall, what I see is a sort of black paper, crossed with wire bands, and the stucco is on the other side of that. (Hah, hah -- insulation? What's insulation? It appears that the builders of this house weren't concerned with wall insulation!) It looks to me like a sort of armature was made using the wire and the black paper, and the stucco was applied on top of that. My question: what function does the black paper serve *now*? My first guess was that it is a vapor barrier, but that doesn't make much sense, since the black paper is riddled with holes, and when I took off a piece that was falling off anyway, I found spider egg clusters and mold on the back of it. (Luckily, not much if any mold is on the stucco itself.) So what is this paper, and can I take it off since it is all gunky? And indeed, *should* I take it off since it has some mold on it? We intend to insulate the wall interiors, and I guess that a new vapor barrier will be a part of doing that. So the vapor barrier issue should be taken care of later, I guess. (BTW, although I keep referring to mold, I hope no one is worrying about this! We have been covered in dust and dirt and mold from head to toe for several days now, and both of us seem to be just fine. We are wearing our dust masks conscientiously and taking our allergy medicines, and that seems to be taking care of the issue. The only reason I keep referring to mold is that I want it ALL out of there so I don't have to worry about it in the future! :) As always, thank you all so much for any insight you can provide. This group is awesome!! Thank you all for being so great with answers and encouragement. :) - Ann

I'm starting to get a feeling of Deja Vu here. Just bought my first single family house, no small feat in the DC metro area. Got it at a below market rate due to needed repairs, same thing I did with my townhouse. Now to start fixing things. First will be the sub panel. Got a buddy who's an electrcian to straighten out the wiring in there. For some reason 14-2 wire to the A/C unit just doesn't feel right. Next will be to put a fire sprinkler system in. That's been my mainstay for the past 9 years, not a problem. them will come replacement windows, new landscaping, and getting the ductwork out of the ground, and into the attic. Stay tuned for before and after pictures, and intrigue. The adventure begins......

I've been lurking forever, and have gotten lots of good information from you all...thanks! I'm in the middle of the long planned kitchen remodel. Cabinets are all ripped out, the concrete floor has been polished. I have the electrician, plumber and cabinet, appliance, and granite installers scheduled over the next couple of weeks. I am now able to start planning the more creative and decorative parts of the plan, and I need some advice. I have a medium green-gray for the walls, light birch cabinets, green gray granite, and the light gray floor. I have no overhead cabinets. I am planning on a large single glass sheet for the backsplash behind the cooktop, going all the way up to meet the range hood. The rest of the kitchen will have a 1 ft high glass backsplash also, and above that a utensil rail. What I want to do is put either a single 0r double row of 4x4 pale blue clear glass tiles all around, above the rails. However - here's where I want to be creative. I want to do a metal leaf (silver/gold?) design on the underside of some of the tiles (a pear, a fork, spoon etc.) On some of the tiles i want to put a food quote. I think the leaf and/or letters needsto be sealed, but I don't think I can put a sealer over the whole back of the tile - won't that keep the tile from adhering properly to the mastic? I know I need to use a white mastic, and butter the back of each tile. i'm just worried that buttering the back and sticking the tile on will either mess up the design, or cause the tile not to stick. Any advice for my crazy idea? Ellen

I'm almost to the wall painting stage....let me just say that painting the ceilings has skyrocketed to the top of my 'suck job' list!!! UGH! If I NEVER have to do it again it will be too soon. Anyway....I'm thinking I want 'eggshell' finish for the walls - but a friend had suggested semi gloss. Anyone have any feelings on either? Thanks! Wendy

Ok guys and gals...anybody know how to build concrete forms from plywood and 2x4's?

It's my turn to turn to you all for advice. I'm in the process of re-habbing my back yard. The retaining wall is nearly complete (hopefully this weekend). Also on the hopeful list for the weekend is sod-cutting out the dead bermuda grass. The questions I have are about the edging for the kids' play area. I was going to use 2x8's, but when the Home Depot ad came, it has those nice 8' landscape logs for about $2 each (I think it was). I thought those would ad a nice touch. I'll lay down landscape fabric over the dirt, and I have decided to fill the area (460 sq-ft) with pea gravel. I've uploaded a couple of sketches to a folder in the picture section (Bob's Back Yard). I drew them (scaled) in Microsoft Visio and exported them to .gif format. First photo is a basic drawing of the area. Second photo is a diagram of the logs. Anyway, what is the best way to anchor the logs down? What I thought I would do is to drill some holes in the logs. The upper logs would have a slightly larger hole part way through. Then drive a 3' piece of rebar into the ground. How do I keep the logs from slipping off of the re-bar? Are there any caps I can put on the rebar, or should I find a friend with a welder to pop on a cap? I will dress up the top of the hole with some sort of plug...haven't figured that one out yet either. Thanks in advance. Bob

As some on the list may recall, a new deck was last summers project. This not only included building the deck but replacing a window with a door for access. Since this structure was built over the top of an existing portion of concrete driveway that was no longer in use there were very few pillar problems. My first recommendation is to use plenty of supports, around the perimeter as well as in the center. I set my stringers on 24 inch centers and put all the planking as tightly together as I could. I now have nice 1/4 inch gape between the blanks. Had I left gaps when it was being built, the cat would fall through the floor. My second recommendation is DO NOT USE NAILS. there is not a nail in our deck except for the decorative section in the railing and it was cut to fit so tight that I probably could have gotten away without fastening. I did fasten the deck to the house but did not worry about problems since it was attached over the lower course of steel siding, and the local codes do not require a permit for a deck. The result of all the extra supports and complete assembly using screws is that my neighbor who weighs in at just over 400 pounds can do what ever he wants and it does not vibrate. I've walked across corner-cutter decks and thought I might fall through at any moment. I've yet to see a deck that was built using nails and is a couple of years old that doesn't have nail heads sticking up all over the place, and boy do they get your attention when you catch a bare foot on one. Dale in the Flat Lands

That is a really good idea, I just might make the deck freestanding.

Tried to cut hay and it rained me out, so we decided to tear out some old corral fencing and got rained out of there as well. Darn, I had to come home and work on my shop, you just can't imagine how broken hearted I was. Got a section of wall insulated and covered with chip board and started getting the shelving up that will go over the portion where the work bench and inset radial arm will be. I don't use the old saw very often but when it is needed very little will take its place, and I'm tired of pushing it all over the shop to get it out of my way. It is amazing how small a shop suddenly becomes when there are several 4x8 sheets laying around, with a table saw, air compressor, radial arm saw, chop saw, drill press and a few other sundry other items just waiting to be tripped over. I plan to put the compressor in its own hidey hole under the work bench and perhaps I'll put a swing out what-ever in front of it just to cut down on the noise. Dale in the Flat Lands

Hi all...I live in the Buffalo, NY area and was wondering if anybody knows of any places in my area that sells used/ salvaged building materials and rents concrete forms. My boyfriend and I are building an addition onto a house. The addition will be 2 rooms..a new bathroom and a laundry room. We just tore off the existing rooms that were built in 1911 complete with asbestos siding..yuck. We are trying to do this on a VERY strict budget so if any of you have any ideas I would appreciate it.

I am no framing expert I am much better at finish work. My wife really wants vaulted cealings in the kitchen. Our house has a rafter type roof. What is the best way to beef up the roof framing to remove the cealing joists?

John: Are they still using single wall construction in Hawaii. I recall some new homes there in the 60's where you could put a quarter through the cracks between the boards and pick them up later out in the yard. I used to love to go up in the hills behind Honolulu in the evening a look out to sea over the lights of the city. I was also there when they detonated the hydrogen bomb to the west of the islands. The flash of day light and a second sunset at 10 PM was just a little disconcerting at the time. We were living out on Barbers Point, and I can just imagine what it must have looked like from the hills. Dale in the Flat Lands

How you would install one of these units depends in large on whether you have a rafter or truss type roof and where in the house you would wish to put it. If the roof is rafter type and the fan were to go into a hall way it would be possible to cut one of the ceiling joists and box to accept the louvered opening with the fan installed in the attic. If it is a trussed roof, the ceiling joists can not be cut and it is necessary to box between the ceiling joists and drop the opening enough to accept the louver assemble and then some framing and boxing must be placed in the attic space to direct the air flow from the opening to and open space where the fan will fit. There might also be the problem of getting the fan itself up into a trussed attic space. I have seen where the exhaust fan was placed so that it drew on the attic as well as the house but this usually results in dislodging the insulation and causing other problems, unless the attic is sealed and floored and then the air flow can be directed through the attic door. There are just too many variables to be able to make one definitive answer address all possibilities. Dale in the Flat Lands

When you find that you have two and three of the same items because it is easier to go get a new one then to try to sort through the clutter to find the others, it is time. Today was time, and we hauled a truck load of the remnants of 10 years of projects to the burn pile. There were pieces of oak, maple, fir, walnut, plywood, chipboard, and a few other sundry species that had been thought to have been too good to discard or were being kept to be used as kindling when the wood stove is installed. The next task will be to insulate another section of shop wall in preparation to cover with chip board and install much needed shelving. I have finally broken down and purchased a roto-hammer so that I can begin to prepare to install the footings so that the doors at one end of the shop can be removed and walled in. I had been looking for a large sheet of heavy glass to use as a shop window and one of my neighbors informed me today that he had a large commercial glass door that he wished to be rid of. Wa-La it is wall and window time as well. Now I need to go to the brick plant and get a pallet of bricks to put in the chimney for my cast iron wood stove. The next trick will be to get enough time off the farm to get some of these jobs done. Dale in the Flat Lands

Hi, I'm new to this group and new to DIY!! I've recently purchased my first house and am keen to put my personal touches to it. One thing I would love to do is to install recess lighting in the bedroom. At the moment there is only 1 light fitting in the room. What I would like to do is to be able to install 4 light fittings. The question I have is how do I run cable from the existing light fitting to the others? The only way I can think of is to cut the ceiling from the existing fitting to the new one, lay the cable in it then plaster over it. Is this the only way or do you experts out there have a more sophisticated way of doing it? Thanks, Gerald.

I just download Cadvance, but not sure if it will take .cad files. I checked out their website and didn't see anything about .cad files, so don't know. I put a request on their forum for an answer. Do you know? I have lots of CAD files, and may be locked into my CAD program. It takes a week or so to get the registration number so I can use the downloaded Cadvance, so I can't figure it out that way now. Bob

The nicest part I've found about CAD drawings is the ability to do different colored overlays so that you can display the plan just as you would build it. It is also great for determining material needs and construction costs. My old drafting machine is gathering dust and spider webs in the attic, and will continue to do so. Dale in the Flat Lands

Thank you for the help Jen, Hazel, and Liz. I ended up not wrapping :) I did it by myself yesterday afternoon, and I won't be doing it by myself again I believe :) The good thing is, I had it at chair rail level, and my longest wall area was about 6.5 feet, so I figured I could accomplish it by myself. 4 of my 5 seems look excellent, 1 is not noticeable unless you look hard, so I guess I did okay. I found tricks as I went, so I did fine. Now for the molding on top, which I cut and measured last night (oh, my archin' arms--I'm 5' and 92lbs, and I used a miter box and saw, LOL!) I'm far too scatterbrained to use a power miter saw--I'd loose a finger :) Again, thanks for the help! Oh, and I used to be a subscriber to Interior Motives, but it was just too much mail with the other lists I am on. I may join back up now that I'm finally beginning to decorate! Gina

We are installing a swing set/slide playset in a 16-foot by 18-foot area. We're planning to install it by adding cement to hold the "legs" -- any tips here, since the legs will be on an angle? Also, a landscaper suggested we put down mulch under the swings, etc. because it holds water and allows you to use that area quickly after it rains. Any other ideas? Thanks! Allison www.renovatorsplace.com

I have a kitchen that was done in the 60's. The formica that is on the counter is also on the walls as the backsplash and surrounding the stove. I've taken the backsplash down and now the sheetrock that is underneath is very rough from removing the formica which was glued on. I don't want to put up ceramic tile as a backsplash right now. Maybe when I remodel the ENTIRE kitchen - I'm just trying to make it liveable at this point. Any suggestions?? My father suggested textured paint (stucco looking). I thought of possibly a paneling? Thanks!! Wendy Upstate NY

Hi! I am preparing to prime & paint the bathroom and when I took down the existing (nasty) old shower curtain rod I discovered four metal mollys in the wall. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can remove these without making a HUGE mess? I tried prying one out, but got nervous because it wasn't cooperating and all I could envision was this huge gaping hole by the time I was done. The new shower rod that I am putting up will not require screws. Can I spackle over the top of them?? HELP?! Wendy Upstate NY

Hi All, It's time to rebuild the deck. Anyone know of (or have any experience with) a good deck-design software program?

Good morning all, i have carpenter bees eating my house. i've called exterminators and they say that North Carolina does not consider them pests and therefore they can not use their pesticides on them. Last year i found some stuff at my favorite store (Lowe's) but it uses water to spray onto the house. Since the carpenter bees loves the burrowing into the small ridges, i basically sprayed water (and pesticide) into the wood of my house - which i don't think is a very good thing either. So i'm pretty much at a loss. Do i let the bees eat my house or do i force water into the wood of my house? Any other suggestions???? lacey

This is just a test. Seems none of my e-mails want to go through. MC Kent

Does anyone on the list know where I can find instructions and pictures on the subject of building your own bird cage? I would like to build one for two parakeets. Thank you, C K

Pat: I recall a little verse my grandmother used to recite Some like it hot, Some like it cold, Some like it in the pot, Nine days old. This was her way of saying that we are all different and so are our preferences, but I have never ceased to marvel at some of the spots in this world people have chosen to call home. In light of the events of the past few weeks, the desserts of Iraq and that whole Mid East region for example. I cannot imagine what can be so special about having one's teeth grind together on sand, or the aspect of going for days without drinking water, not to mention bathing. I've crisscrossed many portions of these United States, and seen some pretty strange living conditions. There is one stretch along I40 where you drive for miles across a vast lava bed, and yet there are a few houses and families that live in what can only be described as a waste land. I can understand people in other parts of the world that don't know any different of have no choice, but in a country that is free and that has an infrastructure of roads that is second to none elsewhere in the world, I can only ask Why? Dale in the Flat Lands

Does anyone have a source to reccommend for discount vinyl shutters? I am looking for the louvered type, paintable in 18" x 59.5". I found a price on line of around $150 for 2 pair. Is that the going rate? Dave Dazer

Single wall or dirt wall forming was common for a long time, since it saved on material requiring only one formed side. The problem was that the tremendous amount of bracing required to keep the form from collapsing made the savings in material negligible. Double wall forms and snap ties are the most common methods in use today, since they are free standing and do not require the bracing. Dale in the Flat Lands

Hi All, I'm building fence to hold our newly adopted dog. Doesn't need to be too strong and I've probably already over-built it. Anyway, I dug 30" holes and put gravel in the bottom for drainage. I then set 4 x 4 pressure treated posts into the holes and refilled them with gravel and dirt. The problem is that they're kind of wiggly. I pounded the dirt down...still wiggly. They're plenty strong side-to-side because the slats hold them equidistant. But you can shake the fence back and forth pretty easily. How can I shore them up so they don't move back and forth? Any suggestions?

I actually miss the storms, we had a little quake a few weeks ago and I hardly noticed it but was a little anxious. I hate the idea of the ground moving, it really freaks me out. My wife grew up here and always says I am being a baby, I sure had a good laugh at how she reacted to a little thunder the other day, eh eh eh.

Thank you, Dale! I shall print out your reply and brandish it at my husband while I try to talk him into this concept. :) And thanks for the tip on keeping it accessible ... an exellent point. Ann: Be very careful with that brandishing portion of your method of gentle persuasion. He might take exception, thinking I was some how a part of your conspiracy, and then being younger and perhaps bigger then myself, inflict bodily damage upon my person. You just can't be too careful these days. :-) Dale in the Flat Lands

Over the many years that I have chanced to survive everything from shipboard fires, being tossed like a cork in the North Atlantic, climbs to the tops of radio towers, deep dives in submarines, and a few other stupid endeavors, living in tornado alley isn't so bad, as long as I have a good basement. However when Terra-Firma begins to shake beneath my feet I get more than just a little anxious. I have this thing about dishes falling from their repositories in the middle of the night, and large cracks that suddenly appear in the walls next to my slumbering head. But that is OK, for those that are used to such phenomenon I applaud you since it would get just a bit crowded here if you were all to make the move to our little windy oasis. The temperature changes in these parts are just about more than a body needs, it was in the lower 90's a couple of days ago and now it is hovering in the mid 40's. Guess I shouldn't complain as it sure makes for good sleeping. As some of you may recall, I sleep with open windows and the ceiling fan in the dead of winter. My poor wife has been known to wear a stocking cap at night to keep her head from hurting from the cold. Dale in the Flat Lands

I have a cold air return (see picture @ www.geocities.com/residentialrepair/coldair I want to put a walk way in the interior wall. As you can see this cold air return goes straight up through the floor from the furnace into the wall. Any suggestions on relocation? How about switching the furnace with the hot water heater and coming up through the next set of studs? Or eliminating the cold air return all together. I have one also in my bedroom and downstairs in the family room?.?

vinyl fencing is cheap looking.I would never put a big white plastic ugly fence around my property.

Thinking ahead here and picking out a medicine cabinet ... My question is, can I turn a hang-on-the-wall-type medicine cabinet into a partially recessed cabinet? I really liked one I saw at Home Despot, a 30x24x5 model trimmed in wood, but I'd rather not have it hanging out five inches from the wall, since the light I would like to use above it won't clear that, I think. (Clarification: the light strip is not one of those rows of light bulb things, but a Victorian type with tulip-shaped frosted glass shades.) So I was thinking that I could just frame out that area of the wall (since we are totally redoing the drywall in that room anyway) and treat the cabinet like a recessed cabinet, with the wooden sides coming out about 2 or 3 inches from the wall, instead of five inches, then caulk around the edges. There is probably a good reason why I should not do this, but I don't know what it is ... comments, anyone? Thanks! Ann

Has anyone heard the latest about these two nuts from California that are following the storm chasers around in a heavy steel plated truck with special windows? Their claimed intent is to get right under a tornado and film what it is like to get sucked up into the thing. Can't recall their names, but that probably is not a problem, since they will undoubtedly be well publicized in the Obit sections nation wide when they succeed. If that is supposed to be fun, I'll quit laughing at the guy next door that keeps hitting himself in the head with a hammer. Dale in the Flat Lands

I'm faced with cleaning a brick fireplace here ... and from my reading, TSP or muriatic acid look like the way to go. But I'm stumped on how to rinse it afterward without creating an unholy mess, since this is an interior fireplace (in the middle of the living room) that we are talking about. The fireplace is really filthy, so it seems to me that some healthy water pressure from a hose would really help clear all that gunk out of the brick crevices ... but I am envisioning having about 2" of filthy water all over the living room afterwards. Suggestions? I suppose this is a silly question but I really am stumped on how to effectively rinse this thing without making an awful mess. Suggestions welcome! Thanks, Ann

Dale, Did they hit near you? Are you doing ok? Laurean in Iowa

Hi All, Just as I was moving along and getting toward the end of all the necessary fixes in my place I discovered a hole in a shower pan. It would seem a good scrubbing removed whatever the prior owner had cleverly hidden this issue with. The hole is just under dime-sized and is on the vertical part of one of the molded type shower pans. Ther is plenty of water damage in the bathroom already as the previous (and so not a genius) owner hadn't recaulked correctly. I'm aware the "right" way to do this would be to tear it all out and likely replace base flooring underneath, the enclosure and tile floor. I am not in a financial posiion to pull that off though. So, I need to find a way to patch the hole and stop further damage for now. Does anybody know of an appropriate product? I am kind of in a hurry for this one as this is the bathroom I'll be renting out with a bedroom to scrape a little $ since I am still unemployed. Thanks much. Eileen

Hi all, I'm doing a major bathroom/laundry room remodel which among other things involves fixing the shoddy excuse for plumbing that the previous owner installed. The job involves running supply and drainage to a pedestal sink, toilet and washer. I'm pretty comfortable working with plumbing and I understand how everything works in theory, but I'm not familiar with NJ's residential plumbing codes and can't find anything online. For example, I need to find out about: proper valve placement, venting, trapping, limits for fixtures per drain, are cleanouts required and if so their placement, required pipe diameters, drainage slopes (is 1/4" per foot the universal standard?), and anything else I may not have considered. Thanks for the help!

My band is moving into an enclosed studio that was heavily spray painted. The smell is very strong even though it has been awhile since the paint was sprayed. What would be the best way to eliminate the odor?

PLEASE....... when you're replying to a message DO NOT leave the entire digest attached. Thanks, Winnie K9Castle@...

Greetings... Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but I'll give it a shot... Background: still a fledgling DIY'er with no electrical background. Use small words <G My g/f has a fluorescent lighting system on her salt water fish tank. 2 sockets, one for actinic(blue) lighting, one for "normal" white light. The actinic light kept going out. We switched bulbs and the problem stayed with the socket, not the bulb. The light would stay on for about a minute, then go out. Turning the rocker switch off then on turned the light back on, then it would go out again. I checked all accessible connections and they *look* good. There's a lot of crimped connections which baffle me at the moment. I can't get to the ballast unless I completely disassemble the unit. The vendor (not the mfctr) said to check the connections to the rocker switches. They too *look* good. The connections are what I'll call "shovel connectors" that slide over a tab sticking out from the bottom of the rocker switch. I did a little reading from "HowStuffWorks.com" and I'm leaning towards a ballast problem, but not sure. I won't bore you with the gory details about dealing with the vendor (as if I haven't already bored you...) but if we can fix it ourselves, that would be fantastic. If not, I'd like to throw the actual problem in the face of the vendor and force them to pay for shipping/handling instead of us. Any thoughts are appreciated! Much thanks... Tom D

I have never had first hand expierence with wood counter tops. I do think that water would be a concern. I have seen a lot of sinks that allow water to leak. It is not uncommon to see a sink that was never caulked around the sides or a sink that had not been maintained and the caulk has rotted away allowing water to go under there. I think if the counter was sealed with a really good epoxy varnish and the sink was sealed properly you would be ok. Wood is like formica you have to be easy on it. You would not want to use the counter as a butcher block, that would cut right through the finish and allow water in. While on the subject of things not being sealed properly, another thing that is almost never sealed properly is bath tubs and showers. I always see rot around the door on them, a simply silicone caulk job would prevent a lot.

I agree to an extent about formica. When we lived in an apartment it had formica and there were scratches and cut marks all over. In an apartment they should use something more durable. Our house was built in 1956 and it has the original formica and it still looks just as ugly as the day it was installed. It has a few scratches and chips but has held up very well. The formica they use today is much the same the difference is the adheasive. When this place was built they used a peteroleum based adheasive it smells bad but holds. Now days it is cheaper and popular to use a water bases acrylic adheasive. I made a computer room for a school and they wanted me to use the environmentally friendly stuff. I had to go back a year later to re do the entire thing. The adheasive did not hold up to a bunch of kids for long. I never like to use the acrylic stuff a hot pan will caust it to fail. I would much rather use something more durable for a counter. The wood idea is great, I am building a new dining room table and I will use the 3/4" hardwood flooring planks for the table top. I really like the idea of a concrete counter top it would hold up great. My granfather made a concrete sink in the 1940s and it was still in the basement when my Grandmother had to sell the place in the 1980s. That thing took a lot of abuse and it held up. Of course he did not do anything fancy to it, it was just plain old concrete and it was a little rough. I am going to have to use ceramic tile in the kitchen though. I will use it for the floor and counters. My wifes god father is a mason and he does a lot of tile work also. He said we buy the materials and he will do it all for us. I cannot turn that down, I like to do stuff myself but if somebody offers to do it free I cannot turn that down.

I am planning on cleaning our deck in preparation to recoating it with deck stain. Can I just use a solution of bleach and water or do I have to buy a regular deck cleaner such as Thompson's deck cleaner? I know the main ingredient of most deck cleaners is bleach. If anyone has cleaned there deck with a bleach solution what is the ratio of water to bleach that can be safely used? TIA Hazel in Minnesota

I just uploaded the pictures of the renovations that are currently happening in my house. This experience has been mind boggeling with all the decay and water damage that we were not "fully" aware of. There is still more to come. The fireplace has been leaking for years and we just now got to see the damage that has caused to the floor underneath. The worst is yet to come as we will soon be looking at the roof above the fireplace. It is taking us many more dollars than what we anticipated, but they all have to be done right now. None of it can wait because of the severity of the rot and damage that has occured. The deck that was on the back porch had to be taken off to allow the bobcat to get under the house and it will not be replaced anytime soon because we don't have the money. The deck that was in the corner just fell apart from rotted joists. Isn't renovating fun! :0

I am really intrested in concrete now. I have never thought of making counter tops out of it. It is a really good idea. The hard part will be convincing my wife it won't look like the driveway. I really like this idea though.

Hi! I just inherited a house that needs a LOT of work before I can move in. I'm a single woman and plan on doing the majority of the work myself. I'm almost to the painting stage. There is paint on the walls, but they were painted about 20 years ago. There are nails showing through the paint. The nails aren't 'popping' - just showing through. I plan on priming the walls before I paint. Will plain old primer be enough to cover the nails from showing through the new coat of paint, or should I go with something like kilz over the nails? Thanks for your help! Wendy Upstate NY

The pictures are posted in the photos section. Basically, I decided to experiment with concrete after being appalled by the prices of other solid surfaces. If you have concrete done professionally, the price is comparable to granite or Corian. However, materials for concrete are cheap. Materials for my counters only cost about $250...that includes trowels, concrete, dyes, bracing, rented mixer, sealer and wax. The sealer is key and was difficult to find...I used Sealer's Choice Gold, which is about $90/gallon, so that was a big chunk of the money. They sell everything you need at Lowe's or HD, but the people there won't have a clue what you are talking about, so don't expect any help there. I included pictures of the mold I used to cast the concrete, a few pics of the finished product (almost finished...if you look closely, you'll notice there's no front edge on the counters...i'm working, i'm working!) and a close up of the surface to try and give you an idea of the texture. If anyone's interesting in trying this, I'd be happy to answer questions. It was quite a project and it came out very nice. I actually plan on making a few other things out of concrete for the house...including a deck table and a bathroom counter. In case you were wondering, the sink was purchased off Ebay...it's copper. Looks great next to the concrete.

Just wasted my weekend trying to "unplug" a toilet bowl. My 1.5 year old son decided to flush a toy brush into the toilet. The water still flowed but didn't flush. I tried hook, snake and ended up pulling the whole toilet bowl up. While I could see the brush from the bottom end of the toilet bowl, I still couldn't get it out. Finally, I started thinking and used a lawn blower to blow it from the bottom end. The thing came out in spli second, together with other "stuff". Anyway, it got me thinking again. Could I just use a shop vac to suck the things out from the top without having to pull the bowl up? Would I make a big mess by sucking the water (and other stuff) out this way? What other way could I use to unclog the bowl? Is there any other preventive measure (not abstinence please, kids are already born) such as something I can install to the toilet bowl? Thanks.

Hi All Quick question. My wife likes the digital style of thermastat and I wanted to know how hard it is to install from an old style (meaning non digital). Is this something the homeowner can acomplish just from the instructions conatin or is it better left to a pro. Bare in mind an pretty handy with what I do. Just finished several repairs on our homeincluding replacing a defunct garbage disposal so bare that in mind. Thanks!

Hello all, Here's one for the HVAC pros and knowledgeable ---- I have a heat pump that is not cooling properly and I need you ideas. When I turned the unit to cool this year, it started cooling, but after several hours the house started getting warmer. I noticed lots of ice on the line to the outdoor unit, so I replaced the broken down insulation. The problem repeated the next time I tried to use the AC. I noticed this time that there appears to be no condensate coming from the drain line - could there be a plug and might that be related to why it works a bit then stops?? Any comments and suggestions would be appreciated! Bill

Hi all :) I have to paint some metal bi-fold closet doors. They are pretty slick on the surface, and I'm wondering what is the best procedure to keep the new paint smooth and adhering well. Any tips? Should I sand them? Do I need to clean it with anything in particular, what's the best paint for metal? I assume I'll need to spray paint them? Thanks, Gina

We built a small pool house to house the pump and filter and to act as a changing room. The floor is cement and there is an expansion joint right down the middle. My thought is to tile right up to the joint and fill the gap with silicon caulk. Is this a good idea or is there a better way to handle this? Thanks so much. Dave Dazer

I have a maytag dryer with a three-prong cord and a house with a five- prong outlet. I bought a new cord at the hardware store, but I don't know which wires go where. Five wires go in the back of the machine, all different colors. I feel like I am in a suspense movie, and if I connect the wrong colors, the thing will explode. Any ideas? Thanks.

Hi all, Its a little off subject , but in keeping with the frugality of DIY. My question is....... Who here has the oldest household appliance , like a fridge or oven ?? I think from memory Dale will ' win ' this. I seem to recall his fridge dated back to the Boston tea party era , although I may be wrong , could be as new as 1850. My entrant is a little feeble. I have had a freezer for 23 years.. A mere pup I would imagine. I looked recently at a cheap freezer to keep in the barn. Its meat for the dogs ( free supply ) I looked at a brand new super duper , low on electric , hyper friendly to the enviroment thingy. It was so light , that I imagined it blowing away with a sneeze. Its electronic controls looked like they were made in the third world.......probably were. The sales guy was gushing about its efficency. I did not want to upset him , so I kept my mouth as shut as my wallet.......and left. I went down to a junk store and bought a 70's Kelvinator ( a name known to you I believe ) It took two of us to struggle with it off the pick up. I cleaned it up , let it rest 24 hours and then plugged it in. Purr purr went the motor. Thermostat cuts in and out perfectly. I get some free chrome with it as well !! Its going to cost more on electric , but heck , it will still outlast a new one. I paid $10 for it. As far as I am concerned I am doing my re cycling bit. I f I buy a new one , I pay $10 tax on top of all the other taxes. Its a contribution to re cycling costs............I bet my old freezer was a trade in on a new one ! Kevin Belgium

Hi! Our bathroom has a bit of mold up in the sunroof -- no shock, since the windows are mostly unopenable and there is no vent or fan! So I'd like to install a fan. Tell me, can you just vent a fan to the attic? (It's a ranch house with a small attic, not built out, above it.) Or do I actually have to make a hole in my roof and then put one of those little cap things over it? (yikes) Thanks! Also, does anybody have a bathroom fan that they love? The ones at Home Depot are really pretty ugly. Happy Spring! cat

I know its a bit of a strange mix but does any one know where i can lay my hands on plans for either timber windows (casement and sash) or fire place surrounds as these two items are on my next "fix it" list. thanks

The American Way: I do not mean to trivialize the true dangers of extended unprotected exposure to substances or situations that can be life threatening, but I don't believe it is necessary to totally ban and go on a witch hunt to eliminate the most minute amounts of these substances. Case in point, a school in Wichita was recently closed down for several days because it was determined that the roofing material that was being removed from one of the buildings had a 1% to 2% asbestos content, and that minute amounts of this material had been found in an adjacent parking lot. There is little doubt in my own mind that the case against asbestos would not have been carried to these extremes, had not the attorneys driving this purge found deep pockets into which they could but their hands. Lead based paints are slated to be the next big cash cow for these same attorneys as they go after the companies that were manufacturing these paints nearly a hundred years ago. It is already evident what was done with the silicone implants, in spite of the fact that numerous medical studies found no connection between the devices and physical harm. And isn't it interesting that direct injection of the same silicone gel was never addressed in any of the suits? It was a pure case of emotional reaction on the part of sympathetic jurors, manipulated by skilled trial lawyers. Can fiberglass insulation or other common household materials be far behind? There has to be a point at which enough is enough. Malpractice suits and their associated awards have nearly bankrupt many parts of the medical profession, forcing doctors to either abstain from high risk cases or to simply cease to practice, while those that are still in practice are overloaded and subsequently ripe for error. The subject of SARS was broached earlier and brings up another question I would like to throw out and see if it can swim. The SARS virus is claimed at this point to be transmitted by casual or air borne contact, and has thrown parts of the world into a panicked tail spin with mass quarantines and travel limitations in an attempt to control this disease which to date has killed less than 10% of those that have been infected. Yet HIV which is completely controllable since it is a disease that is only transmitted by intimate contact and lifestyle, and is eventually 100% fatal when contracted has been treated with kid gloves and not the slightest hint of forced quarantine or isolation of those infected. Go figure! Dale in the Flat Lands

Mold, Asbestos, Lead Paint, Anthrax, E-coli, PVC and all the other dangers to which I am supposedly exposed which were not a threat a few years ago when I existed in ignorant bliss will just have to go their merry way because I refuse to become a nervous wreck over any of it. I recall the days when the only insecticide we had was arsenic-of-lead and we dusted our gardens with a liberal supply every year, and while there are some who will attest to the mental damage I have so incurred, as long as it doesn't bother me they will just have to live with it. I've been covered from head to foot with asbestos, sanded and breathed the dust from lead based paint, worked with cattle by the thousands that are carriers of Anthrax, and drank gallons of water that flows through PVC pipes. As an electronics technician, I used to wile away the time chewing on lead based solder, and turning pennies into dimes by coating them with mercury was a past time most kids of my generation enjoyed. We cleaned granaries that were filled with mouse droppings and every manner of mould, drank from moss covered buckets, and streams where the refreshing waters had passed over Cow Pies but a few yards up stream, and believe it or not I'm pushing 70 with a very short stick. I don't know who started this rumor in the first place that we would live for ever and since I'm bound to die someday, perhaps I will have a hint of the cause, but one thing is for sure, it won't be from loss of sleep over the latest media hype of the day. Oh, one other thing, I don't suppose I'll need to add silicone implants to my list of unconcern's. Dale in the Flat Lands

OK, I looked through old messages and this is one I don't see addressed. With warm weather starting to creep in I am starting to work on my yard again. We have lived in the house for 3 years and it has a decent size side yard but a very small backyard. One of the things taking up room back there is a huge pole with a small concrete base. We live in an area that has pockets of natural gas and we were told by our neighbor that this pole, with it's funny little arrow shaped top is a natural gas vent. To top it all off, someone installed a TV antenna on top of it at some point. I don't know how smart that was, but that's another topic all together. My question(s) is who do I contact about getting rid of this thing. There has got to be a better way to vent this. The pole is as tall as my house and the antenna makes it even taller. It's an eye sore that I would love to see gone. I already called the city, they don't know what to do with it. I called the gas company and they won't touch it. I am at a loss. I'm at the point of just wanting to take a hacksaw to it and cut it down...but that probably wouldn't be smart either ;-) If anyone has any experience with these things I would appreciate some advice here. Thanks! Aimee

Be careful mixing bleach with anything. Household bleach is either 5.25% or 6.25% sodium hypochlorite. Mixing bleach with anything is a big risk. Bleach is a strong oxidizer and if mixed with other chemicals espically acids can produce extremely toxic gasses. If you leave bleach in your toilet and somebody pees on it you will notice how it foams a lot. That is because the ammonia in the urine is reacting with the bleach.

Hi Shawn I'm not sure if anyone else has posted this or not so I apologize if I repeat something :) Anywho... I was told to try straight bleach (if it's really bad) or mix bleach & water then spray it on the mold, let it sit for a few & then go back & rinse it off. There are a bunch of great MYO recipes on the Budget101 website. It's www.budget101.com I have gotten a ton of MYO stuff off of there for around the house...and no I'm not affiliated with it at all & don't get anything for bragging about the site. Well anyway..I hope the suggestion works for you...good luck! Chelle

Has anyone used the Chicago electric or pneumatic tools from Harbor Freight? I've got my personal preferences already for my heavy use stuff, but I'm curious as to how well Chicago holds up for "throw down" tools.

What would cause the water pressure in a house to suddenly drop to about half its former level? Our water pressure has never been great, but this morning it was downright pathetic. Nothing else in the house was running water. Yesterday, it was fine, so this isn't a gradual change; it was quick. Any clues? Jeanne

We have also recently bought a "project," closing on May 2 ... (we refer to it as the "piece of cr*p" but "project" is more polite!) ... a 1000 sq ft house withe a 275 sq ft attached garage that will become a second living room somewhere down the line, on just short of an acre in Sonoma County. We got a good deal on the land but the house is somewhat of a disaster, though amazingly enough, it is structurally sound except for the rim joists on one side, which we will be replacing. (This is the place we looked at with the mold, but on subsequent inspections we found the reasons for it, and we will be ripping out most of the drywall in the house and various other remedies, so I am pretty confident that it will be very livable by the end of hte summer.) Okay, finally, my question ... We had the (relatively new) septic tank pumped and inspected and it appears to be in fine fettle. However, the test for the well came back positive for e.coli and coliform bacteria. (Here you can't tell how *much* bacteria there is without doing a second, expensive test. You just know if it is positive or negative.) This is not a deal-breaker for us, since we can (if we have to) afford a filtration and bacteria-killing system ... but prices I have been getting run from $3000 to $7000! (It should be noted that some of these systems including a 1000 gallon tank and various other goodies, but still, it is more money than I want to pay unless I have to. Our current plan is to have the well shocked the day we move in (and I will be leaning over the pump guy's shoulder to learn how to do it myself another time) and in one week, tested again for bacteria (recommended procedure). As we work on the house, we will use bottled water. We expect it to be about 2 months before we can move in, so shortly before we move in, we'll have the well tested again and see if it is still clean. But I am guessing it will not stay clean since the present owners have numerous animals on the property, and the neighbors also have horses, and there is a high water table here, so I am sure there is plenty of e. coli everywhere. My question (finally!!): Can anyone recommend a relatively economical way to get rid of e.coli on an ongoing basis? I have heard of continuous chlorination systems, but all the ones I have seen so far are not cheap. I have already looked into ozone and u.v. systems, but they all seem awfully expensive to me. If there is a cheaper way that works, I sure would like to hear about it! ("Cheap" is relative here ... I would just rather not pay $7000 if I don't have to. :) Thanks! Ann

I am going to be doing a concrete stain treatment that has a high acid content. I think the fumes are like that of muratic acid. What sort of respirator should I look for? Thanks in advance, I appreciate all the information I gleen from this group. Dave Dazer

I had tried the fence post "spikes" and found that they were a poor substitute for a good ol' fashun post hole of some reasonable depth. Some of the products that the home centers sell these days are gimmicky attempts to save labor/sweat/tears/$/time and sadly fall flat on their face in terms of longevity and performance. Joe - southern Conn.

Well here goes another day and it is raining cats and dogs. Now that the trees are blooming my gutters are all overflowing. I am looking at a few choices, I could cut all the trees down and have enough firewood to heat the place all next winter. I could just leave the gutters and watch my crawl space fill with water. Or try to find a good way to keep all the crud out. I keep seeing this commercial for the gutter helmet. Has anybody used this thing? any good?

Hi Group Just joined and had I hope what will be a quick question. I have some doors which are really hard to operate as the house settled it has compressed the doors just enough to force the bottom of the door to rub the bottom plate of the door frame. Now here's my issue I managed to fix two of them but this last one I am trying to take off a cover peice to shave it down alittle as I did with the other two doors but this one has 3 screws (9 total) that just will not budge. I have sprayed them all with some WD-40 and this has done nothing to loosen up the screws. Short of having to drill them out is there any way to get these loosened up enough so I can remove them? Basically my drill bit (screwdriver Phillips) is just skipping around as it won't move the screws. Any thoughts and ideas much appriciated. Thanks!

Hi group, Does anybody know if it is possible to paint vinyl wallpaper with emulsion paint? Regards, Martin Perry

New Member Here. I am from Atlanta, GA. My wife and I have a home about 5 minutes east of downtown in which planning on a major kitchen renovation in addition to a few other small projects. -KingRam

Hi Folks, I just read a couple of emails concerning concrete floors and I have a question related to concrete floors. I use my garage as a hobby room. I would like to seal the floor to make it easier to keep clean. In one of the recent emails someone suggested that a silicone sealer be used on the floor. If I were to use a silicone sealer would that later prevent me from putting down a tile floor when I can finally afford to get the tile? Also I am wondering about moisture in the concrete. I was told that if there is too much moisture in the concrete the tiles might not stay down on the floor because the bonding material might never dry out enough. I was told to get one square foot of plastic and put it down on the floor, sealing it on all sides with duct tape. Then I should wait 24 hours and look to see if there was any moisture condensation under the plastic on the floor. If there is then there is too much moisture in the slab to consider putting tile down as a permanent flooring. Have any of you ever heard of this? Anne in Rowlett, TX

Hello All I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I'm retired, living with Hubby and one dog on a small acreage near an equally small town in East Central Minnesota. We are in the process of updating out kitchen. New paint, Vinyl Tile on floor. And maybe new cabinets. (Haven't talked Hubby into that one yet.) Our old cabinets were stock cabinets bought at a home improvement store 36 years ago. After seeing abuse not only from myself, but from 7 children and various pets they are pretty scarred up, also out of date. Our cabinets were mounted 12 inches or whatever down from ceiling and several years ago my Dad made an extension to them which enclosed the area above them up to the ceiling and added more storage space. Try as I might I couldn't match the finish perfectly and as the years go on they just look uglier. If we don't replace the cabinets the second option is to paint them. I know I will have to clean the surface, sand, fill any and all nicks and gouges, prime and paint. Have any of you done this sort of thing and what would you recommend as the type of paint to use. I'm thinking an oil base paint would be better than a water base, to my thinking an oil base is tougher. Any suggestions? Sam in Minnesota

We have a saying here in Belgium , which roughly translated goes like this........ "The only good public servant is one you can bribe" In rural areas in particular most public servants are cousins of someone or other , so we do not encounter to many problems........ Kevin

We have concrete floors, i just pulled up the carpet we had, now i would like to put down tile. What kind of inexpensive tile can i put down? And is there any preparation i need to do before laying down tile? We want to put tile in the livingroom, hallway, bathroom, kitchen and laundryroom. Please help!!!!!!!

It is an injustice to lump all civil servants into a single category, and I apologize for having done so. You must realize that there is a certain amount of tongue in cheek in what is written. Perception is that farmers are all a bit backward when in fact they are some of the most astute business men there are if they are to be successful. The fact is that there are incompetents in every field of endeavor, its just that it is so much fun to beat up on specific categories of individuals, like lawyers for instance. Dale in the Flat Lands

Hi All, You've all been so good fixing my problems so far so I'll throw a new one out there. I have an upstairs bathroom that needed to be recaulked. No prob, right? Scrape out the old stuff and squeeze in the new. Well, like everything else, this turns out to be a bigger issue than anticipated. There were obvious spots where the old caulk was leaking to the floor and discoloring the grout that was right up against the shower form. So, I was going to saw out some of the grout and put caulking there too (the shower constantly makes cracking noises I am sure are related to the tile/grout being right up against it). Well, when I started sawing some of this grout was coming out in chunks so I'm pretty sure there is more damage below. The floor is warped but the tile itself looks like it was installed following the warp since none of the grout elsewhere is jacked up, er, I mean cracked. Knowing I have to re-caulk everything in there (and paint too) I was digging the caulk away from the top of the shower enclosure too. I found the wall board has crumbled and disintegrated away from the paper layer. (Though I thought the wallboard was supposed to go all the way to the floor behind these enclosure thibgs.) Needless to say, the openings are a little big for just squirting some caulking in there. Now, here's where I'm of two minds. There has to be a way to fill those gaps without causing myself a lot of grief. I have no intention of pulling up tiles, pulling out the toilet bowl or stripping the bathroom to the studs and replacing subfloor as I suspect it *really* needs due to a funding problem. Since it seems sound enough (without actually looking at subfloor and such) I hope to simply seal up these leaky spots and prevent further damage. I have joint compound and tape I have to use anyway to fix a really sorry repair done behind the toilet tank. Would that work for filling up the gaps above? With the tape or without? Does the scraping out tight grout (and maybe file away tight tiles) to put caulk in place to allow the expansion and contraction sound like a plan? Any thoughts or ideas? Yep, I know this is going to end up being fixed the "wrong" way but I'm looking for the *best* wrong way. Thanks bunches. Eileen (so close to finishing the master bdrm/bath for a roommate)

I have hired a carpenter to work on some parts of my house (I do a lot of things myself, but have never tried carpentry in my life.) I checked his references and he got good ones from a contractor he worked with, but he's never tried to do a skylight. Should I give up and hire someone else who has done a lot of them? Or do you think that it's OK to hire this guy. I'll see how his mudding and taping are first, and I'm also having some work done on my roof by a roofing company, so ... they can see how he does and perhaps fix things. But I'm fairly nervous about this. Have you guys put skylights in by yourself? Got any tips? I read the note from the guy who'd put in his skylight and it didn't seem *too* dire. Thanks, nervous nellie aka cat

Permits. Ha! I just bought an extremely expensive house in California during the boom years (can you say "bend over?") The house is a total piece of crap, and had tons of work done, not only without a permit, but presumably by Uncle Fester. Example: The sprinklers are all wired with speaker wire, which is just buried in the ground. Aargh. In addition, the house has lost 1/3 of its value since we bought it (when I was 8 months pregnant), so I feel quite militant, and plan on doing EVERYTHING that I can without a permit! I just built a new room in the garage and would like some fun flooring that I can just stick over a concrete floor. For a laundry room, perhaps something in a fun color, is there anything anybody can suggest? cat

Hello Shawn. If they're really old double hung windows, try unscrewing the sash boards and loosening them up or pulling them off, and see if one of your windows opens. Perhaps they've become so tight they don't allow the window to move.

Since it is raining and I'm restricted to the computer room because the women are reeking havoc in the kitchen, while the grandkids are watching cartoons in the living room and it is too early to go to bed, I'll add my two cents to this subject. The intent of permits and inspections was probably good at the time of its inception but as with most government programs it has deteriorated over time. Most inspectors I've come in contact with are individuals that have failed at every other endeavor and of course you cannot fail as a public servant so they have finally found their niche in life. I've even found a few that would approve just about anything for the right price. The permit business has become a revenue generator and a means to insure that any and all improvements get entered into the tax rolls. Even though we live in a very small town in the middle of the Outback just East of Nowhere, our local inspector fits the general mold. My theory is, if it don't show, they don't know. To be absolutely fair, I have met and do know a couple of inspectors that are honest and conscientious but they are, in my not so humble opinion about as rare as are honest attorneys. Dale in the Flat Lands

Thank you for your kind comments. we have really loved the project... As soon as I have time I will be making a photojam of the kitchen project which is moments away from completion... If we ever get the damaged door situation straightened out, all that is left to do is get the handles and knobs put on....

Hi everyone, I am a fairly experienced DIY er. Having rebuilt, renovated houses for last 35 years. I enjoy the problem solving of a new project. Houses have included, 1914 row cottage, single story. Bought for $8000 and sold for $23000 1927 bungalow, single stoiry, renovated to current 1970's decor (sorry) 1975 cape cod 2 story, the original money trap. resold for 14% profit. Heritage listed turn ofd 19900 cent home full restoration with inclusion of modern conveniences within original lath and plaster cottage. Bought $54000 sold $360000 Currently own a "new" 1925 gentlemans bungalow. Am looking for ideas to return it to it's initial glory. I am currently looking for carpet and or mat designs that would be approriate to the era (Art Deco?) Bob

Hi, We're planning on replacing our covered patio (screen sides with small "kickboard" bottoms and corrugated aluminum roof) and need some help. The concrete floor stays wet in damp or rainy weather much longer than it should. Moisture is not coming from the ground, it's condensation that doesn't evaporate, assumably because of poor air flow. If you aim an oscillating fan at it, it evaporates right away. We're thinking there must be something we can do structurally when we rebuild to make the concrete stay dry enough to hold paint or even vinyl flooring? Any/all suggestions appreciated! Thanks, Renée

Could someone please give me a definition of a workmanship warranty? I would like to see if there is one or if every company has their own defifntion. Thanks for your help. Corissa

Hi All, I just joined the group. We own a 1928 fixer-upper and are doing almost all of the work ourselves, with the exception of some structural carpentry. I have questions regarding the practical guidelines for pulling permits. If you talk to the town, they will say you need a permit for virtually EVERYTHING. We've hung new cabinets and built two non-load bearing walls to create a walk-in closet in a corner. Should I have gotten permits? What's the downside to doing relatively minor work without a permit when one is required? The town told me I need a permit to replace a section of floorboards on our deck that are damaged. Deck was inspected and is structurally sound, just some bad boards in one section. Seems excessive to me to pay $35 have to wait 4 weeks for a permit to replace a few floorboards. Am I wrong?

Does anyone have any experience with the Rainhandler gutter system? It is advertised in This Old House Magazine. It converts the run off from the roof into a 2-3 foot band of rain sized droplets. I am just wondering if it works well or if there are some problems that I need to be aware of. Thanks so much. Dave Dazer

would like information pertaining to lightweight materials and electrical outletsand other items that you can use to fix up my ramshackle abode.walls are too thin to put in househod receptacles and cannot easily locate gangbox receptacles which are applicable.

Hi, I am new to this group and looking forward to going back and reading some of the old post. I joined because my husband and I just purchased a new home (project as he likes to call it). The foundation is good and structuraly it is fine but the rest of it is in terrible condition. We have tons of work to do on it and we will be doing it all ourselves. I plan to post before pics soon and then, one by one, starting projects. Looking forward to getting to know you all. Thanks, Dana

Hello all, I am new here. I am also excited to find a forum for this kind of stuff. I'm the creative type full of ideas and an interest in do it youself projects for the experience of the process as well as saving money. The problem is being new at this, I lack the kind of knowledge I need to do all I would like to do. I'm sure that's true for most wanna be do it yourselfers though :0). Anyway, We have brick all the way around our house half way up. We have no door from the garage to the backyard, only the main garage door an door into the house. It would solve a lot of problems to have another door added but we dont know how to do it with brick and if it is even something a do it yourselfer should try on their own. If isnt something we should do on our own, I also have no idea what would be considered a fair price for a job like that if we decided to contract out. Another question that goes into this is we have a desire to add a dog door to the outside and feel that could be done once a door is in place. If the door is something we have to wait on due to costs or whatever, could we more easily install a dog door into brick ourselves (where we eventually want the door to be and to be reinstalled into the door later if possible) in the mean time so we have it for the dogs for our vacation coming up soon? I've been all over the web and have plenty of sites that say the dog doors can be installed in to brick but none of them say how to do it or if it takes a pro to do it. It's a lot to ask I know, hopefully someone can help us. THANK YOU ahead of time!! Victoria

hello all, I am just so glad to be here, at last the signing in and up is over. I am a single female who has to do everthing due to budgetary restraints and adult capable sons who apparently have the misconception that I can do everthing. But not true, totally, I can do many things, yet need to do much lurking to find what else might work when duct tape does not. I also had the good fortune of growing up BDT (before duct tape) during the haywire era. I will be very quiet, most of the time, having developed some restraints necessary to function with the character flaw of lack of brevity. thanks to all

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Hello, I just joined this group and am anxious to ask a question. We are going to build an attached garage to our house and I was wondering what the dimensions are for a 2 car garage. We are going to build on 24 deep x 32 wide and we could have it all as garage. However, we thought about using 10 feet of this for another room of about 12 x 24. This would, however, leave us with a garage of about 24 deep and almost 22 wide. Is that big enough for a two car garage? We would also like to have room for storage and a work area in the garage as well. I'm just trying to visualize how much room 22 x 24 is for a garage and how much room would be left over. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Debbie

HI Gang, We are going to "try" and build in our patio to make extra room in our house ! We would like to use to those big cement blocks to build it in with to make it a cool room. Anyone have any experience with this ? We are totally new at all of this and our whole house needs remodeling and now that the kiddies are older (actually grown!) we can do those things that we couldn't really do before! Thanks deb

Has anyone had a bath tub refinished in place. I am looking to do that when I remodel one bathroom. I am interested in how well the finish holds up. I am going to have someone do the work. Thanks for the information.

Well Ann, I'm no expert but I did lay my kitchen floor with 12x12" tiles after removing the old ceramic over vinyl junk that was there. (Ex