Ross Ott, who has a neat bungalow house in Rockford, IL, hates his aluminum siding. "I have a 1924 bungalow that has aluminum siding over the original siding. I hate it, and now it has hail damage and I need to figure out what I'm going to do with it. My desire is to remove […]
Rein Eisenzopf, who lives where it rains in Woodbridge, VA, has lots of water problems when his sump pump fails. "When my sump pump fails my basement floods. Would it be advisable or possible to provide an exterior pathway from the low side of the walkout basement drain tile to divert water away from the […]
Joe Spinelli doesn't like surprises even though he lives in Surprise, AZ. He's also pithy. "Who do I call to find a leak in my waterfall in my yard?" Here's my answer: Joe, I don't know that I'd call anyone just yet. Why not try to find it yourself? I would turn off the pump […]
Rachael Maloney, who has a nice home in Cedar City, UT, has a perplexing problem with a downspout drain pipe. Let her tell you about it: "We have a downspout drain pipe that runs across our front sidewalk. The problem I have is that the sidewalk is right up against the foundation of our garage. The […]
Kristina Rowan, who lives in Bryan, Texas, has an excellent question about the magic of placing and finishing a concrete porch. "Hi Tim! My husband and I are planning to replace our concrete front porch. I'm not sure if it was originally poured and patched poorly, but it is cracking and crumbling terribly. The roof […]
Quick Column Summary: Problem with water entering crawlspace A crawlspace below grade is similar to a pond Waterproof your basement by diverting the water DEAR TIM: I've got a chronic problem with water entering the 4-foot-tall crawlspace under the duplex I live in. This year has been bad with all the rain we're having. We […]
Flipping Deck Boards - Be Careful About Wood Grain Patrick McNeill, who is revitalizing his deck in Woodstock, GA asks: "Can I flip my deck boards instead of replacing them. They are treated lumber." You bet you can flip them. There's no harm in doing so. While you're at it, be sure to clean off […]
Quick Column Summary: Problems with new house construction Correcting an off-center window Wood-burning stove exhaust stack not properly installed Checking to see if the contractor is on the run DEAR TIM: I'm having a house built and I've got some problems. It's still in the rough stage with just the rough framing pretty much complete […]
Quick Column Summary: Prep work for pressure washing Chewing gum stain removal Pretreat with oxygen bleach Use pressure washer carefully Jolynn, who lives in paradise - Waianae, Hawaii - wants to clean a commercial building with a pressure washer. Here's what she wants to know: "When pressure washing a single-story commercial building what should I do […]
Quick Column Summary: What causes concrete discoloration Were all slabs poured on same day What additives were used in the concrete Possible solutions for overall concrete color Paula Butterworth, who had some concrete work done at her home in Kennewick, WA, is not happy with the color of the finished slab. Her story appeared in […]
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