Rich writes: On 75 townhouse units, is it better to get bids or pay for time and materials on new siding and repair of dry rot? You can't tell the extent of the dry rot until the siding is removed. I think the job will cost $300,000 to $400,000 to complete. The association members have many views. What do you advise? Steve Bliss of BuildingAdvisor.com responds: It sounds … [Read more...] about Getting Bids for Rot Repair
Remodeling
Insulating a Radiant Slab
Dan asks: I am renovating an older house and am installing radiant heating on top of the existing slab-on-grade. I am planning to use 1.5 inches of foam board, which gives me R-7.5. Is that going to be enough R-value? Also what should the density be of the insulation foam board be? On top of the insulation and radiant tubing, I am thinking of pouring self-leveling Gyp-Crete. … [Read more...] about Insulating a Radiant Slab
Fixing Bouncy and Sagging Floors
Gary writes: The first and second floors in our house seem overly bouncy and sag toward the middle. How can we evaluate whether the floors need reinforcement and, if so, what is the best way to do this? Steve Bliss of BuildingAdvisor.com responds: If the floor is sagging visibly in the middle or is very bouncy, you may want to reinforce the floor to eliminate the sag and … [Read more...] about Fixing Bouncy and Sagging Floors
Repairing Termite and Water Damage
T.M. writes : I bought an older home described as “move-in-ready”. It was built in the early 1920's with green lumberyard wood over a crawlspace, and heated with a coal stove. A poured Michigan basement was added after the fact. A room with a bath and bedroom was added later with a dirt crawlspace floor. The addition had no insulation and no venting. The soil around the house … [Read more...] about Repairing Termite and Water Damage
Drying and Repairing a Flooded Basement
Darlene S. writes: Our finished basement, which we rent out as an apartment, was flooded when the incoming well water hose clamp let go while we were out of town. We came home to over one foot of water. We are retired/disabled and live on a fixed income that relies on the revenue from the “in-law” apartment to pay our mortgage. The water clean-up company is eating up all of … [Read more...] about Drying and Repairing a Flooded Basement