Saturday, April 26th, 2008
Donnie J says, my bathroom is gutted to the studs, & I'll be tiling the bathtub surround. Should I drywall this area & then put up cement backer-board, or dose the backerboard go directly over the studs? Do I need felt paper?
Don't put up drywall under the backerboard. I am ... [
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Tags: installing cement backerboard, tile backerboard, tile bathtub surround, tile surround
Posted in Ask a Home Inspector | No Comments »
Thursday, April 10th, 2008
Mike L writes, On old fashioned lamp plugs, both prongs on the plug are the same size & the lamp works any way you plug it in. On new plugs the prongs are different sizes. I've been told this is to keep the polarity constant. What is polarity & why ... [
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Tags: new plugs, old plugs, polarity, tool or lamp re-wiring
Posted in Ask a Home Inspector | No Comments »
Saturday, March 29th, 2008
Ted W writes, I repainted our bathroom a few months ago & now the paint is kind of flaking off in areas, what would cause this?
More than likely Ted it is from hairspray on the walls, I have run into this problem myself & this what I did. Scrape any ... [
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Posted in Ask a Home Inspector | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
Pat M writes: My new brick chimney has white streaks down the sides. Both the builder & the mason say the stains are normal & will go away on their own, but I am still concerned. Are they a long-term problem that I will have to worry about when my ... [
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Tags: calcium carbonate, efflorescence, efflorescence & calcium staining on brick, masonry water intrusion
Posted in Ask a Home Inspector | No Comments »
Saturday, March 15th, 2008
Evan S says, Temperatures in the 70's the other day got me to thinking about some spring time projects around the house, one if which will be re-coating my asphalt driveway. Are all asphalt sealants the same?
Funny you should mention that Evan as I found my mind wandering down the ... [
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Tags: asphalt driveway, asphalt driveway sealant, asphalt sealant, driveway sealer
Posted in Ask a Home Inspector | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
Owen wrote:
I am thinking about purchasing a house. What questions should I ask when I'm
looking for a home inspector or should I use my Real Estate agents usual home
inspector?
Owen, one of the big questions used to be if they are a member of one of fraternal organizations such as, ASHI, ... [
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Tags: home inspector background, home inspector experience, home inspector questions, home inspector state licensing
Posted in Ask a Home Inspector | 3 Comments »
Saturday, March 8th, 2008
Andy Thomas asks, Whenever I turn on an appliance in my house the lights throughout the home flicker, why? Should I be concerned about the safety or condition of the house wiring?
A slight flicker is fairly normal when a big motor load such as an air conditioner or washing machine ... [
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Tags: dimming lights, flickering lights, inadequate utility service
Posted in Ask a Home Inspector | No Comments »
Monday, March 3rd, 2008
Keith D asks? I bought new doorknobs to install in my older home, but the existing holes are too small for the new locks & there is no wood to engage the pilot bit of my hole saw. How do I enlarge the holes?
Keith, there are 2 ways you can ... [
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Tags: installing new locks, Lock sets, new locks in older doors, replacing old locksets
Posted in Ask a Home Inspector | No Comments »
Friday, February 29th, 2008
George B asks, Last year I poured an 8 inch thick concrete retaining wall on thick footings at the frost line with plenty of rebar. We poured the wall in a single pour & used a vibrator to settle it, the temperature that day was around 100 degrees F. Now ... [
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Tags: concrete walls, cracked retaining wall, poured retaining walls, reinforced concrete retaining wall
Posted in Ask a Home Inspector | No Comments »
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
Charles T asks, I am going to make custom casing for a traditional wood front door & do not want to use synthetic material. I can use more expensive material in this small area, but don't want to use teak. Which wood resists rot & holds paint well.
Teak doesn't paint ... [
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Tags: , casing, entry door, exterior trim, front door, wood casing, wood trim
Posted in Ask a Home Inspector | No Comments »
