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Your fireplace is vented through the wall, but should have a chimney to create draft. Does the flue terminate outside the basement wall, or does it continue up past the eaves? Adding vertical height should increase draft and solve your problem.
The windows are attached to the frame through the jambs or by a flange outside under the casing. You do not need to pull off any drywall to insulate, just carefully remove the casing molding around the window. This will expose the small gap between the window and the frame. You can use small pieces of insulation to wedge into the gap, or use LOW EXPANSION foam and inject small amounts. Do not use high expansion foam or use too much as this can create lots of pressure on the window jambs causing damage or making opening and closing difficut.
Since other drains are backing up at the lowest point, your problem is more likely to be your main sewer lateral to the sewer or septic tank. You need to locate the cleanout in the main line near where it exits the house or just outside. You will need to snake that line, and the clog could be a considerable distance. Check into renting a commercial quality drain snake at a local rental or home improvement store. Chances are you had a clog, root intrusion or line break before and the debris from the blanket just finally sealed it. Depending on the cause, you may be able to do this yourself, or may need professional assistance.
Most lawn tractors lack the front PTO, blade lift hydraulics and heavy frame needed to operate and drive a large snowblower. Without hydraulics you must manually lift the blade or thrower using a lever. Without a PTO you cannot drive the reels. A heavy duty tractor with 4WD and equipped with tire chains is usually best for traction and manuvering. See Kubota or Honda starting at $8000 to $10,000.
Bottom line is, you don’t have enough horsepower, weight or drive accessories to move a 42 inch snowthrower. If you have a 4WD SUV or truck, a snow blade is a good buy.
Denatured alcohol is mostly ethyl alcohol with some methyl alcohol (toxic) added to render it unfit for human consumption. Sometimes has color or odorizers added. Rubbing alcohol is also known as isopropyl alcohol (IPA) or isopropanol, and may contain up to 30% water. By the way, most fuel line antifreeze is pure IPA or pure methanol.
For what you want to do, (create a clean bonding surface)just use the rubbing alcohol you already have, and give it enough time to dry. On the other hand, its the weekend, you could just get some ethanol at the liquor store and have multi-tasking material, but finish caulking first.
Just to clarify, the use of collar beams or joists between rafters is common construction. The open cathedral ceiling requires a ridge beam to hold the upper end of the rafters in place. This is clearly a structural member and is different from a non-structural ridge board.
There are alternatives to ridge beams to prevent lateral spreading of a roof. The following link shows a number of options. http://www.awc.org/HelpOutreach/eCourses/MAT108/Section08-Roof.pdf
Speaking of variations, in my current house the roof is hip-framed using I-Joists terminateing on ridge beams with large doubled jack rafters on the hip. There are actually cathedral ceilings for the kitchen and living room that are separately framed inside the attic envelope. You can stand in the attic and look over the framing for these ceilings. Pretty complicated.
Your plan is quite feasible. Using a run of approximately 12 feet you will need a rise of 7.2-inches, 15 risers, 14 treads, and a tread depth of 10.1 inches. The total actual run will be 11 feet and 9 inches.
10.1 x 14 treads = 11.783 = 11′-9″
7.2″ x 15 risers = 9-feet exactly or (9×12/15=7.2)
7.2″ = 13/64″ (a hair under 1/4 inch)This is a workable and comfortable stair. Now, you need to be sure your total rise is 9-feet from the surface of the first floor to the surface of the second floor, not the bottom of the ceiling. Please clarify your measurements, and we will try to refine this. In other words, I need to know your joist and finish floor depths.
If the surface to surface height is 10 feet, the number of risers is 16, treads 15, riser height 7.5″ Tread width 9.5″ and total run is 11 ft 10-1/2 inches. Still works fine.
I think the tyvek wrap is an excellent material under stucco and stone, but your quoted cost is very high. All masonry surfaces require a barrier to be placed between framing and the stucco or stone. These materials are moderately pourous, and depending on your climate, can result in moisture being transmitted to the frame. Tyvek is a breathable barrier used to protect the frame against liquid water, while allowing water vapor to pass through, and is a technolgically superior alternative to asphalt felt.
Tyvek house wrap costs approximatey $0.25/square foot for materials. It is relatively easy to work with and is just stapled over the exterior sheathing in sheets up to 9-feet wide. $4000 should buy a lot of Tyvek or generic spunbonded polyester.
Some barrier must be provided, felt or infiltration barrier wrap. The use of Tyvek brand or type barrier will not yield a higher value for your home in resale, but can have energy and other long-term benefits. If the cost is reasonable, buy it. If you feel (based on the size of the house) the price is excessive, negotiate a lower price, with the knowlege that some suitable barrier must be used if Tyvek is not installed. IMHO I would say your builder grossly is over-pricing this as an option to felt alternatives, which still have material costs and labor. The incremental cost of Tyvek is not that great unless you are building something really huge. I would spend that much extra money on a cabinet or finish upgrade that has the potential to pay back.
From the ******* FAQ:
How can I get my home or project on “*** ****’s Home Again”?
Bob’s TV show, “Home Again”, is currently booked for the next two years. Bob’s choice of projects is based on several considerations including: Is the nature of the “renovation story” similar to a recent program? Where is the project located? When is it scheduled to begin? How much will it cost to complete? Who are the principals? If you have a project that you think deserves consideration mail a description to:
discussions.tommmymac.us
115 Kingston St
Boston, MA 02111The answer depends on what condition the floor is in and what kind of sealer is present. If the sealer is extremely dirty or damaged, you may strip the floor with a stripping solution and commercial floor machine,then reseal. Or if you just need to restore the shine, clean well with a neutral cleaner, then apply a polish.
I used Roval Sealer 1044 for a sealer, but keep up the shine about every 6 months with Reflecta Polish which just wipes on with a sponge mop http://www.roval.com/gloss.htm .
The tile and stone cleaner I use for routine cleaning, and even use it on the other marble and granite surfaces in the house. http://www.roval.com/cleaners.htm
You can remove the peeling paint safely if you wet the shingle with soapy water prior to scraping. The idea is to simply prevent dust. The easiest way to do this is to use a common garden sprayer to wet the surface with soapy water, then scrape. Another alternative is to pressure wash, but don’t use less than a 30 degree nozzle. Pressure washing will knock off all loose debris, but you don’t want to get carried away and damage the shingle. If the surface somehow remains dusty, a good safety precaution during surface preparation is to use a HEPA respirator. Its the one with a magenta band on the cartridge.
A better description would have helped. By shingles I assume you mean a cement based siding about 3/16″ thick, that has an embossed pattern. Siding matching this description and installed in the 1940s through early 1980s generally contain 12 – 18% chrysotile asbestos. Definitive tests cost less than $25 and can be performed by a local analytical lab. A small sample can be submitted for polarized light microscopy (PLM) analysis that will tell you the percentage and type of asbestos present (if any).
Asbestos cement shingles should be painted. The material holds paint well, and paint prevents surface erosion that can lead to minor fiber release.
Replacement non-asbestos shingles are available in several patterns. An exact match can be difficult. GAF manufactures a product you can see here: http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/Detailed/10470.shtml
Hope this helps. Post back with any questions.
Water stains on wood ceilings, especially cedar, are usually caused by tannin bleed. When water is on the wood it dissolves the tannins and leaves a dark ring where the dry and wet surfaces intersect. The tannin stain can be evened out by evenly wetting the board. Just “paint” water evenly along the length of the affected boards. This should cause the tannins to spread evenly. If you rub with a damp cloth, the tanin color will often extract to the rag. You can use this to lighten very dark rings. Using a wetted scrub brush can speed up the evening of the natural color.
Avoid use of chemicals and stains, and try the water first. If you need to lighten the wood, a weak oxalic acid can be used, but I have usually found that brushing wetted boards with a stiff brush works well to redistribute the natural color and remove the dark rings.
The step flashing normally fits between the lower courses of siding and the sheathing. Layers starting from the wall are: studs, sheating, flashing, felt or infiltration barrier, siding. Flashing can also fit behind the sheathing if you prefer. Normally you want to leave enough gap along the rake of the roof so that the flashing can be slipped behind the siding or sheathing when you re-roof.
There is a good JPEG image of this at http://www.apawood.org/bbh_roofs.cfm Look for the title under flashing: Shingle-type roof at sloped wall-to-roof intersection and click on the jpg link.
You can apply the drywall directly over the vapor barrier. You will need help to lift it and a drywall lift is a great tool to rent.
One question, is there ventilation in the roof that is now insulated? Before it was apparently open to the porch. By enclosing the space, you will need ventilation in the roof.
