I want to open up my kitchen to the living room and a friend told me to first check if it is load bearing? What is that and can I still do it if it is?
Load bearing walls are just that, they bear the load of floors/ceilings above and/or roofs. There are main or direct load bearing walls and tributary load bearing walls. In a simple design such as a basic rectangular ranch with a gable style roof the walls with the gutters bear most of the weight. The end or gable walls are for the most part non load bearing, but depending on interior framing they can be carrying roof load from the ridge. Another factor that determines load is if the roof was “stick built” or built with trusses. Stick built houses allow some of the roof weight to be transferred to interior walls, while truss built roofs transfer the load through their design to the exterior walls. In a house with a hip roof (gutters all sides) all exterior walls share some of the load. In simple designs there is usually a wall running down the center of the long axis of the house, and this is usually a load bearing wall because the ridge (centerline) of the roof is being directly supported by does the distinction between load and non load bearing walls. This is not a job for amateurs; I would strongly recommend hiring a professional to complete the structural part of this project. IA list of qualified and competent builders and remodelers can be obtained from your local Home Builders Association, or you can contact me and I will recommend someone in your area.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Thermo Pane Window Seal Broken
I have some moisture inside the glass of my family room windows, what do I have to do to fix it?
If the moisture is trapped between the glass panes you have thermo pane style windows. Thermo pane windows are constructed of 2 pieces of glass banded together at the edges with a space between them. The air in that space is vacuumed out and in many cases replaced with a type of gas that retards the transfer of heat and cold. In time that seal can be broken allowing air to enter into that space and along with that air comes moisture. The only remedy is to replace the glass. Many window manufacturers offer replacement sashes. A sash is the glass and the surrounding frame. If you cannot find the manufacturer then try a company that installs shower doors and mirrors, they usually can get the replacement glass. If you prefer to contact me directly I can recommend someone to replace the glass for you.
If the moisture is trapped between the glass panes you have thermo pane style windows. Thermo pane windows are constructed of 2 pieces of glass banded together at the edges with a space between them. The air in that space is vacuumed out and in many cases replaced with a type of gas that retards the transfer of heat and cold. In time that seal can be broken allowing air to enter into that space and along with that air comes moisture. The only remedy is to replace the glass. Many window manufacturers offer replacement sashes. A sash is the glass and the surrounding frame. If you cannot find the manufacturer then try a company that installs shower doors and mirrors, they usually can get the replacement glass. If you prefer to contact me directly I can recommend someone to replace the glass for you.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
The Hole Holding The Door Hinge Won’t Hold The Screw Anymore
Solution: Remove the entire hinge plate. If there are only 2 hinges on the door you will have to remove the entire door. Take a ½” wood drill bit and drill out the hole to a depth of at least 1”. An easy way to gauge how far you have drilled is to measure up from the end of the drill bit the desired distance and place a piece of tape around the bit leaving the end sticking up in the air, so now when you drill just stop at the piece of tape. Putting the tape on the bit may stop some chips from coming out of the hole, so put the drill bit into the hole a couple times to clean it out. Now take a piece of ½” diameter wood dowel rod and very carefully with a utility knife cut a couple grooves into the length to help hold the glue. Now cut it 1/16” shorter than the hole you drilled. Squeeze some wood glue, Titebond or Elmer’s Wood Glue are great products, into the hole and spread some on the piece of wood dowel. Tap it into the hole until it is flush and immediately wipe the excess glue off with a damp rag. Let it dry overnight.
The next day carefully drill a pilot hole into the new wood and reinsert the screw. To gauge the size of the pilot hole hold the drill bit over the screw, if the bit is as big as the body of the screw , not the threads just the body, then you have the right size. If you are not sure you can test drill a hole into a scrap block of wood. Make sure you use oak or birch as they are hard wood like the dowel rod. If the other holes are just a little loose jamb a couple toothpicks into the hole before you screw them back in.
BONUS TIP: To make any screw go in easier run the threads through a bar of soap or some bees wax and then screw it in
The next day carefully drill a pilot hole into the new wood and reinsert the screw. To gauge the size of the pilot hole hold the drill bit over the screw, if the bit is as big as the body of the screw , not the threads just the body, then you have the right size. If you are not sure you can test drill a hole into a scrap block of wood. Make sure you use oak or birch as they are hard wood like the dowel rod. If the other holes are just a little loose jamb a couple toothpicks into the hole before you screw them back in.
BONUS TIP: To make any screw go in easier run the threads through a bar of soap or some bees wax and then screw it in
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Handy Tip: My bathroom door slowly closes by itself
Solution: This is a problem commonly found in older homes, although it can happen in newer homes too. The solution is really very simple. Remove one of the hinge pins, I would choose the center or bottom one. To remove the hinge pin you can take a 16p or 8p nail and insert it into the small hole in the bottom of the hinge and while holding the nail tap it with a hammer and it will drive the hinge pin upwards and out. Now take the hinge pin and your hammer to the basement or outside where you have a concrete slab. Lay the hinge pin on the ground and give it a slight tap in the middle causing it to bend slightly. Before you re-insert it wipe a little Vaseline on it and slide it back in using the hammer to tap it back in. Since you are here remove the other pin/s and lubricate them with Vaseline and reinsert them. That should solve the problem. If it doesn’t,remove another pin and repeat the process. Do not bend any one pin too much.
Any Questions? http://AskContractorJohn.Blogspot.com
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Garbage Disposal Quick Fix
Ever have your garbage disposal jam and you have to put your hand down in there, or maybe you use a knife or spoon to try and free whatever is causing the jam. Did you know that on the bottom of the disposal unit there is an opening where you can insert an allen wrench which allows you to spin the disposal blades manually?
The proper size allen wrench always comes with the unit when new, but is easily lost. Typically a 1/4" allen wrench will fit into the opening, exactly in the middle of the bottom of the disposal. Just line up the sides of the wrench to the hole and insert it, then move it back and forth.
Make absolutely sure the electric is turned off before you insert the wrench and remember to remove it before you turn the electric back on. There is also a reset button located on the bottom of the disposal. If the disposal jams, the motor will shut off so as not to damage it. After about a minute you will be able to press the reset button, listen for the click.
The proper size allen wrench always comes with the unit when new, but is easily lost. Typically a 1/4" allen wrench will fit into the opening, exactly in the middle of the bottom of the disposal. Just line up the sides of the wrench to the hole and insert it, then move it back and forth.
Make absolutely sure the electric is turned off before you insert the wrench and remember to remove it before you turn the electric back on. There is also a reset button located on the bottom of the disposal. If the disposal jams, the motor will shut off so as not to damage it. After about a minute you will be able to press the reset button, listen for the click.
Any Questions AskContractorJohn.blogspot.com
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Cement or Concrete Sidewalk?
Ever since I worked the summer of 1972 at Brandt's Redi-Mix in Oak Lawn Illinois I have shouted from the roof tops the difference between cement and concrete. Cement is the powder that you mix with sand, stone, and water to make concrete. So I don't have a cement driveway, I have a concrete driveway.
Now days you can buy premixed concrete at any home improvement, or hardware store, but you never know when you may have to mix your own.
A typical concrete mix is made up 1 part of cement, 2 parts of sand and 3 parts of aggregate, or stone. Mix these together completely and then add your water. Make sure to use water that is suitable for drinking, as impurities in the water can affect the setting of the concrete. Adding too little or too much water can also affect the ultimate setting time and the ultimate strength of the hardened concrete. The amount of water will vary but you can start with 1 gallon for the mixture above. If the sand is wet use a little less water.
There are exact measurements for mixing of concrete but for the average homeowner doing small projects the ratio above will work just fine.
Concrete does not dry it sets through a hydration process. When water and cement are mixed together it starts a chemical process and a byproduct of that process is heat which adds to the process. The hotter the environment the quicker it will set. There are accelerants and retarders that are added too concrete to make the setting time more workable.
They also add a liquid air product to the concrete to help with expansion and contraction issues and plasticizers to help it flow around objects when pouring on large jobs.
Another product that has been introduced into concrete is fly ash, basically what was a waste product of the coal industry is now a vital part of the concrete mixture, adding to its ultimate strength and workability and its use allows less water to be used.
If you were to look at the stone and sand particles under a microscope you would see the jagged edges don't fit too well together, introduce cement (the paste) to fill in and hold those 2 substances together. But you still have voids; add fly ash which is a smaller particle size than even cement and you can see it filling in the remaining voids. Simply put the more surfaces that are in contact the stronger the finished product.
If you have any questions just http://askcontractorjohn.blogspot.com/
Now days you can buy premixed concrete at any home improvement, or hardware store, but you never know when you may have to mix your own.
A typical concrete mix is made up 1 part of cement, 2 parts of sand and 3 parts of aggregate, or stone. Mix these together completely and then add your water. Make sure to use water that is suitable for drinking, as impurities in the water can affect the setting of the concrete. Adding too little or too much water can also affect the ultimate setting time and the ultimate strength of the hardened concrete. The amount of water will vary but you can start with 1 gallon for the mixture above. If the sand is wet use a little less water.
There are exact measurements for mixing of concrete but for the average homeowner doing small projects the ratio above will work just fine.
Concrete does not dry it sets through a hydration process. When water and cement are mixed together it starts a chemical process and a byproduct of that process is heat which adds to the process. The hotter the environment the quicker it will set. There are accelerants and retarders that are added too concrete to make the setting time more workable.
They also add a liquid air product to the concrete to help with expansion and contraction issues and plasticizers to help it flow around objects when pouring on large jobs.
Another product that has been introduced into concrete is fly ash, basically what was a waste product of the coal industry is now a vital part of the concrete mixture, adding to its ultimate strength and workability and its use allows less water to be used.
If you were to look at the stone and sand particles under a microscope you would see the jagged edges don't fit too well together, introduce cement (the paste) to fill in and hold those 2 substances together. But you still have voids; add fly ash which is a smaller particle size than even cement and you can see it filling in the remaining voids. Simply put the more surfaces that are in contact the stronger the finished product.
If you have any questions just http://askcontractorjohn.blogspot.com/
Waterproofing Options For Your Basement
Spring Showers bring more than May flowers, they also bring leaky basements. Let’s explore the construction of the typical basement wall and the best solutions for stopping leaks.
In the Midwest, basement walls are almost exclusively constructed from poured concrete. This concrete is poured in between forms which are typically held together by metal rods running through these forms. Once the concrete sets the forms are stripped away and the rods are snapped off flush with the concrete walls, the majority of the rod remaining in the wall.
The wall is then ready to be sealed. Typically the walls are damproofed, the area where each rod remains is spot patched with tar and then the entire wall is covered, often times by spraying with a tar like coating. This is called damproofing, not to be confused with waterproofing. Understand that this damproofing is a part of the system that keeps water from infiltrating your basement. Another critical part of this system is the drain tile. This is a 4” perforated corrugated flexible plastic pipe that is laid outside and alongside the footing (bottom of the foundation wall) typically in a loop ending at an enclosed pit that collects the water. When the water reaches a certain height in the pit a submersible pump then pumps the water out and away from your house.
A third and equally important part of this system is the proper grading of the ground surrounding your home. The ground should be gently sloped away from your home on all sides. Driveways and patios that have sunk over the years and now slope to the building are a delivery system for water into your basement.
When it rains the majority of the water should follow the slope away from the house. The remaining water will find its way down through the soil to the drain tile which gathers it and carries it to the pit where it is pumped up and away from the house. Problems occur when water runs down against the foundation and finds a crack or a rod that was not patched or after years of exposure has rusted sufficiently to allow water to travel alongside the rod, and into your basement.
Originally the foundation was sealed on the exterior and all surface type repairs should be done from the outside, which entails a lot of digging and landscape issues. Enter the epoxy repair. The repair crew will typically clean out the crack and starting at the bottom inject an epoxy into the crack moving injection points upwards approximately 12” at a time until it is full. This method is designed to stop the water before it gets near the inside of the wall and typically will come with a lifetime guarantee.
Another method employed is allowing the water to leak through the wall and immediately catching it in a membrane which is placed around the perimeter of the wall. The water is then channeled into a pit where it collects and can be pumped out. You will see this technique used a lot on older foundations where you have multiple leak points.
Lastly the most expensive remedy and far superior is waterproofing the exterior with a rubber membrane or a blanket that contains a type of product that expands and blocks water infiltration when it becomes wet, such as a Bentonite blanket. Of course this type of repair requires the entire exterior of the foundation be dug up down to the drain tile which can now be inspected, repaired, and/or replaced as needed. The foundation is cleaned of any dirt clinging to it, pressure washed and inspected from the outside. Spot repairing any suspect areas should be completed after inspection and then the blanket or membrane is installed. The wall is then backfilled with dirt compacting as you go. The landscaping should not be reinstalled at this point no matter what the visual condition of the ground is, because the ground will settle, sometimes dramatically.
There you have it. If you have any question please feel free to “http://AskContractorJohn.Blogspot.com
In the Midwest, basement walls are almost exclusively constructed from poured concrete. This concrete is poured in between forms which are typically held together by metal rods running through these forms. Once the concrete sets the forms are stripped away and the rods are snapped off flush with the concrete walls, the majority of the rod remaining in the wall.
The wall is then ready to be sealed. Typically the walls are damproofed, the area where each rod remains is spot patched with tar and then the entire wall is covered, often times by spraying with a tar like coating. This is called damproofing, not to be confused with waterproofing. Understand that this damproofing is a part of the system that keeps water from infiltrating your basement. Another critical part of this system is the drain tile. This is a 4” perforated corrugated flexible plastic pipe that is laid outside and alongside the footing (bottom of the foundation wall) typically in a loop ending at an enclosed pit that collects the water. When the water reaches a certain height in the pit a submersible pump then pumps the water out and away from your house.
A third and equally important part of this system is the proper grading of the ground surrounding your home. The ground should be gently sloped away from your home on all sides. Driveways and patios that have sunk over the years and now slope to the building are a delivery system for water into your basement.
When it rains the majority of the water should follow the slope away from the house. The remaining water will find its way down through the soil to the drain tile which gathers it and carries it to the pit where it is pumped up and away from the house. Problems occur when water runs down against the foundation and finds a crack or a rod that was not patched or after years of exposure has rusted sufficiently to allow water to travel alongside the rod, and into your basement.
Originally the foundation was sealed on the exterior and all surface type repairs should be done from the outside, which entails a lot of digging and landscape issues. Enter the epoxy repair. The repair crew will typically clean out the crack and starting at the bottom inject an epoxy into the crack moving injection points upwards approximately 12” at a time until it is full. This method is designed to stop the water before it gets near the inside of the wall and typically will come with a lifetime guarantee.
Another method employed is allowing the water to leak through the wall and immediately catching it in a membrane which is placed around the perimeter of the wall. The water is then channeled into a pit where it collects and can be pumped out. You will see this technique used a lot on older foundations where you have multiple leak points.
Lastly the most expensive remedy and far superior is waterproofing the exterior with a rubber membrane or a blanket that contains a type of product that expands and blocks water infiltration when it becomes wet, such as a Bentonite blanket. Of course this type of repair requires the entire exterior of the foundation be dug up down to the drain tile which can now be inspected, repaired, and/or replaced as needed. The foundation is cleaned of any dirt clinging to it, pressure washed and inspected from the outside. Spot repairing any suspect areas should be completed after inspection and then the blanket or membrane is installed. The wall is then backfilled with dirt compacting as you go. The landscaping should not be reinstalled at this point no matter what the visual condition of the ground is, because the ground will settle, sometimes dramatically.
There you have it. If you have any question please feel free to “http://AskContractorJohn.Blogspot.com
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