Rodney from Hamilton Ontario asks "why is there a bulkhead over most bathtubs? Every home I remodel seems to have the ceiling above the tub furred down about one foot."
First of all Rodney, bulkheads are not a requirement of any kind and as far as I know, never were. In fact, they are a very reg...
Yes it happens -- but Why?
Two viewers have strange problems with their electrical outlets. One has had bright green oily ooze coming out of an electrical outlet on and off for the last two years. Changing the outlet didn't stop it. Another has green deposits at the outlet every time she uses he...
Walls often have air spaces hidden somewhere between the siding on the outside and the drywall on the inside. Some are accidental -- some on purpose, even code required -- some served a purpose at one time in history but because of the evolution of construction, are no longer useful -- some a...
SPELLING
First, a simple spelling problem. Is it 'mold' or 'mould'. According to the dictionaries, the two are equivalent, with 'mould' being primarily a British variation. But mold is active and dynamic, and dictionaries are slow in comparison. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Co...
Certain parts of Canada, particularly in the Winnipeg region, have a traditional construction technique that presents serious challenges when you want to insulate a basement -- the ends of the joists are actually embedded in the concrete foundation wall. Chris, from Winnipeg, asked for some f...
Little cracks in the bottom of the house let cold air in, and can raise your heating costs by as much as $600 a year. They also dry out the air in the house, resulting in dry throats and the needless purchase of humidifiers. Nothing too serious -- unless you don't like wasting money!
Let's start...
One of our viewers is about to insulate his basement and he has been told that he should not run the vapour barrier all the way to the floor. Fact or fiction?
You should run the vapour barrier wherever there is insulation to keep the moisture on the warm side of the wall. And in a basement insta...
As you can see in the first graphic, the soil helps to insulate a basement so there is more heat lost on the top of the basement than on the bottom. That is why the National Building Code requires a minimum level of insulation in a basement that reaches from the floor boards above your head, down...
First ensure that this is not a leak in the basement wall. Click here for details on Waterproofing a basement wall.
Second ensure that the wall is well sealed, especially around electrical outlets and floor and wall joints. Click here for details on Air Sealing.
Finally, make sure there is no a...
Montreal winters are uncomfortably cold;
while in Saskatoon it is even colder but more comfortable
Montreal summers are uncomfortably hot ;
while in Arizona it is even hotter but more comfortable
Why? It is all about Relative Humidity.
If we come to understand humidit...
