for Cold Climate Housing and much more

Found 66 results for the keyword ‘Damage’

  • Weather Restrictions: Masonry based weather proofing coatings (parging)

    Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:   Category: Masonry     Product: Masonry based weatherproofing coatings Temperature Limitations: Use above +7 C (+45 F) Rain Limitations: No rain until hardened -- about 8 hours Wind Limitations:  High wind c...
  • Surge Protection: Individual appliance, or whole house

    WHY SURGE PROTECTION? Today's homes and offices are full of electronics. Appliances, TV's, VCR's, fax machines, computers, etc. Most electronics today use some type of microprocessor device. These devices are vulnerable to fast moving high energy disturbances known as 'surges'. For instance a li...
  • Avoiding or dealing with wood rot

    When we are building new structures, we need to think about avoiding future rot problems. When we are renovating or repairing existing structures we are often faced with dealing with existing rot problems. In new construction we need to understand that all wood preservative systems are not equal...
  • Protecting shower tiles from hand held shower scratches

    When mysterious problems arise in a house the task is to track down the cause – and sometimes encapsulate it.   I built a beautiful new tiled shower, only to discover a hole starting to develop in one tile a few months later!  When I inspected carefully, there was nothing that touched the ...
  • Paint peeling caused by a chimney flashing leak.

    John in Mississauga, Ontario has paint flaking off of his crown molding, and it seems to be related to snow on his roof. As we ran through the details, it turns out that the problem spot is right below a brick chimney that is poorly flashed where the roof meets it. He has put asphalt roof patch ...
  • Window Films -- security, heat control, decoration

    One viewer wants to protect his parents from flying golf balls because they live alongside a golf course. They have already lost more than one window. They probably have three choices: -- subsidize lessons for the golfers, -- build a barrier in front of their windows, or -- put 'security film...
  • OVERVIEW: Outdoor concrete in a cold climate

    Air Entrainment When ordinary concrete gets wet and then freezes, the ice crystals can cause surface chipping, or even more serious fracturing. All outdoor concrete in Canada, even by code, should be what we call air entrained. This means that there are microscopic air bubbles in the concrete ...
  • Just how do you install windows properly?

    The reality is that there is not just one good way to install windows, but there are certain principles that must be taken care of with any installation to prevent cold air or water leakage later. Basically a window installation must shed most of the water with the siding, what does get through ...
  • Pro: Tiles -- More than you thought you wanted to know

    Probably one of the best ways to learn about good and bad building techniques is to work on the renovation or restoration side of the construction picture. Here is where you see the results of everything done before, especially when the results are a failed system. In the world of ceramic, stone ...
  • The Business of Renovation -- Part 2 -- The Contract

    Should you have a contract or not for every renovation? According to David Foster, author of the pamphlet Get It In Writing, except for the simplest of maintenance tasks, you need a contract, and for a lot of reasons that you may have never thought of. If you would like to read the other two par...