The question is: Can you put new asphalt roof shingles right over old ones.
If the old ones are flat and you fill in any missing tabs, and you do no more that a total of two layers of shingles, yes you can reshingle over old shingles. The major question point would be to check out if your old...
The national building code requires a minimum level of insulation in a basement that reaches about two feet below the outside grade level. The objective is to make this storage space a heatable space. Hence some materials and techniques have developed that satisfy this minimum code requirement th...
Truss uplift causes cracks between the wall and the ceiling that open and close every year and you cannot plaster or caulk them shut. For details on the cause and solutions to this problem follow this link.
If you cannot do the major work required to prevent this crack from opening, or you j...
There are a myriad of choices for a new kitchen, from style to counter top materials – and choosing what is right for you has always been a balance between your “desires” and your “budget”. This kitchen renovation tips article was written in 2003 in Toronto, but the basic information is still...
Unless you have a great personal reference to a contractor, you will probably have to use the Yellow Pages, or an association list and start calling. Here are the kinds of questions to ask during that first contact on the phone. The objective here is to narrow the field to two or three contractor...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Roofing Product: Asphalt Shingles
Temperature Limitations: Use above +5 C (+40 F) for shingle installation. Emergency repairs can be made down to -10 C (+14 F). Nailers must be adjusted in col...
INSPECT, MAINTAIN OR INSTALL A BACKFLOW VALVE UNDER THE BASEMENT FLOOR BEFORE DOING ANY RENOVATION WORK IN A BASEMENT. It is always easier to install while the floor is bare than after the finished floor is destroyed by a flood.
Sewage back-up through the floor drain is prevented by a thing...
For extensive videos on working with steel studs, follow this link to the Learning Curve.
John from Barry, Ontario was asking about using steel studs for a basement renovation. As you might expect, there are pros and cons for any building material.
Steel studs are often less expensive than wood...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Finishes Product: Acrylic Latex Paint
Temperature Limitations: Use above +10 C (+50 F) and below +32 C (+90 F)
Rain Limitations: No rain for 24 hours
Wind Limitations: low to moderate to avoi...
Determining, definitively, whether a given paint was oil or latex has always been a bit of a problem, but an important one as you can paint oil over latex, but not latex over oil unless you use a special 'super adherent primer' first.
I used to recommend taking a bit of paint thinner on a clean ...
