Until recently there were no residential code requirements in Canada about the strength of stair railing, and still none in the residential part of National Building Code. There are requirements about the spacing of spindles -- no opening larger than 4 inches to keep a baby's head from passing t...
For some people, it is a mystery how to measure out the hole you need to cut in a carpet for the spindles or balusters on a stairway. Actually the key is to not measure at all. I recommend that you first practice with a piece of paper. Of course the real rug will be harder to deal with, be...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Concrete Product: Surface Patching
Temperature Limitations: Above +5 C (+40 F) and below +30 C (+85 F)
Rain Limitations: Protect from rain until concrete is set, 2 to 6 hours (so rain won't was...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Concrete Product: All site mixed or delivered concrete
Temperature Limitations: Use above +2 C (+35 F)
Rain Limitations: No rain until surface is firm -- several hours
Wind Limitations: n/a
...
To see an introductory video on the Case Modular Adjustable Staircase System, click on the photo above.
Modular and other pre-fabricated staircase systems all fail to assure an even rise from top to bottom usually having a short step on the top, bottom or both. When people walk on staircases th...
David in Toronto sent us a photo of some very badly worn steps that he wanted to recover with wood without removing the old stairway. It is not easy, but it can be done.
First sand or cut the round nose of each stair square. We will put a new round nose on as the last step.
Clean the stair off ...
There are many reasons why detailed planning is essential in renovation and construction. Good planning avoids a lot of changes as you go, and often changes are very disruptive if you have to go back and rebuild something already done. Good planning gives you a chance to see the whole picture, ...
Can I cut in a door where the basement window is presently?
Ed and Shirley from Dundas, Ontario want to put a door into the basement right where there is presently a window. Can they do it?
If the door is the same width as the window, there will be no structural problems above. If you make the ...
Aren’t we all tempted by all the speciality ladders we see? Two of the ladders below I showed on my TV show a long time ago. Checking out these ladders sent me on quite a study of ladders, and updating this article over the years shows how some things die and get reborn.
Ladders sold for home...
Paul from Vancouver wants to put some new stairs down to his basement, but he has a very limited opening in the floor above. He wants to know just how do you determine the slope of stairs.
In the first photo you can see on the model the triangle formed by stairs as they go to the basement. The t...
