Starting a new project? Don't know where to begin? Do you live in the Vancouver area and have a project you would like us to help you? If so send your emails to Johnathan.
Ask Johnathan
I have a 40 Gallon water heater and I've insulated the hot water pipes in the basement. However, we still run out of hot water when two people take too long showers. Is this normal or is there something wrong with the plumbing?
40 Gallons of hot water should be sufficient for the type of usage you are talking about. You might consider putting in low flow showerheads and increasing the temp control on the water heater by 3-5 degrees.
How do you repair a split in the ceiling plaster and wire? Our ceiling and walls have a layer of plaster over wire and then have a Spanish rough plaster over that. A crack keeps appearing in a ceiling 6 inches from the wall in a bedroom next to the bathroom. We’ve tried filling the crack but the wire is broken and we feel it needs something else to not continue to crack each winter.
Sounds like you have a few conditions that are contributing to your problem. If the expansion is happening seasonally it is usually the result of wood expansion and contraction. When you fill a crack like this, it is important to open the crack more than the damaged area. In other words, enlarge what is already happening and make sure there is no loose plaster in the enlarged crack. Wet the crack with a sponge or spray bottle and fill with a material that has some sort of plastic/polymer additive. This will add some elasticity the joint.
I caught an episode of "atHome" today and saw brief segment on using concrete for making garden sculptures. Could you advise where one may find more info on this?
Those sculptures were cast concrete. You can contact your local Ready Mix Association or Cement Association. They will have information on working with Cement and concrete.
I am putting an addition onto an older house. I am putting SM Styrofoam on the existing house and SM Styrofoam on the new addition as well. The new addition will have R20 walls. I plan on putting Tyvac paper around the whole house, the existing portion and the new portion. Should the Tyvac paper go under the SM Styrofoam or overtop of the Sm Styrofoam?
Put your house wrap material directly on your sheathing and then your SM insulation on top of the wrap.
We've just purchased an older trailer for a rental unit. I would like to paint the kitchen cabinets which are made from compressed wood, and have the look of the panel that was in all older trailers. We do not want to spend a lot of money on the trailer, but would like to getting looking fresher. Please let me know what I can do to the cabinets.
Almost any type of material can be painted if it is prepared properly and painted with the correct product. Do you know exactly what the material of the cabinets is? If you don't know, take one of the doors off the cabinet and take it to your local home renovation or paint store and they will be able to match the product to your job.