This is a system we hope to try some day for a client that is a bit more progressive thinking. We got it approved by our local building authority a few years ago now but the owners backed out due to the increased cost of the system. And, this is from a News Release dated September 10, 2012: Oak Ridge … Read More
Remodeling Features: Structural – Foundation Cracking and Separating
After nearly 50 years, this foundation just had ‘enough.’ The foundation wall was showing serious signs of stress but the owner didn’t know exactly what the problem was, or how it could be repaired. First thing: assess the damage and get the structural engineer involved. After he looked at it, we talked through the options for repair and came up … Read More
Remodeling Features: Structural – Rotted Floor System – water in the crawl space
Rotted Floor System Found: This particular project arrived through my plumbing contractor, and the situation would have been entirely avoidable. The plumber had been called in to replace a sump pump under the floor of the living room. The subsoil area had standing water and needed to be pumped ‘dry’. Then the pest company was to finish their work of … Read More
Energy Saving Solutions – Passive: Parabolas & Double-Shells
My own introduction to this field of Energy Saving Solutions . . . began in 1977 when I worked for a company (called Sonoma Solar) in northern California that was testing and manufacturing energy saving products for the marketplace, like parabolic solar collectors. These collectors used water as a heat collection medium and were designed to track the sun’s travel … Read More
My Floor Was Soft!!! (a follow up post)
(continued from My Floor Is Soft) What we found . . . Here’s a follow-up on the post I did recently (see link above) showing a floor that was in real need of repair. We found damage within the floor system and in the head wall of the tub/shower, plus in the wall adjacent to the toilet. Now, here’s what … Read More
The Forgotten Crawl Space (Part 2 of 2)
(Continued from: Part 1) A bit more about the crawl space . . . We got a call a few years ago about a property that had a “moisture vapor” problem in the crawl space. That’s what an inspection report listed it as. So, I went to look; sure enough plenty of water (probably two to four inches at the … Read More
The Forgotten Crawl Space (Part 1 of 2)
We’d like to just forget about all crawl spaces . . . but, we can’t. You see that is where some of our best work occurs. It’s also where some of the worst problems in your home can come from: moisture (in various forms), pests (big and small, and very small, ones), leaking water and sewer pipes, electrical wires hanging … Read More