What’s the most economical method of heating a new home I’m planning to build electric infloor heating or an electric boiler of floor mats? Natural gas isn’t available on my lot and I don’t want to burn oil or wood….
What’s the best way to stop drafts from coming in around the new recessed light fixtures I’ve had installed? The electrician was careful to replace the insulation around each ceiling box but it didn’t do much good. Can I apply…
What’s the best product to use for finishing the interior of pine windows? I want to leave the wood its natural colour, and I’m thinking of either waterbased urethane or tung oil. Which do you recommend? The interior surface of…
What’s the best way for me to learn how to create a rural homestead for myself? I’m a 23 year old college student and I want to move to the country and produce as much as I can for myself…
Are sealed, unventilated attics a good idea? There’s a fair amount of debate on the topic, with some engineering folks claiming the advantages of insulating the underside of the roof deck with spray foam. This is a big change from…
What’s the most efficient kind of plug-in electric heater? We need to heat a 16-foot x 20-foot insulated bunky on our property and want a simple option that’s as inexpensive as possible. When it comes to electric heat, all plug-in…
Structural insulated panels are a foam and wood sandwich that takes the place of a wood frame, and SIP buildings use roughly half the energy required for heating and cooling than the same stick-frame, fibre-insulated building would consume. This is…
I’m sorry to hear about your trouble, and I’m also sorry to tell you that permanently removing warps in solid wood furniture parts is virtually impossible after the fact. If the warp is large enough to be an issue, then…
What’s the best strategy for insulating the inside surface of the solid brick walls of my 1969 bungalow? I’m planning to strip the interior surface, install 2×4 strapping, then spray the cavities full of foam. Is spray foam safe? Should…
What’s the best way to clean a dirty, mildewed, pressure treated deck? Should I use TSP? Does the wood need anything else before refinishing? Cleaning a deck with TSP is an option, but I prefer a different approach. Deck brightener products…
What recommendations can you offer for the foundation of a seasonal, water-access cottage we’re building directly on bedrock? I plan to follow your idea of using foam forms to contain the concrete as it surrounds a crawlspace, but I wonder…
Should I install a plastic vapour barrier on the inside of basement wall frames? They’re made with wood studs, and I removed old, moldy insulation and drywall then replaced it with new batts. I’ve heard some people say you shouldn’t…