By DWIGHT BARNETT, Scripps Howard News Service
Handyman-gift ideas for Father's Day
With Father's Day coming up this Sunday, here are some gift ideas for that handyman in your life.-- Energizer, the "bunny" people, has a new line of Hard Case Professional flashlights with very bright LED lighting.
Mold overrated as a problem, but can compromise health
Q: My wife and I are looking for a new home. We found a foreclosed home that has been abandoned for probably close to a year. We understand that a previous sale of this home fell through due to mold. What does it take to remove mold from a vacant home? -- K.O., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Control joint lets concrete driveway flex
Q: This is my first driveway makeover. I have a bid that refers to "cutting" control joints. You use the word "install." "Install" what? Wood to separate the pour? Do you think they intend to saw the poured pad at intervals to create control joints? Should I have a spec on thickness, or is a 3,000 psi spec satisfactory? -- Reader in North Carolina
Garage project requires careful reading of code
Q: My husband and I just purchased our first home. We hope to use this house to build credit and generate cash for a down payment on a long-term home when he gets out of the Navy. Our house is quite small -- 1,020 square feet of heated space.
Beetles in wood floor will need professional solution
Q: We have a wood floor in our home that repeatedly has termite mud holes and piles of sawdust showing up. The contractor has replaced some of the wood, but the problem continues. Is there any treatment that will work completely, or does the entire wood floor need to be replaced?What is the best way to get rid of wood-flooring termites?
Home buyers wary of potential problem with garage
Q: My husband and I found a house we both really want -- brick with a block foundation. Although the house has a partial basement, the kitchen and a bath are over a shallow crawl space with a small entry. My husband had a look at the crawl space.
Anode rod may be source of water odor
Q: Nine months ago I started to get a strong rotten-egg smell from the hot water. I cleaned out the water heater and flushed the pipes. This worked for a month. I found the anode rod loaded with a pastelike substance and the bottom of the electric water heater was rusted out. I replaced the water heater and flushed the pipes out again with bleach.
Ceiling issues must be addressed
Q: My husband and I bought a house two years ago. We knew it was an old house and needed remodeling. But we didn't quite expect all we have gone through so far.All of the walls have drywall over a fiberboard, which is crumbly. We have put in a new furnace and windows, and now we are trying to figure out what to do with the ceiling.
Malfunctioning garage door sensor is dangerous
Q: There is a garage door that has a rubber-hoselike sensor that goes across the floor inside my garage, about 10 feet from the door. When a vehicle rolls over the sensor, it activates the garage door to open.My vehicle rolled over the sensor, but, unfortunately, the garage door started coming down at the same time and hit the top of my car.
Venting a dryer
Q: We have a chimney with two flue sections. Our furnace is not vented into the chimney.In one of the sections our gas hot water heater is vented. We are moving the laundry area to the second floor and would like to purchase a new stackable electric dryer. Can it be vented into the section of the chimney that is unused? Would a roof vent be more efficient?
