Sealing unused chimney need not be a complicated task

Question: I'm looking for advice on how to cap off an unused chimney. Last season I replaced my extremely old oil furnace with a high-efficiency propane furnace. The oil furnace used the chimney to exhaust its combustion gases. It is . . .

Posted: 2015-08-29

Damaged ducting likely culprit in dusty house

Replacing corrugated plastic with rigid tubing best fix for multiple reasons

Question: I read a previous Ask the Inspector article in the Winnipeg Free Press, written in March 2013, to a person asking about a dusty house. I live in south Louisiana and have a complicated tale about my dusty house. It is . . .

Posted: 2019-11-23

Chimney removal must include thorough roof repair

QUESTION: We live in a condo built in the late 1980s and it has a zero-clearance fireplace. The fireplace is a metal box with the chimney going through the roof around three to four feet. The chimney was starting to . . .

Posted: 2019-11-09

MIKE HOLMES: Which window is the right choice?

Many homeowners wonder, but there's no easy answer

Windows serve three purposes: They provide light, airflow and ventilation. But they should also help keep the heat out in the summer and in during the winter. That has to do with R-value -- in other words, insulation -- and . . .

Posted: 2013-11-09

Window well installation an easy and important task

Question: My parents’ Westwood home has a significant problem with the grading. The soil at the side and backyard slopes significantly towards the walls. That inward slope begins about five to seven feet out from the walls, and gets steeper . . .

Posted: 2021-03-13

Prevent problems with proper subfloor preparation

Question: We are building a new home and it's visually important that the five-inch wide engineered hardwood flooring run parallel to the 19.2-inch on centre, spaced wood web-engineered truss floor joists. The builder is installing a 3/4-inch thick OSB subfloor, . . .

Posted: 2015-02-28

Creating a year-round workshop

How to convert an uninsulated area into a comfortable space

Question: I live in one of the newer developments in Winnipeg. I believe the house was built in 1996 or 1997. I am also a hobbyist woodworker, so I have left the basement unfinished and use it as my workshop. I . . .

Posted: 2018-09-08

See the light and lease out your roof

I've got a few acres in the country, behind my house. Since I'm a contractor, not a farmer, I lease the land to a local guy who grows crops and grazes his animals. The land could lie fallow -- which . . .

Posted: 2010-04-24

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Almost all homes need attention to grading

QUESTION: I live in a 100-year-old house in Wolseley. My neighbour's house to the south is approximately four feet away. I put a slab sidewalk down many years ago because no sun ever shines between the houses and it was . . .

Posted: 2012-04-14

MIKE HOLMES: Tools every homeowner should have

You'll need four of them just to hang a picture

My dad used to say, "Mike, if you're going to do something, do it right the first time." Part of that is having the right tools. Every once in a while someone will ask me what tools they should have in . . .

Posted: 2013-08-31