Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Battle mould by eliminating moisture
Question:
I am wondering if you could help me out with directions on how to deal with mould under my cottage. I use the cottage year round. My cottage is built on four foot piers around the exterior and a few interior supports. The cottage is on a small hill and on some rock and soil, so the dirt in the crawl space is always damp. Over the last few years, I have poured a small footing around the exterior of the cottage. This helps to keep out the critters and winterizes the space. I framed up a knee-wall to the underside of the floor joists, which was then insulated with spray foam. I also put in a few vents for the summer and a baseboard heater.
The mould in the sealed space is so bad this year I need to remove it or spray it immediately. The uneven, dirt floor is always wet and I need help with controlling the mould. The moist dirt will always be there, due to the hill on which the cottage is built and the grade, which is sloping behind the cottage to the cottage wall.
Is poly on the dirt a good idea, or an HRV to control the air in the crawl space, should I turn on the heat all year or add more vents?
Help! Jim Bathe
Answer:
You have sent me a perfect inquiry for the subject of my annual cottage crawl-space article. This is one of the most common questions I receive, but yours has the twist of the mould buildup due to this issue. You appear to have taken the proper steps with the enclosure of your crawl space, but there a couple of omissions that will surely lead to excess moisture and mould growth.
By now, almost every homeowner knows excessive mould growth in confined spaces is due to an excess of moisture. Controlling or minimizing water in your enclosed crawl space is the key to preventing the mould, as you are obviously aware. While it appears you have done a proper job of enclosing the area beneath your cottage, and using excellent insulation on the inside of the knee-wall, you forgot about the dirt floor. Whether your place is on a hill, or a flat grade, excess moisture can be drawn out of the soil beneath the building if you heat the crawl space in the winter. The soil contains moisture and heating the air in the totally enclosed space will draw the moisture into that area. The summer vents are also an excellent idea, but the real problem likely occurs during the heating season, when those are closed.
You are absolutely correct that installation of polyethylene sheathing over the entire dirt floor will help prevent this moisture being drawn into the crawl space. To be effective, this sheathing should be at least six-millimetre poly, cover the entire floor and footing and be caulked around all protrusions and sealed to the insulated knee-walls. This is more easily accomplished before foaming, but should still be possible with a little extra effort. Once installed and sealed, putting a few centimeters of sand over the poly will keep it on the soil and prevent damage when it is walked on. While this step may help with a substantial amount of the moisture in this area, it may not be enough.
Because your crawl space is situated on a hill, as you have noted, water will often seep into the soil underneath, no matter what you do. Because of this, you will have to take extra steps in proper water management outside the building. Do you have complete eavestroughs and downspouts on the building? Are they draining to downspouts on the low side of the structure, only? Are the downspout extensions channelling the water far enough away from the cottage to prevent seepage into the crawl space? Addressing all of these issues successfully will certainly help with the amount of moisture entering the soil under your cottage. Finally, building the soil up near the middle of the high side and gradually grading it away to the corners may also help divert excess water around the crawl space, rather than inside.
If you already have these items in place and in good working order, and still get so much water under the building that mould growth is troublesome, mechanical systems may also be required to dry out the space. The simplest thing to install may be a sump pit and pump. Before installing the poly over the dirt floor, digging a hole and installing a perforated plastic sump, with properly plumbed pump, may help get rid of excessive ground water. To aid in the collection of this water, installing perforated weeping tile both outside the high side of the crawl space, and radiating out from the pit underneath the cottage would be a good idea. While the weeping tile may be difficult to install at this stage, it may be the ultimate answer if the sump pit and pump, combined with the poly, don't do the trick.
Maintaining a dry crawl space is difficult enough on a well-drained, flat prairie lot, but can be very tricky on sloped property like yours. Installation of a proper layer of poly over the floor and proper water management outside the building may be enough to accomplish this task, but installation of a sump pit, pump, and weeping tiles may be a final solution if the other measures fall short.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the President of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors - Manitoba (cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Mini cakes and mint chip ice cream
QUESTION - I read your solutions weekly and use many of your answers. Now that I have a granddaughter with a modern Easy Bake Oven, I would like to know if there are homemade recipes we can use. The commercial ones are very expensive. Thank you! Jean, Winnipeg
ANSWER - Easy Bake Oven Chocolate Cake Mix: Stir together six teaspoons flour, one quarter tsp. baking powder, one tsp. cocoa, one quarter or less salt and four tsp. sugar. Add six tsp. milk and three quarter tsp. shortening. Pour into greased pans and bake according to instructions on the oven box. White Cake Mix: Follow same ingredients but substitute cocoa with two drops vanilla. Makes one cake.
QUESTION - My family has an unusually high variety of allergies but we all have one thing in common: we love ice cream. We don't have an ice cream maker but would appreciate so much if you could give me a delicious recipe for chocolate chip mint ice cream? I would list our allergies but it would take too long; however, we are not allergic to dairy products. Thanks, Meghan (Portage la Prairie, MB)
ANSWER - Homemade ice cream without a machine requires a bit of time to make because you need to stir it a few times during the freezing process, but like you implied, when you make it yourself you have a better idea of what is going into your body. Ice Cream Directions: Into a tall metal bowl mix: two cups heavy cream and two cups two per cent milk, one cup sugar, one quarter tsp. salt, one tsp. vanilla extract, one tsp. peppermint extract and four drops green food coloring.
Place mixture in the fridge for one hour and then into the freezer for 40 minutes. Remove and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Doing this will break up the ice crystals that have begun to form. Freeze for 40 minutes. Remove from freezer and stir in 1 cup mini chocolate chips. Mix using an electric mixer. Freeze again for 40 minutes then beat with an electric mixer. Pour into a plastic container and seal with a lid. The more you beat and freeze, the smoother the ice cream. If you use an ice cream maker, this project takes about 20 minutes and the ice cream is really smooth. Final freezing time varies from freezer to freezer.
Feedback from a reader who cares:
Dear Reena,
I always try to find time to read your articles. That being said several years ago, you mentioned Whitcomb L. Judson as being the inventor of the zipper which confused me as I have always been told that it was a Canadian (via Sweden) that was given credit.
Judson did, according to some sources invent what he called a clasp locker but did not use the word zipper in his application. Gideon Sundback used the word zipper in his patent of 1917 and as a result was given a patent using that name/description. I have not been able to find a working relationship between Judson and Sundback but there is that possibility.
I only knew about a Canadian connection when I read a book by Ralph Nader titled Canada First -- including Pablum, health care, telephone and of course the zipper. Love your articles, keep them coming. Robert
Fabulous Tips of the Week:
White shoe polish won't smear if you spray the shoe with hair spray after it is dry.
To keep your small extension cords from getting tangled, insert them into an empty toilet paper roll to store.
I enjoy your questions and tips -- keep them coming. Missed a column? Can't remember a solution? Need a Corporate Presenter on the topic: Harness the Power of Words? Check out my website Reena.ca.
Renovation & Design
Alkyd semi-transparent stain best for deck
Question:
As soon as the weather allows, we will be preparing to refinish our front-porch deck, starting with a good sanding. We have asked several paint distributors what to use on our deck. Two years ago, we sanded and finished our back deck with a white stain. The deck faces south, so it bears the brunt of all of our beautiful sunshine in the summer. It has not held up as we would have hoped. Our covered porch faces north and we want the deck floor to be grey in colour with white risers. Do you recommend a stain, porch paint or something else entirely?
Looking forward to your reply.
Paul and Wendy MacNair
Answer:
Finishing horizontal decks and porches can be a challenge, due to the constant human traffic that wears away on surface finishes. Choosing a product that will last more than a year or two can be difficult, but your situation may be helped by the location and design of your porch.
Applying a finish to an older wood deck or porch is always a tricky situation because there are numerous products out there making many different claims. My own experience is the boasts of years of durability in any finish to be applied to an exterior horizontal surface are all to be taken with a grain of salt. Having said that, using products with less solids and suggest a more "natural" look to the wood may be the better choice. That is because they normally cover up less of the wood grain and don't have as much material to stick to the bottom of the many shoes that will tread upon the surface. The drawback with these finishes is they may not give you your desired look, unless applied to a newly installed wood deck.
The most commonly used finish for deck surfaces is likely an alkyd semi-transparent stain. This is often chosen because it combines the good absorptive properties of an oil-based stain, with the light tint of a semi-transparent finish. These stains often contain an added preservative, which may help prevent rot in the wood even after the colour fades. They will also contain ultraviolet (UV) protection, which is normally better the heavier the tint component. So, I would recommend looking for a product that has all these qualities and enough of a grey colour to satisfy your aesthetic desires.
Too many times, homeowners opt for finishes that will cover all of the imperfections of older wood by choosing a solid colour stain. This is a bad decision, as the extra materials in the solid finish will only wear faster from numerous feet and be more noticeable in the highest traffic areas. That type of finish may be quite suitable for vertical surfaces such as fences, but will not work on most decks. Also, opting for a latex-based finish may seem like a better idea from an environmental and easy cleanup standpoint, but it will not penetrate deep enough to provide good protection from moisture damage. Because that type of finish mainly sits on the surface of the wood, it will also wear off in no time flat. For those same reasons, choosing a paint finish, rather than a stain, will accelerate the deteriorated look of the entire surface.
The main benefit your front porch has over the rear deck is not the direction it faces, but the fact it is covered. The roof covering over this area will help prolong the life of any finish you choose for two reasons. First, the overhang of the roof will keep the majority of precipitation from directly falling on the decking. While not the most destructive force to the finish itself, heavy rains, snow and ice can penetrate the wood and cause the finish to peel, flake, or simply lose its adherence. As the wood ages, and rot begins to take hold, keeping a nice-looking finish becomes even more difficult. Sanding or pressure washing the surface of the old wood is a good idea, to allow damaged wood on the surface to be removed, ensuring better adhesion of the new stain.
The second major benefit of the roof over your porch is prevention of UV rays from damaging the finish. The strong UV rays in direct sunlight may be the most severe variable in the deterioration of flat decking. This strong light source can cause untreated wood to quickly grey in colour, while drying out any moisture within the wood. The excessive drying can allow the wood to check or crack, opening the surface and allowing penetration of damaging water, moss and insects. Having a covering on the porch should prevent the majority of the sun's damaging UV rays from creating that problem. It will help prevent the finish from deteriorating, while preventing damage to the underlying wood surface.
While your question is a very common and excellent one that is posed to anyone working at a home centre or paint store on a daily basis, you have one benefit over most other individuals. The north-facing direction of your porch, combined with the roof covering, will minimize two of the three most problematic items for decks, UV from the sun and precipitation. The third variable of foot traffic cannot be avoided, no matter what direction your deck faces, but still must be taken into consideration. For that reason, using a high-quality alkyd semi-transparent stain finish should be your best bet. Exterior stains are an item where spending more should ensure you get a better quality, longer lasting product, so don't bother looking at the bargain brands when shopping.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the President of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors -- Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Easy does it with telepost adjustment
Question: We built our house 32 years ago and have never adjusted the teleposts. They are now out by as much as 1.25 inches at the most and three-quarter inches for some. There are five posts to be adjusted. I'm going to get two bottle jacks and four-by-four posts to raise the beam and start the process. I've read that a half turn is two millimetres, and that should be all the adjustment at any time. Two weeks later another adjustment can be made. I was wondering if I should just lower the worst ones until they are all the same distance out, then continue to lower all at the same time until we've reached a level state.
Thanks, John Arnold
Answer: Adjusting teleposts in a basement is a job that can be undertaken by a moderately skilled homeowner, but extreme caution must be exercised to prevent structural damage to the home. You have shown you have done some good research and understand the process, but there are still some flaws in your plans.
The information you have cited relating to amount and rate of adjustment appears to be fairly accurate, but I am concerned about some other comments you made. You state you are going to get a couple of jacks and wood posts to raise the beam before beginning the telepost adjustments. I am troubled by that statement, because raising or jacking a portion of the floor structure is not necessary in most situations and can be quite dangerous. Lifting up a main beam that will have several tonnes of load with a four-by-four post and small jack is not something I would recommend the average weekend warrior attempt. If not done correctly, the jack, wood post or steel telepost could slip or move, potentially injuring anyone standing nearby.
Most teleposts are installed without any significant fasteners to secure them at the top or bottom. They are normally held in place simply by the weight of the floor structure, or possibly small nails at the top plate under the main beam. If the beam is raised too high by jacking, and the load improperly shifted, one or more teleposts could become loose and fall over. It may be difficult to properly replace any of these posts before structural issues arise, unless you have several people helping you at the time of the jacking. While this is an important safety consideration, I also question why you are planning this step altogether.
A telepost is a round, steel cylinders with a threaded rod at the top supported by a steel plate on top of the cylinder. The purpose of the threaded rod is to allow adjustment of the overall height of this simple mechanism. Most teleposts installed in homes your age have opposite flattened sections near the top of this bolt, to allow a wrench to fit around. To lower or raise the bolt, the wrench will simply have to be cranked in one direction or the other. As you have stated, most homes require lowering of the posts. While it may be difficult to manually turn the bolt upon first attempt, once a complete revolution has been achieved, it may be quite easy to continue with minimal exertion. To start the adjustment process, a large hammer or steel pipe and sledgehammer may be all that is required. Hitting the wrench or the extension pipe placed over top of the wrench in the correct direction should provide enough torque to get the threads to move. Spraying the bolt with WD40 or other penetrating oil at least a day before beginning will also help to loosen corrosion and lubricate the threads, making the adjustment even smoother.
As far as lowering the higher posts to the proposed current height of the lower ones, that may also be problematic. While this makes sense in theory, it may not work well in the real world. That's because the laminated wood of the beam, and also the floor joists, are no longer straight or unaltered. The uneven pressure of the teleposts and other loads on top of the floor have likely caused some noticeable bowing in the wood-floor structure. This warping of the wood may have taken years, or decades, to get to the point it is now. This will not be easily reversed in the short period of time you plan between adjustments. If you try to lower the higher posts too much, they may become completely loose, and fall over due to this bowing of the floor structure. This could happen with one or more of the higher teleposts and lead to serious safety issues. For that reason, it is advisable to adjust all the teleposts together. You may be able to do some of the lower posts a quarter turn relative to a half turn for the ones that need more adjustments.
The final thing to address is the overall amount of drop and your measurements. I'm not sure what method you have used to determine the height differential, but don't be alarmed if you have to stop before you reach your measured approximations. You may never be able to return the beam to its original position, so a reasonable amount will suffice. Be careful not to attempt to level the beam, as the house has likely settled and one end may be significantly lower than the other. Straightening the beam is the proper goal, rather than looking for it to be level. Look to the doors on the main floor, and any noticeable floor bumps, to determine when to stop. When the doors are substantially square, or smoother operating, that may be far enough.
Adjusting teleposts is not a difficult job technically, but can cause major problems if done improperly. Ensuring you go as slowly as you are planning will help prevent serious cracks or structural issues but be careful not to expect perfection. Easing the natural upward movement of the floor structure so doors operate better and minimal floor bumps are seen, should be enough for a satisfactory conclusion.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors - Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
UPROOTING your home & garden
Homebuyers searching for their next property are more likely than ever to purchase a house that also comes with a garden. Attractively developed landscapes add considerable value to the worth of a property.
What if you are selling your home and facing the prospect of leaving your beautiful garden behind? Is it possible to take your favourite plants with you?
Terie Langen, a busy realtor with Re/Max Winnipeg, says that she has yet to meet a gardener in her 20-plus years of residential home selling who does not bring up the question of keeping some favourite plants.
"The multiple listing contract used in Manitoba," explained Langen, "allows for public notification of exclusions to the sale of a home. Generally, it is disclosed up front that some perennials or cuttings will be taken from the yard."
Langen says the garden would be considered a fixture assumed to be part of a homebuyer's purchase. "Disclosure and discretion in quantity removed would be the way to address any favourites," said Langen.
This is good news for gardeners who can't bear to leave behind a magnificent, mature hosta, rare specimen or any plant that has special significance.
What would you dig up and take with you if you were moving away from your garden? I would take my Casa Blanca lilies. And probably a few clumps of my Brunnera macrophylla, too. Of course, I would dig up my Twist 'n Shout lacecap hydrangeas and every one of my dark violet blue Dracocephalum grandiflorum (Dragon's Head).
Yes, I can see where this is going so I will stay where I am. However, for gardeners who, for whatever reason, are contemplating a move, it is indeed possible to take some of your favourite plants with you.
Maurice Larson tends the largest garden in all of Winnipeg. As supervisor of outdoor gardens at Assiniboine Park, Larson has relocated many plants over the years.
"In my experience, plants are very resilient," said Larson who stresses that it is the attention to detail by the gardener both at the time of digging and replanting, and in particular, the aftercare that determines the success of the relocation.
Before Eileen Rosen moved, visitors would stop by her shady River Heights garden and marvel at the collection of plants that she had so carefully assembled and arranged over the years. With the discerning eye of the interior designer that she is, Rosen understands the effective use of colour and texture. When the decision was made to switch from a two-storey home to a bungalow, Rosen readied her wheelbarrow, made her list, confirmed it with her realtor and commenced digging in early spring.
The task was daunting but not only because digging is strenuous work. Rosen's new landscape was nowhere near ready to accept new transplants. The previous owners of her newly purchased property were not gardeners. Instead of a manicured landscape with deep beds awaiting her mature perennials, Rosen's new property was a dense thicket of dead and dying oak trees. And in the centre of it all, one massive cottonwood tree.
In all, close to 20 trees, including the cottonwood, were removed from Rosen's new landscape. Rosen left three oak trees but they became stressed and started dying because the water table had been altered with the removal of so many trees.
To complicate matters, Rosen's next-door neighbour had built up his property significantly and runoff water drained into the side of her yard.
"Basically my yard was like a drainage ditch," admitted Rosen, her great sense of humour intact.
Although she liked the size of the yard and the opportunity to develop a new garden, she knew it was going to be a tremendous amount of work. The rows of pots providing temporary housing to the scores of plants that she brought from her previous garden provided the inspiration she needed to get the job done.
With the tree removal behind her, Rosen called Samborski's Garden Supplies and ordered 35 yards of quality soil.
Rosen pulled out thistles and burdock and then set about preparing her new beds. The first step was to cover the soil with layers of newspapers, overlapping the edges. This practice succeeds in blocking out all light and killing existing weeds. Next she heaped Samborski's five-way soil on top. The thoroughbred yard and garden mix contains no peat moss, only black soil, manure, 2 mm fine sand, compost and Elm Creek Soil, said to be the best sandy loam soil in southern Manitoba.
This is the fourth summer since that momentous move and yet Rosen's new garden has the look of a mature garden at its height of glory. What did she bring with her from her previous garden? She knew from the start that she would not be leaving her catalpa tree behind. When Rosen dug it up four years ago, it was only 1.8-meters tall. Today, dripping with long slender seedpods, it has claimed centre spot in one of the flower beds and has grown past the telephone wires.
Other relocated plants include geranium Rozanne, David phlox, martagon lilies, Red Velvet Asiatic lily, Misty Mauve delphinium, ornamental rhubarb, three Itoh peonies, a simply spectacular meadow rue, monkshood, giant fleece flower, Sum and Substance hosta, Beauty of Cobham monarda and some favourite lilies, Cinnamon Roll and Hyperion.
Of course that's not all. Rosen also dug up grasses including Molinia Skyracer, Panicum Virgatum Heavy Metal and fussy Hakonechloa macra (Japanese forest grass). The latter took two years to adjust to its new site but is now thriving.
Rosen brought along two hydrangeas as well: Incrediball and a lesser known variety, White Dome.
Rosen was very selective with the plants she chose. "You don't know the drainage patterns or the light conditions of a new garden," said Rosen. Keeping your transplants in their pots and moving them to various locations helps you to decide on the perfect spot for planting.
When Darlene Belton moved from her fully developed sun-filled landscape in East Fort Garry to a shady yard in Charleswood last year, she also faced a challenging new landscape, one that consisted mainly of weeds and a few struggling shrubs. Belton was fortunate enough to be able to ready her new beds in the fall prior to taking possession. A permaculture devotee, Belton used the lasagna method, layering organic material (grass clippings and leaves) for a rich organic base.
With full approval of Joan Sikorsky, the new buyer of her Fort Garry property, Belton began dividing plants, taking half of each to her new garden and leaving the other half for Sikorsky. Interestingly, Belton's new shady landscape proved beneficial to many of her plants, including bugbane (Cimicifuga ramose), bergenia and hostas as well as two shrubs, nannyberry and Morden amber dogwood.
Some of Belton's plants were making their second move, having travelled some years ago from Kingston to Winnipeg in the back seat of a car, a trip that took three days in the heat of August. Still, the plants had to wait until the following spring before being replanted and spent the winter in their pots under mounds of leaves and snow cover.
When digging up her plants last spring, Belton dug up as much of the root ball as possible, popped them in pots twice the size of the rootball so as to minimize transplant shock and backfilled with soil from the bed, tamping each plant down securely and watering thoroughly. Today, she is perfectly happy with her new landscape, filled with healthy plant divisions.
Jan Pedersen, sales representative with Bylands Nurseries, once moved three six-year-old Globe blue spruce trees from one garden to the next. Anticipating the size of the root ball, Pedersen chose a 15 gallon container size and dug the trees up by hand.
"You're removing the tree from its main feeding roots because the feeder roots go much beyond what you can dig," said Pedersen who immediately fed each tree, once they were placed in the containers, with a liquid root inducing fertilizer.
Destined for his new garden, the effort was backbreaking but worth it since the evergreens were beautifully shaped and expensive to replace. Pedersen had the permission of the new buyer of the home and left smaller plants in their place. The evergreens were stored over the winter at his parents' place in a protected corner with good snow cover.
Pedersen says he wouldn't move a deciduous tree with a trunk larger than 25 mm in diameter. "It might be wiser to invest in a new tree," said Pedersen who also recommends late September or October is a good time to dig up anything deciduous since there is enough frost to set dormancy.
Larson says anything with a taproot will have a higher level of difficulty to transplant. Balloon flower, asclepia, some of the spurges and poppies have tap roots and can be difficult plants. Potting plants immediately after digging helps to reduce their stress. Larson suggests some root pruning as well as trimming back the plant to reduce the risk of transplant shock.
As bittersweet as it may be to leave a garden, there is the opportunity to relocate prized plants and to create new and exciting combinations. Larson says site preparation is critical for continued success and recommends ensuring transplants are planted into a very well prepared area.
And what plant would Larson never leave behind? Clematis Recta, a fragrant ground clematis with showy white blooms.