Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Managing heat, humidity and hardwoods
QUESTION: I was very interested in your recent article dealing with heat recovery ventilator. Six years ago, we moved into a new house that had an HRV. The house is air-conditioned and uses a forced-air furnace.
Because we have newly installed wooden floors in this bungalow, I was anxious during the summer months to keep the humidity reasonably low, which the air conditioner was able to do along with the fact that the humidistat was also "not in operation." I recognize that the HRV was operating at a low level bringing in moist air, but the humidity of the house was not out of control. So we have little difficulty in the summer months.
In the winter months we have difficulty getting the relative humidity above 30 per cent, even though there is a Desert Spring humidifier installed in the return-air plenum of the furnace. This is a problem for us as the wood-floor manufacturers indicate the humidity should be at the 40 to 50 per cent level at all times. I think if these humidity levels were achieved in the very cold weather we might have a lot of condensation on the inside of the house windows, but I have neighbours who say they do fine at 40 per cent.
As you might gather, I would like to see the humidity reach into the 30s at least during the winter, and I wonder what you would think about turning the HRV off altogether during the night. This way, there would not be as much humidity escaping the house, which might increase humidity levels. Needless to say, we have never had to use the humidistat because of the lower humidity levels in the winter months. -- Bruce Catchpole
ANSWER: While it may seem your question is about your new home and HRV, the issue that I will touch on is the need to maintain a high relative-humidity level in your home to prevent problems with your hardwood floor.
I think you have a common problem with your HRV, as many other people do, with controls that are improperly set up. This can be easily fixed. Time and time again, I have heard from clients and homeowners that they have been advised to maintain relative humidity (RH) levels in their homes well above 40 per cent, at normal room temperatures, to prevent damage to their hardwood floors. The logic for this always seems to escape any reasonable scientific explanation.
The information normally is gained from searching hardwood-floor manufacturer or association websites, or in warnings from installers or suppliers. I take exception to this bad advice because it normally comes from an industry that may be rooted in an area with a completely different climate than ours, often in the U.S. or eastern Canada. A lot of the hardwood for the flooring is sold and manufactured in those areas, which may never see temperatures below freezing year-round. They also may have high ambient relative humidity due to their geographic location. The information they supply for their product will not be applicable for all of their distribution area and I expect the authors of this misinformation have never experienced Manitoba in February, let alone find it on a map.
Hardwood is typically dried after being rough cut, often in kilns, to a moisture content below 20 per cent before it is ready to be further milled. This dry material can then be machined into smooth hardwood planks or flooring. From there it may be pre-finished or packaged and sent to a warehouse where it may dry even further.
To properly acclimatize this dry flooring it should be brought into the job site and left there for a couple of weeks or more prior to installation. This will allow the wood to adapt to the interior environment and will prevent shrinking or buckling after installation. If the wood is not left long enough to acclimatize, or if it has been stored in poor conditions at a supply warehouse, problems can occur. When this happens it's very easy for the manufacturer, supplier or installer to blame the homeowners, even if they are doing nothing wrong.
To further illustrate this point, I will use the example of hardwood flooring in numerous older homes in our area. I have seen homes that are nearly 100 years old with hardwood flooring that is in good to very good condition, mostly oak. I have also seen many more with floors that are in fair to poor condition, quite often maple or birch floors.
Many of these ancient homes had original central-heating systems with poor distribution and no humidification for the winter. These homes also would have originally been heated partially by radiant heat from wood or coal fireplaces, which can further dry the wood flooring adjacent to the fireplace. How then, could original hardwood-plank flooring survive without extreme shrinkage with winter indoor RH levels below 20 per cent, let alone above 40 as recommended?
You are absolutely correct in your assertion that you will create problems in your home if you try to keep the RH levels above the 40per cent range during the heating season. As for the current conditions in your home, a range of 30 per cent RH in a new home is not too low in the middle of winter.
As far as maintaining control of the moisture level in the air in your home, please refer to my previous column you sited that suggests your HRV controls are not properly functioning and the unit may be running continuously. If you have an experienced HVAC technician properly set up the humidistatic controls for your HRV, it will allow you to regulate the RH in your home to your desired comfort levels without manually turning it on and off.
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 e-mailed 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
MIKE HOLMES: If salesman comes knocking, keep door shut
We've all been there. You're just about to sit down to dinner when the doorbell rings. It's a salesperson who's come to sell you home-renovation services.
He says he's noticed your driveway needs re-sealing, or your shingles need replacing, or your foundation needs new parging. And the best part? You're in luck. He'll be in your neighbourhood two weeks from now on another job. He'd be happy to book you in for some work when he's done that job. Heck, he's even willing to offer you a great deal: a 10 per cent rebate on his services and an even deeper discount if you want to pay cash.
If this situation or something like it has ever happened to you -- and chances are good it has, and will happen again -- I urge you to firmly but politely say "no way." Entertaining this guy for even a second longer is a waste of your time and a danger to your wallet.
When it comes to door-to-door sales for construction services, always say no. No matter how urgent the need, no matter how friendly the seller, no matter how sweet the deal. Here are five reasons why you must slam the door on door-to-door construction sales.
1. Good contractors don't need to look for work.
In the construction business, reputation is everything. If you've ever tried to get ahold of a contractor you know is good -- who came highly recommended from a trustworthy source -- chance are, his phone was busy, or the call wasn't answered. Why? Because he was busy working.
The good contractors are always busy. They have great reputations that precede them on every job. So they don't need to advertise or go door to door to get work. Word-of-mouth recommendations bring in all the work they need.
So what does that say about the guy who sells reno services door to door? For one, he's got no reputation that you know of. For another, his phone isn't ringing off the hook. If it were, he wouldn't need to knock on every door in your neighbourhood to drum up work.
2. You don't know who's at your door.
The best con men trick customers into believing anything. They'll carry slick-looking business cards, maybe even photo ID to show just how "official" they are. Don't buy into any of this. With a few basic computer skills and a good-quality printer, anyone can make some official-looking papers.
If you're the slightest bit interested in following up with a door-to-door salesperson, never agree to anything on the spot. Do your homework. Call to see if his company is registered and has a good reputation. And ask for, and check, the contractor's references -- in person, if possible.
A few hours spent digging into a contractor's history will be time well-spent. And if your research turns up suspicious leads or no leads at all, take that as a clear sign to stay well away.
3. They prey on ignorance.
When they sell construction services, door-to-door salespeople will try to overwhelm and confuse. They may try to scare you. They'll say you have a problem and explain the work that needs doing, using as many technical terms as possible. Their aim is to wow you with their supposed knowledge and make you believe your problem must be fixed immediately.
My advice: If you genuinely believe those repairs need to be made, make a note of the seller's suggestions, take his business card and tell him you'll call him for a quote later. Then do your homework. Get a second, third or even fourth opinion from other contractors -- ones you've called yourself. If everyone agrees you have a problem, then it's time to act. But don't take the word of any old door-to-door salesman, just because he sounds knowledgeable.
4. They use high-pressure tactics.
One of the most common tactics the door-to-door renovator uses is the limited-time deal. He's got a great special on his services if you buy now. No, he can't promise you the deal if you call him back tomorrow. It's now or never.
If you hear that line from a salesperson, end the conversation right away. That's a classic high-pressure pitch that's designed to separate you from your money as fast as possible. No reputable contractor will pressure you into buying a service. The good renovators expect you to take time to think about a project and your budget, and make the decision that's best for you. If a seller tries to force you into making an immediate decision, chances are good he's got his best interests in mind, not yours. Walk away.
(The other classic "deal" the door-to-door contractor will offer is a discount for cash sales. That offer is the biggest red flag of all. It's unethical. It's risky. And it's flat-out illegal. If someone offers you a cash discount on construction services, you can safely assume he's not afraid to try other unethical, illegal activities.)
5. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
A renovation job will always cost money when it's done by a professional. So if your house needs work, take time to educate yourself. Understand the job and who's doing it, and what the job should cost to be done right.
-- Postmedia News
Catch Mike on Holmes Inspection, airing Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV. For more information, visit www.hgtv.ca. For more information on home renovations, visitmakeitright.ca
Renovation & Design
Arrange furniture around a focal point
Dear Marc:
I am currently working on my floor plan and am trying to figure out how to properly place my furniture in the living room. I have one sofa and two chairs. The room has one doorway coming into the room and a fireplace on the opposite wall. Where do I start? -- Annie
Dear Annie:
The key to achieving a successful floor plan is proper planning. The first step is to take inventory of all the furniture pieces that will be present in the final design.
Now take a look at the room to see if there are any architectural elements you need to take into account. Architectural elements can be found in the form of a fireplace, large windows, columns, doorways, etc. In this case, you'll want to sit facing the fireplace. Doorways also alter floor plans, since who wants to come into a room and have to squeeze past the sofa to get to the other chairs? The key is for everything to be functional. It may look pretty, but if you can't use it, then you don't have a successful designer space.
Now you need to locate the focal point of the room, which the seating will revolve around. Some architectural focal points are fixed, such as a fireplace or bay window. But there are instances where the focal point of the room is not apparent or is non-existent, forcing the homeowner to create one.
A focal point is essentially a point in the room where the eye will be drawn upon entering the space. This point will also be the focus of the seating arrangement. A focal point is traditionally used to accentuate a special feature found in the space. In this particular space, we have already determined that the focal point is the fireplace.
Now look for ways to place the furniture so every seat in the room has a clear view of the focal point. It does not have to be a direct view of the focal point, but should be within a 180-degree view. For instance, a chair doesn't have to be placed facing the fireplace, but rather, it can be placed facing the sofa, which is located on the wall perpendicular to the fireplace.
The other consideration when arranging your furniture is to create balance. You always want everything in design to balance, since even the most design-illiterate person's eye will automatically see if the space is balanced or not. She won't know what is wrong with the space, but she'll know it just doesn't look right.
To determine if you have properly placed your furniture in your space, simply test it out. Sit on every piece of furniture and see if you have a clear view of the focal point, if you are comfortable and if you have access to a hard surface to set your beverage on. If you have checked off a 'yes' to each, then you have yourself a designer space, so enjoy!
-- Postmedia News
Marc Atiyolil is the editor-in-chief of Canadian Home Trends: Canada's Home Decor & Lifestyle Magazine. To submit a question for Marc, visit CanadianHomeTrends.ca
