Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Wood skirting best bet to insulate cottage
QUESTION: We have built a lakefront cottage in the Whiteshell. We added onto the old cottage. The original was 500 square feet and now it is 1,200 sq. ft.
We reinsulated the old cottage, walls and ceiling to match the new ones. I left three inches of vapour barrier extending out from the bottom of the walls.
The floors were impossible to vapour-barrier the traditional way because it rained so much while building and the water worked its way through the plywood and caused the vapour barrier to bulge with water. I had to cut out the vapour barrier from under the cottage to allow the water to drain and the wood to fully dry. The existing cottage floor did not have a vapour barrier, either.
I have since insulated the floor of the cottage and covered it with metal lathing to keep the rodents out. The lathing is the only way I have found that successfully keeps them out of the insulation. I thought I could lay vapour barrier over the existing plywood floor and join it to the polyethylene coming out of the walls with acoustical sealant. This would complete the vapour-barrier seal around the whole cabin. After, I would lay good on one side 3/8-inch plywood on top and staple it down. I need the new plywood to make a smooth surface to put vinyl-laminate flooring on top of.
The other option would be to forget about the vapour barrier on the floor at all. In that case, I could glue the plywood as well as staple it down. We do not ever foresee living full-time at the cottage. It is only used spring, summer and fall.
ANSWER: Many cottages and summer homes like yours are built without typical concrete foundations or grade beams due to the nature of the landscape or the difficulty in pouring concrete in remote locations. Others are built on posts and pads due to uneven grading and sloping lots in the Canadian Shield. This method may be easier to accomplish and less costly than forming and pouring concrete, but it always leaves a dilemma when deciding how to properly insulate the floor system.
The best way to accomplish this, even with a post-and-pad system, is to construct a pressure-treated wood skirting underneath the perimeter of the floor to grade and insulate and air-seal this skirting. This allows temporary heating of the new crawl space, which will warm the floor and make it comfortable in the shoulder seasons when the cottage will presumably be heated.
If this is not practical, or you prefer to leave the underside of the cottage open to prevent moisture and drainage issues, your floor insulation may have little benefit in providing thermal protection for your cottage.
Insulation and air-sealing for three-season habitation may not have to meet the stringent requirements of winter usage. While it may not be necessary to fully insulate the walls and attic because you are only heating the interior occasionally, it's admirable to conserve energy and increase the comfort level. However, insulating and air-sealing the floor may be a different story.
Because warm air rises, most heat loss in buildings is due to air and heat loss through the attic and walls, which includes the windows and doors. Heat loss through the floor should not be a major factor, so installation of large amounts of fibreglass insulation between the floor joists will do little to improve comfort or energy efficiency. This is because fibreglass insulation does little to stop air leakage, but it does slow down its movement and can trap significant amounts of air and moisture.
Air-sealing may prevent cold air intrusion from below the floor and prevent drafts, which can make the floor feel even colder. Removing the fibreglass insulation from the floor and replacing it with a few inches of blown-in high density polyurethane foam or extruded polystyrene will air-seal and add R-value at the same time. With a sufficient thickness of either of these types of insulation, a polyethylene air/vapour barrier will not be necessary. This method will also prevent the need for the metal lath as it will eliminate the haven for mice and squirrels that fibreglass batts provide.
If you feel it's too costly or labour-intensive to remove the fibreglass batts, it still doesn't make sense to install the polyethylene sheathing where you propose. The poly may trap moisture underneath, which can rot the existing subfloor. A better solution would be to seal the top of seams and fasteners of the existing plywood floor.
Plywood sheathing actually has reasonable resistance to air and water vapour penetration, except at the joints. This will allow you to glue down your next layer of sheathing, which will only improve the air/vapour resistance, especially if you offset the joints with the original sheathing.
Renovation & Design
SOLUTIONS: Use dandruff shampoo to remove blood
QUESTION: How do you remove blood from a blue carpet? My dog has cancer in his nose. Need an answer quickly. Thanks. -- Ann, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Sorry to hear about your dog. Your best bet for removing blood from the carpet without discolouring the spot is to scrub the area with Head and Shoulders Dandruff shampoo. Rinse with water. Of course you'll want to test the shampoo on an inconspicuous area first.
QUESTION: I went on vacation last November and forgot items in the refrigerator such as milk and an onion which rotted a little. Needless to say, the odour was pretty bad upon my return. I have washed the fridge with water, soap and baking soda. I also placed some vinegar in the fridge. The odour still remains but not as strong. Is there something else I can use? I also threw out all my condiments which were in plastic bottles. Thank-you in advance. -- Evelyne, Winnipeg
ANSWER: I like the way you think! But instead of just placing vinegar in the fridge, pour it in and let it work its way into every corner and crevice that exists in the fridge. After the fridge is clean and dry, unplug it and STUFF it full of several crumpled-up newspaper pages (not this page, of course) and leave it for a week. The ink in newspapers is a dynamic odour absorber and will zap all remaining smells.
QUESTION: How can I clean my oak kitchen cupboards? -- Joan and Cecile, Winnipeg and Brandon, MB
ANSWER: Mild dish soap and water is all that is recommended for cleaning the grease off of kitchen cupboards (just a damp clean cloth and no excess water, dry immediately). This should be very effective, since dish soap is created as a grease cutter.
QUESTION: I have a set of aluminum muffin pans and grease has hardened on them and browned. Can I soak them with something? -- Hazel, Killarney, MB
ANSWER: Presenting the world's easiest and oldest trick! Slice a raw potato in half; next, pour baking soda onto the muffin pan. Use the potato and baking soda combo to scrub away the rust. Extra tip: If you are out of potatoes, use an onion instead.
QUESTION: We bought a new kitchen range in December. It is white. The oven vent comes out below the dials on the front panel. The white plastic above the vent area has discoloured to a yellowish colour. Is there anything that I can use to restore the white colour? You can't feel anything in the discolouration area; it's smooth like the rest.
Also, what can you do to get spruce gum off of clothes? -- Shelley, Ashern, MB
ANSWER: Whoa, four months old and it's already discolouring, I know what I would do... call the manufacturer and ask for their guidance. There are certain manufacturer products with common design flaws. In my experience, the yellowing is permanent and cannot be fixed without replacing the part. You can try cleaning it with the helpful advice from a loyal reader who experienced a similar challenge.
Loraleigh from Manitoba suggests sprinkling the area with baking soda and scrubbing it with a grapefruit peel. However, in my opinion, contact the manufacturer before your warranty runs out -- perhaps the oven is recalled or a service person can be sent out.
To get spruce gum out of clothes, smear with mayonnaise. Wipe off spruce gum. Pour dish soap and water onto area and rinse. Wash as usual.
Fabulous tips to beef up your next meal
-- Sprinkle a little salt into your frying pan before adding meat to cut down on grease splatters.
-- Fancy up meatloaf by baking it in muffin tins or Bundt pans instead of loaves (cooking time will vary).
-- For perfect meatloaf slices, bake it, then freeze it for a couple of hours. Cut, reheat and serve. The added bonus is you can prepare the meatloaf well before serving.
-- To prevent meatloaf from sticking to the pan, lay a slice of uncooked bacon on the bottom before baking. For extra flavour, add a few slices to the top of the meatloaf as well.
Reena Nerbas is the author of the national bestselling Household Solutions series. Her website is www.householdsolutions.org. You can contact her at Box 429, Blumenort, Man., ROA 0C0.
Renovation & Design
SOLUTIONS: Let son exercise carport cleaning options
QUESTION: My son had an old car that left grease stains on our cement carport and I have tried everything to clean it. Do you have any suggestions? Stella (Giroux, Man.)
ANSWER: You can purchase products formulated for cleaning concrete. The following are other options but remember to always wear eye and skin protection when using chemicals.
Option 1: Bleach. Dilute as the directions indicate for cleaning. Let the solution sit on the stained area for several minutes, then scrub and rinse.
Option 2: T.S.P. Dilute one cup in one gallon of hot water. Pour it on the area and let it sit for 15 minutes. Scrub with a stiff brush. Rinse off with hose and repeat if needed.
Option 3: Muriatic acid. It's not a stain remover or cleaner. The acid actually etches away the concrete itself, and sometimes the stain as well. You will need to scrub and rinse this chemical also. Follow the directions carefully. Use muriatic acid only if you seal the driveway with masonry sealer afterwards.
Remember that you will be altering the level of the surface if you remove a lot of material. If you use a pressure washer, make sure you have the right nozzle. A jet that is too powerful can damage concrete. Use a nylon scrub brush.
QUESTION: What is the best way to store broccoli? Menno, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Refrigerate fresh broccoli in a plastic bag, use within three days of purchase since the vitamin content decreases the longer it is stored. Or, stand broccoli in a jar with water to keep it fresh longer. Kitchen secret: Take the rubber band off vegetables before storing; they will last twice as long.
Fabulous feedback from Manitobans:
-- Cotton sheets (especially high- thread count Egyptian, Sateen etc.) come out of my dryer very creased. By accident, I discovered that if I make the bed with damp filled sheet, and leave open to dry, the creases disappear. Then I can put the damp top sheet over the dry fitted sheet and tuck the sides in tightly (like in hotels). Putting the damp pillowcases on the pillows and hanging them from a pant hanger with strong clips until dry works great, too.
-- Fresh banana peels on the dirt by plants (house, garden and flowerbed) repel bugs such as aphids, ants and others. Thin strips of peel can be hung on branches (100-per-cent biodegradable).
-- To relieve the pain of canker sores, place a pinch of salt in mouth and then add one teaspoon to water. Gargle and spit.
-- To soothe sore throats, carefully heat half a cup of milk and four teaspoons of honey until honey is melted. Mix in another half cup of milk and warm until it's as hot as you can drink it. Drink and enjoy.
Submitted by Joanna (Steinbach):
-- To eliminate burnt-food oven odours, sprinkle cinnamon in a baking pan. Place the pan in the oven while it's still warm but no longer hot. Submitted by Wolf, Winnipeg
Reena Nerbas is the author of the national bestselling Household Solutions series. Her website is www.householdsolutions.org. You can contact her at Box 429, Blumenort, Man., ROA 0C0.
