Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
MIKE HOLMES: Home repairs take longer than you might think
THROUGHOUT my career as a contractor, I've had to explain to the client, in detail, the time breakdown of the job. And that's a good thing -- your contractor should be able to account for how long a job takes and how much it's going to cost. And for some strange reason, it always seems homeowners question the price of a small job more than they do a big renovation. Maybe because they think the small job is something they could do themselves if they had the time.
Wrapping your head around how all the time is spent on a basic task can be broken down in four main steps. To understand these steps, let's use an example of replacing a broken stair railing spindle -- a small job that shouldn't take too much time. The average homeowner may think it will probably take an hour to replace. Let's look at the job step-by-step and see.
Step 1: Preparation
The broken spindle needs to be removed carefully without damaging the surrounding wood finish, carpet, or rest of the railing. If the spindle isn't a stock item, a second undamaged spindle may also need to be removed, in order to use as an example to duplicate a new piece. Let's say the spindle is a stock item (the best-case scenario) and the least expensive. The contractor has to still source the right piece at the building supply store. We're already at the homeowner's original estimate of one hour.
Step 2: Transportation
The contractor has to go to the building supply store, pick up the part and return. Hopefully, the local supplier has the part. If it is something more specialized, they may have to travel across town. Even if the spindle can picked up around the block at a big-box lumber store, you will still need to spend time finding the part and standing in line with everyone else while more time is ticking away. Add another hour.
Step 3: Installation
Finally some real work is getting done -- the spindle gets replaced. It might be an easy operation, or there may be complications due to the original construction method. Either way, it is precision work, to make sure the new piece sits in perfect alignment and that it is strong and safe. That brings us to the end of hour three.
And we are finished right? Wrong. The most time-consuming step is still to go and it's the one the client is going to scrutinize more than anything else --the finishing.
Step 4: Finishing
The new spindle has to match all the others, and direct from the store it comes as just a piece of unfinished wood. The contractor has to match the stain or primer and paint and may have to add a coat of Varathane or other wood finish to make sure that not only the colour is right, but the sheen matches the sheen of the existing woodwork. If this step is rushed, the replacement piece will stick out like a sore thumb and the homeowner will not be happy. All the small parts of this step -- like detail sanding, taping off surrounding areas and preparing paints or stains -- take up precious time. There you've spent another hour and we didn't even account for drying time between the various coatings.
There you have it -- a grand total of four hours, as a best-case scenario. In the end, the homeowner doesn't notice any difference between the repaired spindle and the others around it, and that is exactly the desired result. The repair blends into the rest of the staircase railing as close as humanly possible. All the time needed to achieve this seamless look will never be fully understood by the client nor anyone who wasn't there to witness it moment by moment. Tasks requiring skill and effort always take longer than imagined.
There's one other step I haven't mentioned because is doesn't contribute to the actual job, but it's still important and it still takes time on the contractor's part: Keeping the job site clean. It might require drop cloths, or if there's going to be an excessive amount of dust created in the sanding process, then plastic sheets may need to be draped around the area and taped off. Afterwards, a good vacuuming may be in order to leave the job site just as the contractor found it. This is the invisible step and an essential part of making it right, but this also adds more time to the job.
We all know it takes longer to do a job if you don't know what you are doing, just like it costs more to do it again when it's not done right the first time. Hiring a contractor with experience will shave some time off a project, but in the end, time does add up. That's the reality of a good renovation or repair.
Catch Mike in his brand-new series, Holmes Inspection airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV. For more information visit www.hgtv.ca
Renovation & Design
SOLUTIONS: Rub scratched CD with peanut butter
QUESTION: I have a couple of scratched CDs that no longer play music without skipping. I am wondering how to fix them. Secondly, I would like to know a recipe for making my own icing sugar. Bernice (Steinbach, MB)
ANSWER: Get rid of scratches on a compact disk by spreading the CD with either smooth peanut butter, car wax, non-gel toothpaste or Brasso and wipe with a paper coffee filter or soft cloth to remove any excess product. Success will occur as long as the CD foil is not damaged.
Icing sugar (confectioners) can be made by blending together 1 cup (250 mL) white sugar and 1 tbsp. (15 mL) cornstarch. Blend at high speed for 5 minutes (makes 1 cup). Taken from Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions.
QUESTION: The grout on the floor of my home entrance looks terrible. It is crumbling and impossible to clean. Is it possible to grout overtop of the existing grout or should I remove the tile and start over? Lamberda (Emerson, MB)
ANSWER: Although it is not necessary to remove each tile in order to repair grout, you cannot re-grout overtop of existing grout. The damaged grout must be removed by using a small electric grinder. Keep in mind that the remaining grout may crumble as the damaged grout is being removed. If you do not own a carbide tipped scraper tool (specifically designed for grout removal) you can use a fine tipped screwdriver and hammer to remove the grout. Note: Whichever method you choose, be careful not to scratch floor tiles in the process.
QUESTION: How do I treat a water stain on an oak table? Thank you. Tracey (Winnipeg)
ANSWER: Watermarks on wood are often tricky to remove (at least I thought they were) until I learned to apply mayonnaise with a bit of ashes from a wood stove or fireplace. Leave for about 10 minutes and wipe. Non-gel, non-bleach toothpaste works well too. If the watermark persists, the wood will need to be stripped and refinished.
QUESTION: I'm hoping you can help me get rid of black markings that are covering one of the elements on my glass topped stove. I happened to be making homemade sweet pepper jelly when the mixture boiled over the pot and blackened my stovetop element in spots. Now I don't know how to get rid of the residue left. I'm not sure whether the vinegar/sugar mixture did or did not penetrate the glass top itself. I scraped off as much as I could, used the commercial cleaner supplied with the range to no avail. I tried baking soda in a paste, leaving it on before taking it off and a non- abrasive cleanser using a plastic type scouring pad. I need your help! Any ideas? Lorraine (Winnipeg)
ANSWER: Before trying anything else and with the oven turned off, heat the area with a blow dryer to soften the mess. Scrape the area using a sharp blade designed for glass stovetops. This razorblade scraper held at a low angle is exceptionally good at getting rid of residue stuck on glass top ranges. Additionally, fine (000) steel wool will finish the job nicely. You may want to apply cooking oil or peanut butter to the area (before scraping) to soften the delicious sweet pepper jelly. Hopefully, the residue has not penetrated into the glass.
QUESTION: I read your column faithfully. I am purchasing all new appliances and would like to have stainless steel. I understand they are hard to keep clean of grease and fingerprints. Do you have a solution or tip for cleaning them? Thank you so much in advance. Susan (Winnipeg)
ANSWER: Stainless steel appliances do require added care, as fingerprints are more noticeable than they are on painted fridges. However, the answer is hopefully behind your very own cupboard doors. Using a soft cloth apply a small amount of olive oil (enough to dampen the cloth). Swipe the fridge along the steel grain. Remove all of the excess and put on your sunglasses because the fridge will once again shine!
QUESTION: I have a rubber-back rug in my bathroom and it has left the linoleum discoloured. Everything I have used to clean it has been unsuccessful. Would you by any chance have a solution for removing the discolouring on the linoleum? Anne (Pinawa, MB)
ANSWER: The sulphur in your mat has left you with a yellow stain which is very often permanent. With so many vinyl and linoleum products on the market, it seems that what works on one does not necessarily work on another. If the floor is more than 50 years old it is most likely linoleum, in this case the linseed that makes up linoleum has discoloured. In order to bring back the colour the floor would need to be stripped and refinished. Doing this may or may not remove yellowing.
Or perhaps, the floor is actually vinyl. Many people have found pouring three per cent hydrogen peroxide onto the floor everyday for three days is helpful. Other people have had great success by combining one quarter cup OxyClean with one gallon boiling water and pouring the solution onto the area. Another solution is Clorox but some say that this application removes the floors finish and shine. Lastly, mineral spirits is another treatment that people have told me worked for them.
It is too bad that so many floors have a tendency to yellow and discolour, most often from a rubber backed rug or some other weight being left on one specific area.
I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming! Check out my website! www.householdsolutions.org
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, MB, ROA 0C0.
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Forced-air heat needs good ventilation
QUESTION: This is a question on furnaces. Do we need a cold air intake to the furnace with forced air electric heat? Most of the questions you receive pertain to gas furnaces.
Thank you, Doreen Backer
I am currently building a 1,000-square-foot bungalow cabin. I have done all of the work myself, but have come to a point where I need some help. I would like to put in electric forced air heat with an HRV unit, which is requested by code. The problem is, I have no real expert knowledge in this field. I have looked on the net to find information regarding installation, code, etc, but have not found any. If you could forward me information as to where I could find the answers to my problems, or answer my question with your own expertise, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you, Ken Jakilazek
ANSWER: Both of your questions relate to buildings heated with forced air electric units and proper ventilation associated with this type of heating system. While they are not identical, I will address both issues of fresh air intakes and HRV installations for this type of system.
Fresh air intakes, for the provision of combustion air for heating appliances, are not necessary for electric furnaces. These are normally installed near an older natural-gas furnace or hot-water heater to ensure adequate air for combustion. These intakes are usually composed of long, insulated, flexible ducting installed with a loop near the bottom. This loop is designed to provide a partial trap, reducing the amount of cold air intrusion until it is needed by the heating devices.
In newer, high-efficiency units, the fresh air intakes are directly connected to the furnace combustion chamber with a plastic pipe to provide outside air without cooling the entire room where it is situated. Since electric furnaces heat using a series of electric elements, with no combustion of gases, no fresh air intake is required.
Regardless of the lack of necessity for combustion air for homes heated with electric furnaces, bringing in a good source of fresh air may be equally or more important than for homes heated with gas. Homes with older, naturally aspirated furnaces and water heaters have large chimney flues or vents installed to remove the products of combustion from the living space. These vents operate by automatically mixing a large amount of dilution air from the home with the exhaust products from the heaters.
This warm house air will normally contain a lot of dissolved water vapour, which exits the home along with the flue gases. Because of this loss of large amounts of moisture up the chimney, there is less chance of high relative humidity in the home during the heating season. With electrically heated homes, either forced air or other types, high relative humidity can be a problem because of the missing chimney.
The reason to install a good method for proper fresh air intake into a home of this type is to prevent excessive moisture and to allow stale, house air to escape. Installing a fresh air intake duct, similar to that mentioned earlier for gas appliances, directly connected to the furnace return air ducting is the traditional method to accomplish this.
If your home is older, with leaky windows and doors and good bathroom exhaust fans, that may be all you need to provide adequate ventilation. In the case of newer homes, as in the second question, a more aggressive method of ventilation may be required.
Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) are mechanical devices designed to accomplish proper ventilation, while reducing the amount of heat loss associated with regular intakes and exhaust fans. These units provide an excellent method for proper ventilation and may be a good choice for both of your homes, but may have limited capabilities in older homes where ducting is partially enclosed in walls and floors.
The reason little information is available to the general public on HRV installation is because it should only be attempted by qualified personnel. Proper installation of a ventilation system is complex and should not be attempted by amateurs, for the same reasons as forced air heating systems. Detailed measurements and calculations are required to ensure adequate heating and ventilation without oversizing requirements. Proper ducting, controls, wiring, intakes and exhausts are necessary for the safety and health of the occupants of the home. While you may feel confident enough to complete the majority of the construction requirements of your new cabin, HVAC should not be one of those attempted.
At the risk of insulting you and some members of the HVAC trades, I will let you in on a frequent observation during many of the home inspections I have performed over the last decade-plus.
The majority of the HRVs I have seen are installed improperly or with malfunctioning or disconnected controls. Some of these defects can be attributed to amateurs, but many are done by licensed HVAC technicians who are supposed to be trained on proper design and installation.
If these professionals are confused by installation of these systems, what chance do you think you may have to do a proper job? I think this issue can only be attributed to the same lack of information you have noted, which may limit the knowledge of installation personnel. This does not excuse the poor installations seen, as good courses are available through colleges and HVAC training institutions.
The good news is that every year, as installation of HRVs become more and more popular in our area, less defects are seen with installations.
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