Recent content by 75gmck25

The code here (Alexandria, VA) required footings to be a certain number of feet down to be below frost depth, but it did not have to match the existing house. My basement has about a 7 foot ceiling, with block walls and a footing below it. The new crawlspace has a footing with five rows of...

We had a very similar project for our conversion of a screened side porch to a fully enclosed porch. I chose to demo everything, excavate and pour footings, then use concrete block, followed by conventional floor framing over a short conditioned crawl space. New porch is two stories, so it...

Have you talked to your electric company to verify their process for an upgrade and installation of an underground feed? As part of a permitted addition I agreed that I would switch to an underground feed. And due to the location of the addition, the input to my existing 200 amp panel had to...

Does your dishwasher have any type of reservoir inside the door (like for soap or spot remover)? Ours had a reservoir for spot remover and water softener tablet, and it ran water through the reservoirs during different parts of the cycle. There was a small leak in a hose and a reservoir...

I would run all the horizontal pipe and elbows (in the picture) inside the building and then finally come through the wall and make a 90 degree turn to a vertical pipe into the ground. It would look better, and provide more protection for the pipe run.

My pest control folks used to recommend stuffing steel wool into any cracks, but I know how flammable steel wool can be. Gap filler spray foam does not work well because its very easy for them to eat through it. Online I found rolls of copper mesh for a rodent barrier that is supposed to work...

It sounds like you have already done your HOA and permit research, but you might make an extra check. In my AHJ they have significantly different rules for a shed installed on a concrete pad vs. one on block piers. Using the block piers option is much more flexible about location (nearly...

I'm considering a recovery of the R134a from my '75 GMC pickup so that I can check out the old evaporator for leaks (original; might have a small leak), replace the orifice and accumulator, check hose connections, and then do a complete recharge. I may also make new hoses, in an attempt to...

I don't know what is available for large conduit, but for 1/2" and 3/4" you can get short connectors that are sized to make the necessary jog so that you come out of a metal box and then jog back to be flat with the wall. There are also 90 degree sweeps and LBs that give you options for changes...

For my wife’s garden shed I installed a motion sensitive light inside that connects to a solar cell mounted outside, You just walk in the shed and the light comes on. No need to run A/C power, and no batteries to replace. First set of lights I got were a store brand from HD and they failed...

I think you are comparing two relatively high cost options (tin ceiling vs foam on roof). If you had basic ceiling framing (truss/beam) installed and then used drywall with garage-grade taping quality it would save you quite a bit. The folks installing the framing don't need to be working...

Ref my post #97 - This is one of the times where I was not really thinking about ways to simplify the problem by removing the wheels to get more clearance for the springs when I lift the entire truck. A jack under a straight axle makes it easy to get the frame up high enough for the tires to...

I always shut my water off at the main house valve when we leave for more than a day, so I have been looking at the Moen valves for quite a while. We have twice had neighbors where water problems occurred when they were out of town, and it was really expensive to repair. Drywall and flooring...

I've seen some pipe in the area where they cut the end at a diagonal, and they had a green plastic end screen that was oval-shape so it fit into a 4" pipe, and blended into the grass. The end pieces appear to be something you can buy off-the-shelf, but I've not seen them in the local stores.

You might also want to get a price for sealing the "attic" area and applying foam to the underside of roof deck. We did this with our house a few years back and it has been really efficient. It works even better because our A/C unit was in the attic, and now the entire system is in conditioned...