Underground tanks are banned
Many years ago we buried oil tanks in the ground. Think a minute about how bad an idea that was. When a very old tank developed a leak, we never knew about it and it just leaked oil into the ground for years, creating quite an environmental problem. That is why it is...
Do I need to place a vapour barrier against the brick wall, then insulation and then another vapour barrier over that? The wall does not leak and is fully underground. Barbara
THE VAPOUR BARRIER
The vapour barrier is more properly called a vapour retarder. It is designed to stop moisture in t...
Can I cut in a door where the basement window is presently?
Ed and Shirley from Dundas, Ontario want to put a door into the basement right where there is presently a window. Can they do it?
If the door is the same width as the window, there will be no structural problems above. If you make the ...
This is one of those problems that are not dealt with seriously enough by the building officials in really cold regions. I have opened a blog space at the bottom of this article for you to add in your case history so we can demonstrate that this is a large and continuing problem. Take a look...
hether you are trying to get rid of smoke odours caused by fire or cigarettes, mold infestation, incrusted pet odours, the aftermath of a contagious disease (used to sterilize ambulances) or just preparing an apartment for rent that smells bad - read on.
THE CHANGING SCIENCE
This article was fi...
Example: Styrofoam products by Dow (by the way, Styrofoam is a Dow Chemical brand name and not a generic term for foam insulation).
Colour: Blue (Dow) or Pink (Celfort)
Thermal Resistance: RSI - .035/mm R - 5.0/in. Very high.
Cost: high
Capacity to dry out if wet: Won't get wet
Fire Resistan...
A comment from a reader:
"I notice in your section on self leveling concrete that you mention about needing to let the water out before putting anything on top of the new compound. (Self Leveling Concrete) This is a common misconception about concrete, in fact the water does not leave, it become...
