When you're thinking about changing the windows in a house, you need to make one fundamental choice: whether to slide the new window into the old window frame (the first photo), or whether to remove the old window right down to the structure of the house (the second photo) and replace the whole t...
There are over 2000 window manufacturers in Canada, and with all that competition, each one wants to make homeowners, renovators, and builders believe that their windows are easier to install than the other brand. This has led to a lot of very poorly built windows that are often difficult to ins...
Phillip in Halifax, Nova Scotia has painted all his wooden double hung windows shut tight. So how do you open them without damaging them?Start by cutting the paint at the joint between the window and the frame with a knife.Then put a block of wood on the window sash, the frame that holds the gla...
In Canada, other than on the lower mainland of British Columbia and on Sable Island, it is impossible to maintain a comfortable level of humidity in the house and not have frost on single-pane windows most of the winter.Using two panes of glass allows the inner pane to be warmer than the outer on...
Most of you are aware that metal connectors are often used to hold things together in a house, much more than in the good old days. The most common one that most people can see in relatively new basements, even decks, is the joist hanger you see in the second photo. Rather than having to sit th...
I am always amazed at house construction where so often things are half built or more while people are running around beginning to think about "extras" that should never be though of as "extras" but as part of the essential system. So time for one of my lectures -- (you asked for it).Heating is o...
Just a few math answers to common renovation questions.How far should steps go up (rise) and how wide should steps be (run)? The rise should not be less than 4 inches or you will stumble on it, nor more than 9 inches or it becomes a ladder. Then within those limits, the rise times the run should...
When a door jam cracks because someone forced the door it is often easier and just as sturdy to repair it rather than to replace it. To replace it requires removing and reinstalling the entire frame.Find screws long enough to reach at least one inch past the crack from one side or the other. 4 ...
Our viewer wanted to know how to safely fix mirrors overhead. That may sound kinky for many of you, but it is a very important question if you are placing mirrors inside a skylight well to reflect the sun down all day long.Attach the mirrors with that spongy double sticky tape pads. I don't lik...
32-1/2 inches.The rough framing should be 2-1/2 inches wider than the door itself. That leaves room for the 3/4 inch finish frame on each side of the door, and then 1/2 inch on each side for the shims between the finish frame and the rough frame.There are some tricks for building frames into new ...
