There is a lot of debate about whether to put a vapour retarder (vapour barrier) on an insulated wall behind shower tiles. The code has not historically been specifically clear on this so we get lots of different interpretations. What the code does say clearly is that we should not have two vap...
Chris & Dorie from Richmond Hill, Ontario write: "Last summer we moved into our new home. About a month ago, I discovered that the mysterious switch in our front hall operates the fan in our second floor bathroom?! Is this a fire code regulation? Why did they not try to "hide" the switch i...
Until recently there were no residential code requirements in Canada about the strength of stair railing, and still none in the residential part of National Building Code. There are requirements about the spacing of spindles -- no opening larger than 4 inches to keep a baby's head from passing t...
Health officials all recommend that central vacuum systems should exhaust outdoors while most installers do not put in an outdoor exhaust pipe.A few conflicting facts:The cost of piping the exhaust air outdoors is about $75 installed.Central vacs are noisy and a few municipalities have begun to...
This article deals with a block wall above grade. For a below grade block wall see Basement Perimeter Drainage and Leaking Foundations.
Bryan is faced with a totally un-insulated cinder block wall with 1x2 strapping and a plaster covering. He is thinking about stripping it back to the block...
NEW CONSTRUCTION
In the interests of health and safety a number of trades are controlled by law, most particularly plumbing and electricity. The degree to which plumbing and electrical work are actually regulated varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For instance almost all work performed in...
Rick from New Brunswick is having problems with his wood stove backdrafting and he wants to know if it will help to box in the chimney on the outside of the house. Backdrafting or difficult starting with wood burning appliances is often a problem and there are several entries in this database ...
Bill from Paradise, Newfoundland writes: "I need to settle a bet between a buddy and myself. When you put in a vinyl window should a drip cap always be used? My buddy never uses one, and claims water never gets in under the window."
Well Bill, you win. Yes you should always put a flashing over t...
