Topics : Raising sinking driveway paving stones – sealing water out with self-healing sand filler - EnviroSand; Cutting a no longer used chimney down below the roof; When repairing roof shingle damage, you should not reverse the first row of shingles but rather cut off the first set of tabs; Calculating how big an electrical generator you need; Should the water be turned off and the hot water tank shut down every time you leave the house – automatic shut-off valves to stop leaks - AquaTrip; How to stop the pinging noises from radiant heaters, – Radiant heat  is the only heating system with no noises; Buying a condo with a noted leakage problem that can be controlled with maintenance of caulking under the patio door; Repairing hairline cracks on a small patio concrete slab.

Topics: River rocks leaving rust staining on patio stones - Oxalic Acid; Isolating a radio room – electromagnetic shielding, see www.em3e.com; Walk-down side door freezing at landing; Replacing an old drywell with a modern SaniFlo.ca plumbing pump; Looking for a plaster contractor to replace a stucco ceiling with a smooth plaster finish; Soundproofing an office; Hot water tank is rusting – what is the life span of the tank?

Topics: Finding plastic electrical re-work boxes in Quebec - installing metal re-work boxes -- legalities of doing electrical work; How to protect brick weeping holes without blocking their drainage function; Is radiant heat under ceramic tiles enough heat for a bathroom; Need to remove wood to get a photo of a bees nest -- work at night; Garage drain pit giving off odours - needs to waterproof cracks -- maybe add a water/gas valve; Converting a concrete balcony covering from mortar & tile, to wood -- waterproofing the concrete before adding the wood -- Armorthane Montreal  514-569-5050; Listener gives details on how to relocate a bee hive; Creating a trench drain to stop heavy rains from getting into the basement.

Topics :  Sloped roof losing gravel; How to choose replacement windows; Sliding windows bowed in the centre and can’t remove the panes for cleaning; You might want to play back a radio show for your landlady; Birds coming into soffit opening – check for wood damage before just blocking the hole; Fog and dripping inside a thermal pane window; New patio slabs wobbling; Adding a heat pump to an electric furnace – see my article on heating system combinations.

Topics : Deck stains; Unstick grass clippings from lawnmower; Leveling a seriously sloping basement slab; Water proofing deck joists – elastomeric, on top, down sides, wrap all around?; Controlling humidity in a crawl space; Filling a crack in a built up staircase column; Half inch crack in garage foundation wall; Finding a contractor; New mortar repointing is darker than rest of wall, how to colour match.

Topics: Deposits and payments in renovation work -- get a payment schedule in the contract so money matches work accomplished; Where to get good raingutters -- Adam's Eaves; Water coming in over foundation wall in crawl space, not surface water -- siding should not be caulked shut on the bottom; Controlling plaster dust from wall in garage; Broken door jam -- don't forget blocking to structure of wall; Using 4 tanks of oil with dual energy heating -- fix that with the Tri-Energy system that gets lots more out of the heat pump; Is caulking needed any more in showers and tubs -- not if you have a waterproof membrane on the wall before the tiles; Strange occasion knocking noise in kitchen when coming back from being outdoors -- humidity, temperatur, and maybe ants -- identify ants to rule out carpenter ants; Can I use solar power for a shed? probably for lights, probably not for power outlets; Closing the space between the concrete stairs hanging from the foundation wall and the soil.

Topics: For a stone facade different contractors are recommending different types of mortar -- what is S - N - O - M?; Four drains in the kitchen plumbing, often slow -- check for no slope and accumulated grease; Installing a basement window; What to use for a back-up sump pump -- short run, a battery, long run, an electrical gas powered generator; New air conditioner didn't last as long as the old one - maybe oversized - Heat Pumps and Air Conditioners last longest if they do less start/stop -- look at Tri-Energy for total AC or Heat Pump control at lower costs and extended life of all the elements; Which is more efficient, the large oven or a counter top oven; The toilet won't stop flowing -- work on the valve; Aluminum siding is bulging -- check when it is cool at night, it may just be nailed too tightly.

Topics: Should I request nails or screws for my raingutters; Looking for a throat microphone to improve quality of sound through virus masks; Kitchen drain under garage floor clogging regularly; Hairline cracks in a new garage floor; White stuff on garage wall -- it is called efflorescence -- solved by landscaping to get water away from wall; Water seeping into basement after replacing water main in a country house with no perimiter drain; Good oil furnace too expensive - want to change to what to cut costs -- don't change, but install Tri-Energy and use almost no more oil while getting a better electrical rate; Hearing a creak in  an acrylic bathtub after changing the caulking.

Topics: Columbia hardwood plywood panels 2’x4’ and 1’x1’ delivered to your door service; Caulking on tub not sticking; Does a 2 stage furnace need a 2 stage thermostat – and using a Tri-Energy controller rather than changing the thermostat; Can an Air Conditioning coil be oversized compared to the compressor to increase humidity removal – not a good idea – change the fan speed on a balanced system is better; Swelling stucco siding needs work; How to protect a cedar deck; Clay soil sinking under a large tree; What re-caulking to use on windows; Newly sealed driveway leaving tire marks from heavy vehicles; Where to find new furnace wall grills; Window well spilling water into the basement.

Topics: Should outdoor outlet wires be run through the brick or the concrete foundation; Reinforcing beams notched for plumbing pipes; Choosing new heating systems; Closing off a chimney; Municipal rules about changing siding on a house; Protecting a new drain from roots -- the BioBarrier; Can 1940 radiators still be used today with a new boiler; Keeping air out of hydronic heating -- the SpiroVent; Condensation on air conditioning pipes; Just when does a large flat roof need to have a new membrane?