Ask The Expert Archives:
Making The Best Of Tight Spaces
Q.
We’re redoing our small laundry room and would like a place to sort and fold clothes, but we barely have enough room for the washer and dryer to fit side by side. The doors in and out take up all the remaining space. We just bought new washer and dryers, which are front loading. I don’t want them to set up because I have windows over the washer and dryer that I don’t want to lose.
- Sent by Carol C.
A.
Your situation sounds pretty small, but I believe there is a simple answer. Add a floating countertop over your washer and dryer to add more useable space to your laundry room. That should give you plenty of room to sort and fold your clothes in your tiny room. You might also try adding small upper cabinets on the opposing walls on either side of you windows if you can to give you some extra storage space.
Posted 6/17/01
Stairs To A Sloping Backyard
Q.
Our yard slopes off steeply from the house to the backyard. I’d like to add steps to go from our house down to our backyard. What would be the best way?
- Sent by John S.
A.
Probably the simplest way would be to pour concrete to make your steps, but for a more long lasting and attractive stairs you might want to try granite or bluestone steps. Granite or bluestone can be very expensive however, depending on how many steps you would need. For a more rustic look you can try using landscape timbers and embedding them in the ground to create your risers and stringers and then fill the space in between with rock or wood mulch or cover them with a wooden tread or patio blocks. Hope your project turns out well.
Posted 8/4/05
Would It Be Better To Buy Old Or Build New?
Q.
With interest rates like they have been lately my wife and I have been looking at getting a new home. WE are wondering if it would be better to buy a new home at a low price and fix it up or build a new one and make it our dream home.
- Sent by Mark C. A.
In the long run it is often cheaper to build a new home. If you like the character of an old home however then it would be cheaper buying an older home. The choice is up to you, there really is no clear answer to this question for everyone. I hope that I have answered your question.
Posted 10/09/05
Cracks In Walls Q.
In several rooms in our house there are cracks in the drywall. In some places it looks like the paint is peeling in a straight line. I don’t know what is going on our hous is only 8 yrs old. Can you HELP!
- Sent by Sandrea D.
A.
It sounds like the drywall contractor who worked on your home did a poor job of mudding and taping the joints. This is actually a more common problem than you may think. I have seen this in several homes built in last 10 years in different parts of the Midwest. What I would recommend is that whether you do it yourself or have a professional do the job for you make sure that they use a self adhesive fiberglass tape. All of these incidents I have found have occurred in part because the contractor used paper tape instead of fiberglass and it loosens up and starts to peel away especially in high humidity. Just make sure to apply the fiberglass tape before applying the joint compound and then feather out your joint to at least 16 inches (8 inches on either side of the joint). I hope this helps.
Posted 09/28/06
Deadman Drywall Jack
Q.
I am hanging drywall in my garage. I have been searching the internet for help and came across your drywall dead man. I looked at the page and seen the photo. It looks simple to make, how come your plan so expensive? Why not give for free?
- Sent by William R.
A.
That particular plan includes more than what is seen in the photo. It may look simple, but there are special techniques to use it. Those techniques as well as other tips and tricks are included with the plan in the form of eBooks.
Posted 12/21/07
What Is Building Green?
Q.
I have heard a lot about saving energy, building energy efficient homes and green living, but I am still do not understand what green building means. I seen that your site is all about building green and I wondered if you could explain this.
- Sent by Doug H.
A.
Unlike what is commonly said building green means making the best use of what you already have and what you need. It is all about choosing and using healthy sustainable materials to help yourself and others. An example would be installing an HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) to bring fresh air into your house, exhaust the stale air in the house and save energy by preheating or cooling the air coming into the house. Not only does this device make you and your home more healthy and efficient but also improves the quality of the air outside because of all the filtering that the air goes through before being exhausted. For more information on just what building green is all about check out About Green Building.
Posted 2/27/07
Is Homes With Character Free
Q.
Is your site free.
- Sent by Peter P.
A.
Yes, homeswithcharacter.net is totally free to use. There is no cost to view our site, vote in polls or use the calculators or other tools on our site. Our products however are not free. Our furniture and home plans as well as our eBooks are all for sale.
Posted 1/04/08
How Hard Is It To Add More Insulation?
Q.
We’ve owned the home we’re living in for over 20 years. Our home was built in the 50’s. Our heat costs are ridiculous. What would it take to add more insulation to our home. We have had people tell us we should add more, they say we don’t have much in the wall because of the age of our home. What should we do.
- Sent by Muriel G.
A.
The first thing I would recommend is to check with your local utility company or building commission and see if they can recommend an energy auditor in your area. If not check with reputable local insulation contractors and see if they will come out and do an estimate for you. They should be able to give you a good idea of how much insulation you need and how hard it will be to add insulation to your home. If your home was built in the 1950’s it probably does need to have insulation added. Over time fiberglass, cellulose and other types of insulation can settle and even begin to rot leaving you with air gaps. Don’t expect the job to be easy or inexpensive so check bids with several contractors before adding insulation to your home.
Posted 01/10/08
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