Home Improvement Today?

I know they make moisture meters for concrete, similar to the kind for wood. Pretty expensive but you might be able to call a foundation company and have them come out and verify that it's dry. That would probably tell you for sure if it's because it's wet or if it's something else.

 

That oil line is level with the garage floor on the other side of that wall. Oil tank is in the garage. There is about 15’ to the left and around 10’ to the right of garage floor on the other side of that wall where the oil line comes out and about 15’ across to the other side of the garage. Also don’t know if you can see it in that picture but there is a skirt along the bottom layer of blocks all the way around. Each block has a hole in it to drain out against that skirt and go down to the drain below that runs along each wall to the sump. Doesn’t mean that the hole isn’t blocked but I really don’t see water making that far under the garage floor to the center of the wall but not affecting any other spot.

 

I don’t want to spend a lot of money on it. It’s just the basement but it does drive me nuts when I see it.

 

One way to see if it is moisture is to put a piece of clear plastic over it and seal it on all four sides with tape. That will trap any moisture so you can see it. You also mentioned that the blocks feel sandy. I wonder if they're just defective and the paint is peeling because the paint never really bonds to the under lying blocks.

 

Where does that extension cord go? Could water be seeping in to the hole from the other side and draining below in the interior of the bricks?

 

Fun project this week. Customer on the coast had a set of stairs destroyed by a strong storm last October. I rebuilt/replaced them exactly as they were, but did have to form/pour a new footing at the base as the old one had washed away (I found it nearby). Attached the base of the steps to the footing with four 4" Tapcons. Old steps only had 2 stringers, I added a 3rd. Drove 2' rebar into the ground in the footing to help. Put some rocks back along the new footing/base to help prevent additional erosion.

 

And cleaned a 40 yr old deck that had only been stained once (40 yrs ago) and had never been cleaned. Satisfying work as well.

 

Surprising how a cleaning helps. Now let it dry and stain it

 

I'm hoping to before winter.

 

This will make it fun blowing out sprinklers in the morning!

 

Cross Post: Sprinkler valve & manifold redo - Suggestions needed | Tacoma World

I knew there was a home improvement thread somewhere...

 

Assembled our entry timbers this week to complete our roof framing

One of my bridle joints was gapped beyond what I found acceptable due to a twist in the 6x12 beam rotating it in the 8x8 bridle joint

I used a trimming of the 8x8 offcut to patch it up prior to coating all the timbers

 

My basement bulkhead door was made of plywood and had a rotten frame. I decided to rip it out and put in a 36x78 exterior door.

Old photo of original door:


New door:


My craftsmanship isn't perfect, but it's an unfinished basement. I trimmed it with 1x4s painted to match the concrete walls and think it came out decently. Should definitely let less cold in than the last door - I put foam board against that one in the winter but it was never perfect.

Also finally bought a Schlage pin kit so I keyed this deadbolt to match the house myself. Should have done that a long time ago - easy job and pays for itself quickly versus locksmith labor.

 

Oz, You’re such a perfectionist.......

 

*you're

 

What's your secret? Mine is 20 years old, has been regularly stained/painted and is starting to rot in a few places to the point that I have to replace it. I do live in a damp environment. Maybe that's the reason?

 

This was a customer's deck. This was 40 yr old pressure treated pine. It has the "good stuff " in it....but that's all illegal now.

No real secrets. It's about the basics.

Quality materials.
Proper deck board spacing for proper water draining/ventilation.
Proper ventilation under the deck.
Proper prep when applying a stain (never recommend paint on an exposed deck).
I prefer oil based stains that penetrtrate the wood versus coat it.

Having said that, I've seen and repaired decks that were properly built and rotted out prematurely. One in particular even had western red cedar decking. I'm at a loss at what caused that to fail so quickly.

 

Yea, the old arsenic (or CCA) treated wood held up a whole lot better, but had some serious health risk!

 

It's fine!!!


One other thing. Don't drive screws or nails too deep. It leaves a small pocket for water to collect.

 

I mean, my house has some lead paint and the thick skim coat of joint compound on the drywall is asbestos. A little arsenic added to the mix just adds to the excitement!