Summary of common indoor air pollutants, their health effects, sources and some methods of control.

Noise that enters through walls can be controlled. These pages provide 18 wall designs and their relative noise transmission ratings.

Noise that enters through floors can be controlled. These pages provide 18 floor designs and their relative noise transmission ratings.

Noise - whether it originates inside or out - is an unwelcome intruder in any home.  It devalues privacy and indeed the worth of the building itself.

This section presents the most common roof and ceiling system problems and shows North American home builders how to avoid them.  It does this by improving their understanding of design principles, material performance expectations and proper construction procedures.

This section presents all aspects of wall systems, from the outside cladding through to the inside finish and everything in between.  It highlights the prevalent wall systems problems in new North American housing, clarifies the most common causes of these problems and identifies design and construction practices that are likely to reduce the  incidence of construction defects and customer callbacks.

Flooring generates some of the most common complaints that builders receive.  Squeaking, discoloration, lumps, bumps, and vibrations are but a few of the problems home-owners endure because of material shrinkage or poorly constructed floor systems.

Basement cracks and leaks are among the most common sources of callbacks and warranty claims in new housing.  Problems apply equally to poured concrete foundations and slabs, and concrete block walls, and they usually reflect inadequate design and construction practices.

A sagging roof is usually the result of a damaged or broken roof rafter.  However, if it is a small area, it can be caused by damaged roof decking and in some rare cases a sagging roof can even be traced to an underlying foundation problem, as it is the house foundation that eventually takes the full load of the roof.

A sagging roof is usually the result of a damaged or broken roof rafter.  However, if it is a small area, it can be caused by damaged roof decking and in some rare cases a sagging roof can even be traced to an underlying foundation problem, as it is the house foundation that eventually takes the full load of the roof.

Garden benches provide a resting place where you can contemplate the world, read a novel, watch mother nature at work and if placed in a shady spot provide the perfect spot to doze off.

If you have basic wood working skills, can draw and calculate a layout sketch and some patience, you can save thousands of dollars by making your own kitchen cabinets or bathroom vanities.

By definition, a girder is a principal beam extending form wall to wall of a building, affording support for the joists or floor beams where the distance is too great for a single span.  Girders may be built of wood or steel and in many cases are supported at intervals over the length of there span.

Constructing walls and partitions is not a difficult project and most home handymen who are comfortable working with lumber and have some knowledge of plumb & square are quite capable of handling this type of project. 

The foundation is the part of a building that supports the load of the house.  In construction the term "foundation" generally applies to all of the building segments that are constructed beneath the framing of the first floor including all of the walls, piers, columns, pilasters and other supports.

A whole house fan is a large fan that mounts in the ceiling at the highest point of the interior of the home, draws outdoor air through the home and exhausts into the attic space, providing a relatively inexpensive means to reduce temperatures in a home.

It is not uncommon, especially in two story homes to have a roof that butts against a wall.  the correct installation of flashing at this seam is critical in order to maintain a weather tight seal.

Installing a new shingles on your roof is not a complex project.  However, in order to ensure that the roof is watertight it is important that the shingles and flashing are installed properly around a vent pipe or drain stack. 

It is a fact of life in decorating that what is the in thing today will most likely not be the in thing tomorrow and because of that many homeowners end up with outdated room decoration.  This is especially prevalent in ceramic and porcelain tile.

A tile floor can be beautiful, it highlights almost any room and provides an elegance that few other materials can provide.  However, one crack in one tile and the aesthetic value of the floor is ruined.

A gazebo will enhance any landscaping.  It provides shade and a meeting place.  Gazebos are available in kit form or you can design your own or modify another set of plans.

For the home handyman who is not afraid to undertake major projects, building a garage can add a great deal of sweat equity to a home.  You can construct the garage from kit form or from a building materials list.

These project plans are not for the novice as they require someone with substantial wood working experience, and stationary power tools.  Playhouse kits are also available which will save time and possibly a lot of frustration.

Sheds provide garden storage and remove clutter.  Having a place to store your outdoor tools will extend their life and make them easier to access when needed.

A brick barbecue will enhance any outdoor patio or family gathering area.  Some basic construction knowledge is necessary - building a concrete pad and laying bricks.

An arbor, trellis or pergola enhances any landscaping and gardening.  Designs, plans and instructions are available from the simple to extremely complex.

The installation of rain gutters or eaves trough as it is sometimes called is not a complex project although the logistics may make the project difficult to complete.

North Americans have been spoiled, most of us grew up in homes with large kitchens, with plenty of counter space.  However, things are changing more and more homes have much smaller kitchens, especially in duplexes, four-plexes, apartments and condominiums.

When concrete is poured into a form be it a tube for a footing, a rectangle or square, the first impression is that the concrete will fill any and all voids in the form.  This is incorrect.

Cement and concrete are not the same things.  Cement is a product made of finely ground limestone and clay and is used in the creation of cement and mortar.  Concrete is a mixture of aggregate (usually gravel), sand, cement and water.

The construction of a stud wall is a basic building block of all structures.  Whether you are building a shed, garage or home it is important to understand the basics of stud wall construction.

Having a properly insulated home is dependent on insulating all the areas where air can escape between living areas and non living areas.  One area that is often neglected is the attic access panel.

When considering kitchen flooring material there are three major considerations; safety, comfort and the material's ability to stand-up to water and general wear and tear.

Nails and screws come in a wide assortment of lengths, thicknesses and head types.  While many home handymen look amongst their vast collection of left over nails and screws in the hope of finding something that "will do", more attention should be paid to selecting the correct fastener for each and every job.

Floor joist bridging is critical to the structural strength of a floor.  Proper bridging distributes the load on the floor to other joists and over time prevents floors from sagging and squeaking do to floor joists twisting and warping.

Very few items in a home are more annoying than squeaky floors.  Squeaky floors are a result of one or more of five possible problems.  This article describes the five causes and the methods that can be undertaken to correct the problems.

Roses come in a vast variety of colors, fragrances, heights, bushes and climbers.  Having a beautiful rose plant, be it bush or vine, is not difficult if you take the time to choose the correct location on your property and follow some simple planting rules.

Most decks designs are based on a number of posts that rest on concrete footings or are imbedded in concrete and in turn these posts take the weight of the deck.

If you are designing a deck, one of the calculations that you need is the size of the lumber required to span the distances between the deck supports or deck supports and wall.

Over time, most sliding glass doors will become sticky and not slide as they did when they were originally installed. 

Horizontal Boring -

Trenching Under Driveways & Sidewalks

During the installation of sprinkler systems or outdoor lighting it is not uncommon to meet up with obstacles that prevent the installer from continuing on.

Repairing a crack in a concrete wall, providing they are non-structural, is not a difficult project and most home handymen should be more than able to accomplish the repairs.

Many older homes were not provided with an electrical receptacle on the outside of the home.  In other cases the receptacle is not in a location which is convenient for the homeowner.

"Pier and Beam" construction is a term that describes a host of various construction techniques.  What it has in common is that a column supports the weight of a beam, unlike a house foundation where the entire wall of the home sits on a foundation which sits on a footer and the weight is distributed across the entire base of the foundation.

Vinyl Siding Installation

The most complex part of any residential plumbing system is located in the bathroom.  If the rough-in portion of the plumbing is not installed properly, the homeowner will have no end of problems, that include water hammering, sinks and lavatories that drain slowly or create gurgling sounds and sewer gases entering the home - a true health hazard.

When the approval agencies in the early 60's approved the use of aluminum wiring in homes, they did it without a lot of thought or testing.

Nothing is more frustrating in a home than having lights that blink or  work sometimes and not others.  Troubleshooting a flickering light electrical circuit can take hours, but with a little patience and planning you can find the problem and correct it.

Noise pollution as it is now termed is considered to be the ambient noise around us.  This noise pollution is evident when we are outside and listening to traffic and construction noise and is evident indoors when we here the noise from appliances, furnaces, stereo and televisions.

Replacing a window screen in an aluminum frame is a relatively easy project.  However it does require one special hand tool - a screen tool.

Interior and exterior doors can swell as they absorb the natural moisture that exists in a home.  As well, foundations and walls shift as houses settle.  Both of these situations can cause doors to stick and not fit properly.

Over time the screws used to hold hinges in position can become loose.  Loose hinge screws create sagging doors and doors that do not close properly.  The proper fix to this problem is relatively easy.

Interior and exterior doors can swell as they absorb the natural moisture that exists in a home.  As well, foundations and walls shift as houses settle.  Both of these situations can cause doors to stick and not fit properly.

A pocket door is a sliding door that disappears into the wall when open.  Pocket doors have been in use for centuries.

Have you ever come to the conclusion that your house would be more convenient if there was a doorway in a wall that currently does not have a door?  Installing a new doorway is not an overly complex project, if you plan the project.

Glass blocks are an excellent building material for shower enclosures.  The array of glass block designs, finishes, transparencies form clear to opaque and angles allow the designer to create almost any shape imaginable.

Stucco and popcorn textures were used on walls and ceilings for a number of reasons - appearance, sound attenuation and to hide imperfections in the original plaster or drywall workmanship. 

Before you attempt to jack-up a sagging or sloping floor it is important to understand why the floor is sagging in the first place.  Steps to take to remediate a sagging or sloping floor.

Basement Water Seepage

Before you can decide on what remediation projects are necessary to correct the water seepage problem you must first determine where the water is actually entering your basement and the root cause.

Drilling holes in ceramics,  porcelain, natural stone, marble, granite, and glass is not difficult, it requires some patience and as with most projects, the proper tools for the job.

A correct attic ventilation system provides for a steady flow of outside air from the lowest part of the attic - through the attic - to the upper most part of the attic.  This allows the attic insulation to perform at peak efficiency, helping to maintain constant temperatures in your home.

Glass blocks are manufactured in numerous finishes, textures, colors and shapes which allow the for the construction of a wide variety of full walls, half walls, partitions, railings and windows that would suit almost any environment.