Homeowner Forum / Construction / May 2005

I'm starting to design an insulated shed I want to build later this
year.  I'm pretty decent with woodworking (not a pro, but I can build
things no problem), but I've never build a shed before, so I have a
couple of questions.  Since I want to use this shed for projects

A couple of questions:
1) I want to build a 10' gate using the gate ell's and 10' rails. Is there
any way to cross brace it so it doesn't sag? Maybe using a wire strung
diagonally from the top ell near the post to the bottom ell of the other

Mates,
I've just purchased my first home and have some wild plans of
installing a 'Japanese-Style' bathroom.
I have a few family members who are carpenters, and overall handy guys,

I have a 4x6 landing and 3 stairs in the front of my house. The landing has
started to "cave in" and the stairs seem to be just fine. Any guesses as to
what may be under the landing? Is this somthing I may be able to repair
myself? Also.......if I can do the work will I be able ...

I am going to paint my house inside and out to sell it. It is a slump block
home in Southern AZ. What would you suggest is the best way to paint it on
the inside and the out if different.(rollers? or sprayers?) I was thinking
of painting the outside (slump blocks) with a power ...

I live in New England where as times it gets very humid but the
temperature is not very high. When I added central air I also added
an Aprilaire 1700 whole house dehumidifier. The contractor said that
the units would run independently of each other so I could run the AC

Is it ok to use general purpose joint compound to smooth over the total
surface of a wall/ceiling?  I made the mistake of letting my wife
remove wallpaper (unsupervised) and now I have gouges/torn wall board
all over.  I'm pretty sure I can get it all smoothed over, just not

I was at Dunn Lumber today, and they told me that
Trex is about to change their recommendation for
stair jack spacing to nine inches! Can anyone here
confirm that?

Being faced with the decision of either renting an appartment or buying a
house with a mortgage payment of less than half of the cost of rent, I opted
for buying my first starter home.It's an older michigan fixer-upper project.
While I have a number of projects to work on, my ...

Getting right to the point, here is the situation.. I live in South
Florida and had my roof damaged by the couple of hurricanes.. I had a
couple of leaks, that I have managed to keep under control, but I do
need to re-shingle. Initially, I figured that the insurance company

I can't find this in the local code. Is there a recommended minimum
distance between
the bottom of a second story window, and the top roof line of a porch
being added

small ones everywhere. what do they do?

g adds.
MONEY , what a concept

I poured some concrete today. The temperature tonight is supposed to be
in the mid-thirties. Should I take any precautions to prevent the concrete
from getting too cold, like putting a light bulb underneath the tarp that is
covering the work area?

Here is a preliminary drawing for my stair jack:
http://www.canleyworks.com/temp/kitchen_porch.jpg
There isn't a great deal of connection area between
the stair jack and the joinst. . .only about 4" on the

I'm contemplating having a 3-season cabin shell put up by a (mostly)
garage-building firm that only builds on slab-on-grade (no frost footings).  
The site is on gently sloping sandy soil in NW Wiscsonsin.  If I add to it
at some time -- a deck, another room, etc -- what problems  ...