The Money Pit Calls & Answers

Find out how to get hot water to a remote bathroom in your home. Learn about your two options: either add a recirculating loop or a second water heater closer to the bathroom in question. Get tips on putting your electric water heaters on a timer so Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why gutter guards are an important part of keeping your gutters clean and your basement dry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to get rid of artillery fungus on your siding. Get tips on cleaning it off using trisodium phosphate paste. Also learn why you should replace your shredded mulch with wood chips. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to install HardieBacker cement board. Learn why you don't need to glue down the cement board; it attaches mechanically with nails or fasteners. After you put the board down, add thinset and then tile on top. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why a metal roof is a much better option than a shingle roof. Get tips on visiting MetalRoofing.com to explore the possibilities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to clean algae and moss from a roof with Wet and Forget. Get tips on using a pressure washer gently (rinsing rather than blasting) so as not to damage your roof. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to secure a wood floor. Get tips on drilling counterbored holes and using wood plugs to cover them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you don't need to put down a moisture barrier when installing a laminate or engineered hardwood floor over concrete. Get tips on checking out LumberLiquidators.com to browse their flooring options. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to fix a settling drainage field. Get tips on covering it up with additional fill dirt and putting grass or sod over it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to manage two thermostats. Get tips on using a clock setback thermostat and learn about a new type of thermostat called the ecobee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why it is a bad idea to install an attic fan if you have central air conditioning. Learn why it can actually steal air conditioned air from the interior of your home. So if you have central air, stick with passive attic ventilation, meaning Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out the correct order of events to follow when insulating your home. Get tips on first looking at the attic, then the floor, then your walls. Learn why it's OK to blow insulation over old siding as long as you are going to cover it up with new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to wash vinyl siding. Get tips on using a product called Krud Kutter to clean your siding. Learn why you should get rid of artillery fungus as soon as possible, because it can eat away at your siding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why the solution to the problem of the wind ripping off your storm doors is to get rid of the doors. Get tips on replacing your exterior doors with fiberglass doors, which are energy-efficient and tougher and have built-in ventilation so you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to fix a door missing a chunk of wood. Get tips on using Bondo, a wood filler, to build up the damaged part of the door. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how a private insurance adjuster can help you file an insurance claim for water damage after a storm. Get tips on where to look for a good private insurance adjuster and learn how to prevent basement moisture in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to get rid of chiggers without using pesticides or chemicals. Get tips on keeping your lawn short and dry to make it less of a hospitable environment for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to keep water from your sprinkler away from your windows. Get tips on adjusting the sprinkler heads so the water doesn't hit your windows. Also learn about Rain-X, a product designed for car windshields that you could use to make your Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what kind of electric water heater is the most efficient. Get tips on switching to a heat pump water heater, which will provide decent returns after the initial investment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to seal a cracked granite countertop. Get tips on using silicone to seal the crack and cutting away any excess with a razorblade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to remove floor adhesive from hardwood. Get tips on hiring a professional to scrape off the glue and then use a belt sander to get down to fresh hardwood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to grow herbs in a basement apartment. Get tips on visiting LittleGreenhouse.com to learn about the types of grow lights you will need for your specific space and the plants you want to grow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to insulate a new home. Get tips on insulating the exterior walls with Tyvek and the interior walls with fiberglass with a vapor barrier attached. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you shouldn't try to fix slanted floors in an old house. Instead, consider them part of the charm. Get tips on floating the floor with a floor-leveling compound in a single room that you really need a level floor in, such as the Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out the correct way to remove a tree stump. Learn why you don't need a backhoe to tear up your yard and get the stump out in full. Instead, grind the stump a foot or so below the ground and let nature do the rest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what you can use to stain your deck naturally and inexpensively. Get tips on using boiled linseed oil instead of regular linseed oil, which takes forever to dry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to put latex paint on top of oil-based paint. Get tips on sanding the surface before applying a good quality primer, and then the latex paint. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to strip a painted deck without harming the wood. Get tips on scraping off the loose paint, then priming and repainting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to get paint to stick to your concrete basement walls. Get tips on reducing moisture in your basement by cleaning your gutters, extending your downspouts and sloping the soil away from your house. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to stain the interior of a greenhouse made from repurposed wood. Get tips on using an exterior wood stain if you think the wood will get damp or moist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you should incorporate the roof portion of your covered back porch throughout the entire designing and building process rather than building a deck and having a contractor add a roof to it. Also learn about the benefits of composite Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why there is not really any kind of sealant you can put on brick pavers to protect them. Get tips on replacing damaged brick pavers with concrete pavers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out what your options are for wind-resistant roofing. Learn about the benefits of a metal roof vs high-wind asphalt shingles from Owens Corning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you don't need multiple plies with a modified bitumen roof. Get tips on using a garden hose to check if your roof is properly flashed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you shouldn't use expandable foam to fill in mortar joints. Get tips on using a premixed mortar and pointing trowel to replace the old mortar after scraping it out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why a finished basement adds value to a house by significantly increasing the amount of usable space. Get tips on properly extending the heating and cooling to the basement and having plenty of wiring down there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to install an efficient sprinkler system. Get tips on working with a WaterSense certified irrigation specialist on a sprinkler system that conserves water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to build pantry shelves that will hold substantial weight. Get tips on using a tracking system rather than individual brackets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out the correct way to insulate a finished room above your garage. Get tips on using fiberglass insulation and leaving ventilation space rather than using spray-foam insulation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out whether it's cheaper to build an ecologically sound house, or buy a house and make green retrofits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out the correct way to install replacement windows. If there is a gap between the frame and the window on the outside of your home, get tips on retrimming the window to cover the gap rather than filling it with insulation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to replace rotted foundation sills. Get tips on building a temporary wall underneath the floor joists to hold them up while you cut out the rotted sills and slip the new ones in place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to build a deck with a ramp. Get tips on how to plan for a safe ramp height and incline and consulting with the Building Department of your town before you proceed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out why you should not keep knob-and-tube-wiring in your home. Get tips on calling in a professional to replace it with modern wiring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to install vinyl siding on concrete. Get tips on using a 3/4"-thick furring strip and the installation manual of the Vinyl Siding Institute of America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to strip sticky, dirty paint from a banister. Get tips on using a product called Rock Miracle and then applying an oil-based primer before repainting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to solve water heater noise. Learn what causes it and get tips on flushing out the water heater to get rid of the mineral deposits that have accumulated in the tank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to fix water hammer. Get tips on increasing the number of fasteners that secure the water pipes and the sprinkler pipes and installing water-hammer arrestors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out the difference between subterranean termites and drywood termites. Get tips on treating your cedar shingles for termites first, then using boiled linseed oil or a semi-transparent or solid-color exterior stain on them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Find out how to fix a concrete garage floor damaged by salt. Get tips on using a two-part epoxy product and adding a color flake to hide dirt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices