How to be a do-it-yourself-er
Question No. 1
Robert,
I live in Canyon Country and am a do-it-yourself-er.
I’ve looked online and am getting conflicting information, hoping you can help clear it up.
I want to put a backsplash up in my kitchen for my wife, and I want to know if I can put it directly onto the drywall or if I need to put a concrete board up first, for the backsplash to adhere properly? Randy R.
Answer No. 1
Randy,
There’s no problem applying the thin set mortar to the drywall, as long as you have a smooth and clean surface to work with – you don’t want a wavy backsplash so be sure you’re starting with a good surface.
You can find a multitude of tile options at the many big box stores including borders and edges, if needed. Be sure to apply your mortar with a notched trowel, set the tile and let it dry overnight. You can then apply the grout, and there are many types of this also.
Do your homework on this, choose the look that you like. You can watch instructional videos online also, they can be very helpful with technique. Good luck, these are fun projects for the do it yourselfers.
Question No. 2
Robert,
The front of my house is wood, but the rest is stucco. I’m considering having the wood siding removed because it’s old and deteriorated, and replacing with stucco. When this area is opened, should I be adding plywood as shear wall? In the event that we do this, what do we do about trimming out the windows?
Nick P.
Answer No. 2
Nick,
Unfortunately, you can’t just arbitrarily add shear to a building without a structural engineer’s report and recommendations.
They need to do calculations for such an addition, because you could be doing adverse damage to another portion of your building (or in your case, home), adding this shear in places that can’t withstand it.
If you wish to do this, please contact an architect or structural engineer for their input first. Note that any additions such as this will affect the placement of the windows, they’ll need to be pulled out to accommodate the new distance with the shear wall, should you receive the ok from the engineer.
Be sure to work with the city of Santa Clarita’s Building and Safety Department, so all work is permitted and approved.
I’d never do this type of work without all of the checks and balances done well and documented, too risky. To trim out the windows, my best advice would be to use Plant On material which is a Styrofoam product that your stucco contractor can guide you to, usually they can do this work now. Its maintenance free and can be made to look exactly like wood, I have it on my own home.
Let me know if you need a local recommendation for this Plant On, there are a couple here in town that I can offer, let me know. Good luck with your project.
Question No. 3
Robert,
I am in the process of updating our home which was built in the late 70s. My first priority is getting this home more efficient, as I plan on staying here. I know a huge factor of this is windows and I am aware of your thoughts on retrofit and nail on. I am still contemplating which we’ll go with, doing research on warranties in order to compare and to make a final decision.
Can you tell me though, what else we can do to help ourselves with the loss of heat/keeping cold out in the winter, and the opposite in the summer? I know there is much we can do as long as we aren’t dealing with torrential rains, and I’d like to start getting things done or doing them myself.
I have a specific question regarding exterior finish on a home, and if there is a difference in insulating factors with the options? We currently have siding on most of our home, and a small amount of stucco. The siding is in very poor condition, warped and weathered looking. I would like to add a stone for aesthetics, but am unsure if doing a replacement of the siding either in wood or Hardi Board would be better.
Can you help with all of these thoughts/ideas please?
Answer No. 3
Jeff,
all great questions, and good that you’re thinking about getting your home more efficient so that you can hopefully save some money over the years. Yes, windows can really save a lot, no matter which you choose to install. If you do go with the retrofit, be sure that you have great documentation on your warranty and all that it covers, and for how long. Note if it only applies when maintenance is done at particular times, and be sure to follow through, and document as you go. This will put you in the best position in the event you need to make a claim in the future.
On a home that is the age of yours, insulation is likely in need of being checked out and possibly replaced. You can get an idea of the condition, via your attic or crawl space. Depending on the type installed originally or subsequently, it could be the roll out type or the type that is blown. Either way, you can assess this and determine if replacement is needed in that area. There are companies that can install insulation into your walls via small holes, this may be worth you looking in to.
Another thing to look at is that there are generally small areas where heat loss is common, such as weather stripping around doors. Check all of your exterior doors and if the weather stripping is old and worn, change this out. Electrical outlets on exterior walls can sometimes be sources for heat loss, check the type that you have installed. They should be installed in a box, and there are more energy efficient types of boxes available so just be sure that you are knowledgeable on handling this or hire a licensed and insured electrician to make any changes for you. Your fireplace is a possible source for energy loss, be sure that this is inspected and that all parts are functioning properly. The flu should close properly when fireplace is not in use, and the cap and spark arrester should be in place (this is a safety issue, less of a heat/ cold issue).
There are likely other very small areas around your home that can be plugged with the expandable foam. This product comes in a can and just about anywhere that there may be a gap from the exterior to the interior, this can be sprayed into, and it will form a tight seal of the area. Excess can be cut off and even painted to match, to achieve an aesthetically pleasing look. In many cases you won’t even notice that its there. Areas of example on this would be any pipes that go from the outside in, and any gaps in your exterior application.
There are other things that you can also do, such as the clear tint on any windows that receive direct sunlight in the summer. You can prevent a lot of heat penetration with this, I’ve put it on some of the windows in my own home. Another item that you’d likely use only in the summer time would be a whole house fan, these are amazing.
As an example, on a day that is hot but then cools to a comfortable evening temperature, you can open windows in the rooms that are occupied, turn on the whole house fan and it will literally bring in the cooler outside air into the open windows, and pull the warm air trapped in the house, out into the attic where it is then vented to the exterior. If you are near these open windows, you experience a cool evening breeze.
You are not in need of running the air to cool the house for comfortable sleeping conditions, and running the whole house fan is much less expensive. Having good vents in your attic area is imperative, and sizing the equipment is equally important.
Ask the experts regarding sizing for your home, and do this if you are able. With all of these items in place you should be set up quite well for cost savings and comfort, for many years.
Good luck and if you have any further questions feel free to write back in.