Month: June 2011

Remove and replace, or install new layer?

By Paul Bianchina
Inman News™

Q: We have a large living room that needs all the ceiling drywall replaced because it is sagging. We believe it is sagging because there was not an adequate number of drywall screws put in, plus there was insufficient insulation with no vapor barrier installed when the house was first built. About five years ago, additional insulation was put in correctly, with the Kraft paper touching the top of the drywall plus more insulation on top.

Our question is: When this new drywall is installed, what is the best way to remove the old drywall, without having all the insulation fall into our living space? –Chris A.

A: Since you have batt insulation between the joists with additional blown-in material on top, removing the old drywall without creating a horrendous mess is going to be pretty difficult. Once the supporting drywall is removed, the weight of the blown material is going to cause the batts to sag into the room. Even if it doesn’t come crashing down into the room, as you install the new drywall, you’ll have a very tough time pushing all that material back up into the attic. The result could sags and irregularities in the new drywall.

You have a couple of options. Working in small sections, you can rake the blown-in material out of the way, remove the batts in that section, remove and replace the drywall, then reinstall the batts, rake the blown-in material back into place, and proceed to the next section. This would obviously be a pretty tedious operation.

A better suggestion is to just leave the old drywall in place, and install a new layer over it. You can work your way around the room and re-screw the old drywall to stabilize it, then install new 5/8-inch material with longer screws that will penetrate through both layers.

If the ceiling is currently too uneven to get a smooth finish by installing directly over it, then you might want to install wood furring strips over the old drywall, then install the new drywall directly to the furring. Install the wood furring perpendicular to the way the joists run, and use shims as necessary to get the furring even.

With either method, since the old drywall is already taped to the walls in the corner, there would be no need to tape the new drywall to the walls. Instead, cover the wall/ceiling joint with crown molding, which will enhance the look of the room and save you the time and labor needed to tape the corner joints.

Q: Thanks for your informative article on attic ventilation. My question is: Do gable vents count as inflow (low) or outflow (high) in the NFA (net free area) calculation. I want to re-roof and replace my current box vents with ridge venting, but I also have gable vents. I think, but am not sure that my outflow NFA would be a combination of the ridge vent NFA plus the gable vent NFA. –Wayne D.

A: Gable-end vents would almost always be considered high vents, as they are typically located near the top of the gable-end wall, which would place them relatively close to the ridge. As a rough rule of thumb, if you visualize a line cutting your attic in half horizontally, anything above the line would be considered high vents, and anything below the line would be low vents. Of course the higher or lower the vents are, the more effective they’ll be.

In your case, assuming the gable-end vents are relatively high on the walls, you are correct in assuming that your high venting would be a combination of the ridge and gable vents.

Q: I just read an article about using pressure-treated wood for decks. I believe it is illegal — at least in Los Angeles; it should be everywhere. To be pressure-treated, the wood is injected with poison. This makes it dangerous to have exposed. We are allowed to use it internally only (i.e., for studs in enclosed walls). If I remember the newspaper article correctly, a number of years ago someone made a swing/play set for their kids and one of the children chewed on the wood … another possible Darwin Award. I have seen it used on trail fence rails in Laguna Hills, Calif. — hello, horses chew on wood!

Or is there some “new” kind of pressure-treated wood that doesn’t pose this issue? –Candice H.

A: Pressure-treated lumber used to be manufactured with chromated copper arsenate (CCA). The arsenate is a form of arsenic, which is probably the poison to which you’re referring. However, there were concerns about the arsenic in the wood leaching into the surrounding soil, so in 2004 the Environmental Protection Agency and the wood-preserving industry jointly agreed to change the chemicals being used in the process. Today, the pressure-treated lumber and plywood available in local lumber yards is typically made with copper azole (CA-B), or with alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ), neither of which contain arsenic.

While CCA-treated lumber is now used only for very specific and limited applications, I am not aware of any code-related restrictions on the use of the newer treated materials.

Remodeling and repair questions? Email Paul at paulbianchina@inman.com. All product reviews are based on the author’s actual testing of free review samples provided by the manufacturers.

Choosing replacements

By Arrol Gellner
Inman News™

Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series.

Last time, we talked about choosing replacement windows that suit the style of your house — whether the type is casement, double-hung, slider or something more exotic. This time, we’ll look at the different window materials available, and which choice is best for your project.

First, however, comes the fundamental question about window replacement: Does it really make sense for you? The answer, in many cases, is no.

If you’re replacing your windows solely to lower your utility bills, for example, forget it. Energy loss through windows comprises only a small fraction of overall energy loss throughout the house, and you’ll be far better off investing your money in additional attic insulation or even, in many cases, a more efficient furnace.

Even if you think your current windows are in terrible shape, you may wish to get an estimate on repairing rather than replacing them. This is especially advisable if you’re lucky enough to have a prewar home with original wood windows — in this case, replacement windows will almost certainly detract from its market value. Bear in mind that window replacement is generally an iffy investment, since it has a very long payback period. It’s also one that can radically change your home’s appearance — often for the worse.

If you’ve determined that replacement is for you, however, here’s a rundown of the different window materials commonly available. Remember, we’re not talking about the window type — double-hung, slider and so forth — but actual material.

• Vinyl (polyvinyl chloride plastic, to be specific) is currently the ubiquitous material for replacement windows, but that alone doesn’t make it an obvious choice. The moderate price can be attractive, but the jury is still out on vinyl’s durability over the long haul. What’s more, the thick, doughy frames typical of these windows are inappropriate to many home styles, and the slim choice of colors makes them easy to spot as replacements.

• Aluminum windows are still available, but no longer carry the bargain price you may remember from years past. There’s a good reason for this, however: They’re now better built and far more efficient than the cheapie units of the 1960s. If your house was originally built with aluminum windows — most postwar houses from the mid-1950s through the 1980s were — there’s no question that new-generation aluminum windows will be your best aesthetic choice for replacement.

• Wood windows, whether standard or clad, remain the premium choice for replacement. Clad windows, which variously have an external shell of aluminum or fiber glass to protect the wood elements from weathering, are represented as doing away with maintenance headaches. However, unlike plain wood windows, they can’t be easily repaired or refinished if they’re damaged. You’re also permanently stuck with the color of cladding you choose. Hence, you should weigh the premium you’ll pay for clad windows against the occasional headache of repainting the standard wood version. Be prepared for sticker shock with either product, however — these windows are truly a lifetime investment.

As long as your budget allows it, the simplest rule of thumb for choosing window material is to replace like for like — aluminum with aluminum, wood with wood. In 10 years, after the latest window fad has come and gone, you’ll be glad you did.

Read Arrol Gellner’s blog at arrolgellner.blogspot.com, or follow him on Twitter: @ArrolGellner.

Today’s buyers are less willing to compromise

By Dian Hymer
Inman News™

Some real estate agents recommend you do little if anything to get your home ready for sale. This could work if you price the listing to look like a bargain. However, most buyers in today’s market are nervous and picky. They aren’t in a hurry and they want a house that’s move-in ready.

An agent who is looking for a fast sale might steer his or her clients away from doing any fix-up work. It takes a lot of time and coordination, not to mention money, to get a home properly prepared for sale in today’s market. Some agents don’t want to take on the effort, or haven’t the vision to see the home’s potential. This could cost you on the sale.

One agent told his clients that they needn’t do anything to get their house ready for sale. True, the house had inherent charm and good bones. But, the seller’s furniture was much too big to show the rooms off to advantage. The dogs had damaged the hardwood floor and the beautiful garden was overgrown.

The house didn’t sell until the sellers found another agent who recommended a laundry list of items to take care of before selling, including moving most of the seller’s furniture out and having the house staged.

Unfortunately, market values declined between the first and second times the home was listed. Even though the house sold quickly with multiple offers the second time it was listed, it sold for less than it would have if it had showed well the first time it hit the market.

HOUSE HUNTING TIP: Choose an agent to work with who has experience helping sellers prepare their homes for the market. Ask an agent you’re thinking about hiring for references. Call past sellers and ask them how effectively the agent helped them get their home sold and whether they made back the money they invested getting the home ready for sale.

A good agent should be able to supply you with a list of tradespeople who can help you paint, change outdated floor coverings and light fixtures, etc., at reasonable prices. And your agent ought to be able to provide access to the home for the people you select to help with the fix-up if you are out of town or at work.

Ideally, you should work with your agent who will help you prioritize the things that should be done to bring about a timely sale. For example, an outdated kitchen can usually be improved considerably by painting, changing light fixtures, refinishing or replacing a worn floor, and changing cabinet pulls.

It might make sense to change extremely old appliances and counters. However, it’s not a good idea to gut the kitchen and completely remodel it for sale. You won’t get that money back when you sell. The aim is to make cost-effective improvements that make your home appealing to the broadest number of buyers possible.

Painting is the least expensive improvement you can make that is likely to return more than you invest, provided you select the right colors. One seller repainted the exterior of his home before he selected a real estate agent. He painted it the same dowdy colors that adorned the house for decades. The first thing the buyers wanted to change was the exterior paint color.

THE CLOSING: For the best result, talk to a color consultant before you paint.

Dian Hymer, a real estate broker with more than 30 years’ experience, is a nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author of “House Hunting: The Take-Along Workbook for Home Buyers” and “Starting Out, The Complete Home Buyer’s Guide.”