by The Handyguys on February 4, 2010
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The Handyguys take two fan questions on very different topics. Destructive squirrels and carpeting options for a basement.
Squirrels
The Handyguys received the following question from Larry, a listener of the show:
Hi, I have squirrels eating away at the lead pipe flashing (roof jack). that surround the PVC vent pipes that extend out of the roof and along some fascia boards. In searching for a solution, one person said they may be missing a mineral in their diet. Another said they chew to keep their teeth from growing to long.
- Any truth to these?
- Any idea why they eat lead pipe flashing (roof jack)?
- How can I stop them permanently from eating the lead pipe flashing (roof jack) and fascia boards?
- How can I repair the lead pipe flashing (roof jack) with buying entirely new pipe flashing and lifting shingles?
Larry – We aren’t completely sure why the squirrels are trying to get into your house. Brian’s guess is they want to come in out of the cold. Regardless you don’t want the squirrels destroying your house. We suggest you begin an agressive relocation program. You can get a trap and easily relocate the squirrels. Check out this one from Havahart.
As for repair – You should just replace the boot on the pipe vent through your roof. You can use Bondo for the Fascia. We discuss some other options in the podcast. Make sure you give it a listen.
Carpet for your basement
The Handyguys then take a question from Eric about carpet for his basement:
First, off just wanted to say great site and great information.
Here is my situation. Carpet and the basement. My wife and I are nearly done with our basement and ready to pick out and put in some nice carpet. But we have no idea how to buy carpet or what sort of padding is best to put under the carpet. Our basement is a solid poured concrete floor and walls. We have no water or any moisture to really mention a small dehumidifier runs occasionally and the basement seems dry.
We have 3 young kids and one big dog and would like a carpet and padding that would be able to hold up.
Thanks
Eric
The Handyguys discuss some different carpet options. Both Brian & Paul are in agreement that a decent pad that is not absorbent is a must. Also, you may want to consider commercial carpet as well.
What are you doing lately?
We wrap up the show with a discussion about some cabinets that are pulling off the wall because they are overloaded. These are a decent brand of cabinets. Brian was able to add some screws into the soffit to hold them until the cabinets are repaired.
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by The Handyguys on January 28, 2010
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The Handyguys received a distraught email from one of our listeners regarding a DIY disaster. It seems that Leroy has the challenge of fixing a hack job from the previous homeowner.
Hi guys, I recently purchased a house. The home was built in 1990. In the master bedroom there is an 8 inch paper boarder up high on the walls. Instead of taking the boarder off, the person who lived here prior apparently used some sort of mud to (poorly) blend the lower portion of the boarder to the rest of the sheet rock then used what looks like spray texture to try and match the knockdown texture currently on the wall and then painted the entire room. At a distance you can kinda see the patchwork but up close it is very unattractive. My question is how would you go about removing the boarder and making the wall look uniform being that there is knockdown texture on the wall. Thank you so much. Love the podcast and fyi I wrote a review on Itunes.
The Handyguys make an effort to rescue Leroy from this potential mess. In summary, there are three choices that the handyguy can make to fix the funny looking walls:
- Just tear down that drywall and install new! Obviously this is a drastic solution but it would work.
- Try to create a texture over the wallpaper boarder that matches the rest of the wall. The Handyguys discuss the texture options.
- Camouflage the problem. Either use another wallpaper border that is thicker then the one used previously or repaint the room with a faux paint process that hides the problem.
Water Pressure in the Home
Is your home water pressure to high? Many newer homes have pressure regulators which reduce the water pressure coming into the home. However, if these regulators are not set correctly or are faulty, you could have high water pressure which may cause a plumbing disaster. A typical home water pressure is measured at 70psi or below.
You can use this affordable pressure gauge available in our store. The Handyguys discuss how to use it in the podcast.
However, Handyguy Paul has heard from Neighbors with readings above 100psi. This high pressure can raise the chance of having a plumbing failure, particularly with one of the many fittings to toilets and sinks. If you think you may have high water pressure, get it checked.
If you want to check your water pressure yourself you may want to consider picking up a water pressure gauge
. They are not too expensive and could save you some trouble by identifying if your pressure is too high before it causes a problem.
Channel Lock
Channellock sent us their newly released tool: the 6.5″ V-Jaw tongue and groove pliers to check out. They look useful and more versatile than regular pliers. The Handyguys discuss some possible uses, keep them handy and report back when we use them on a future project. We love that they are made in the USA! Thanks Channellock. You can get Channellock Products at Amazon by clicking this link
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