architectpaul

I look forward to your article Rob. I've been cringing for many years now over all the ads and fliers for the replacement window market. But my main disgust comes from the installation and water-management side of the equation. Down here in Texas everybody wants their old aluminum windows yanked out and replaced with these entry-level vinyl replacements. What Joe Homeowner doesn't know is that these replacements are installed from the inside and have no perimeter nailing flange that can be flashed to the wall and integrated into the drainage plane of the WRB (water resistive barrier) (assuming there is one, of course). With the typical installation ($189 installed! Any size! Call now!), the only thing keeping water from getting into the wall is a caulk bead around the exterior of the unit. And we all know that caulk eventually fails. Come on in Mr. Rain and Mrs. Wind! Joe Homeowner won't notice until the drywall starts to mold.

Except for cases where the window is well-protected by a porch roof or a generous eave, I'm strongly against the whole notion of replacement windows that are not properly worked into the drainage plane behind the siding/brick/stone/stucco etc.

Yup, I'm just as worried about the cork floor (12 x 12 tiles) as I am the wood floor in my kitchen! So I installed the heavy-duty expensive washer hoses and check them from time to time.

Interesting story on the cork tile installation: trying to be as green as possible, I made my installer use the manufacturer's recommended water-based contact cement for the glue-down onto my concrete slab. It took me a while to find a flooring guy who would use this newfangled stuff - - they all wanted to use the tried-and-true, smelly, petroleum-based flooring glue (like Bostik's Best). But I persisted and found someone to use the no-VOC contact cement. And that's where things went awry.

Turns out that the product is extremely "fussy" and all conditions have to be just right for the glue to hold fast. Long story told short, I had many tiles delaminating from the concrete about 6 months later. I ended up pulling them up very carefully and regluing them myself with Bostik's Best. Wish I had gone that route in the first place.

Like many of you out there (and Brian,I suspect), I inherited my DIY sickness. Passed down from my Dad, my compulsion to always have a project to work on is mixed into my blood. Many times I heard his mantra "if you want something done right you've got to do it yourself". And what better project is there to eternally keep one busy than remodeling your house??

Built in 1966, our "ranchburger" home featured a silly wet bar about 10 feet from the kitchen, Nutone intercoms in every room (including the bathrooms!), and an entry foyer sporting mirrored wall tiles and a one-step-up raised floor that tripped unknowing guests. Other "amenities" included a formal living room but no dining room, 12" x 12" VAT (vinyl asbestos tile) everywhere, and....drum roll please.....ALUMINUM WIRING!

Well all those things are gone now. Oh, the memories. It's been 10 years since we moved in and there's not a single surface that I've not replaced, repaired, retextured or repainted. I've had some big help along the way, especially with my 2005 addition for our new kitchen and my upstairs studio. Lots of coffee, wine and great meals by my wife have kept me fueled and continue to fortify me as I tackle my current project - - new landscaping, pool decking and patio space in the back yard.