Workshop will not be attached in any way to house or deck. The main doors to the workshop will open outward - over the deck. I figured the workshop would do some settling and I would need to re-level - especially at the door area. Hence the adjustable piers would make this a whole lot easier. My tra...

I have used the steel piers to replace a few problematic block piers under my place. So far, they seem to work just fine. I really LIKE that they are adjustable !!! I am wanting to build a workshop (12 x 20) that sits level with my deck. The deck surface is about 33" above ground at the planned...

I may be too late to this dance...but..... I replaced all of my windows with special order vinyl, double pane, low e units from Home Depot. These were NOT the Pellas (American Craftsmen???), and there was no additional charge for sizing. All were "new work" with the nail fin. Window cost w...

The original single pane windows did a lot of sweating. I replaced all of my windows two years ago. Special ordered them through HD for an exact fit to the existing framing (with the nail fin). In a word: HALLELUJAH! The install was very easy. I had to re-trim on the inside but then the existing 'tr...

"None of the homes on concrete blocks failed. He's gone back to installing them on concrete blocks." That is very interesting. North Texas isn't prone to earthquakes - still - it does make you wonder about the stability of the steel jacks. I guess it has to do with the limited 'contact' su...

On the electrical issues ... are these issues that crop up with time? ....or brought about by occupant misuse/abuse?? And, how do you detect if you have an issue??

I am ready to tackle replacing all of my flooring. The cheap, crappy carpet the builder installed is cheap crappy carpet! LOL! And, they used railroad spikes to nail the perimeters down. Right now, all is carpeted except for kitchen & laundry which is linoleum. Previous owner smoked and was seve...

I believe it is 6-8"....but the only thing I could find on-line shows a minimum depth for anywhere in the continental US at 12". So, I will go with safe rather than sorry. Besides, once you are under there digging a hole by hand, what's another 4 - 6" of dirt?? :) I'm going to use the...

I had the same problem...and when that skirting finally caves - you will have one big mess to clean up. Not only is the skirting ruined...but there is the tendency for the cave-in to occur while it is pouring rain. End result is a mud slide under your house. (In my case, the water also took out supp...

Greg - Your advice was spot on - and you are now obligated by decree - based upon the authority passed to me by the Great Wizard of Need ......... Oh boy. What a mess. When I looked under before....well...I'll just say it was sooooo dark.... :) Five piers along the one side are either leaning - or f...

Been there. Done this one. Every time I came home I kept smelling "moldy stale water" when the AC would cycle. Crawled under and found a section of belly cloth that was drooped way down...and real tight. Slapped it with my hand..and it slapped back. Used a small screwdriver to pierce a tin...

Well, I decided to take the bull by the horns. The guy who 'set' this place is a member in good standing of the nimrod gene pool! That said, the last 8 years has been spent un-nimrodding his messes. The most recent involved removing 2 feet of dirt piled up against the skirting - with absolutely zero...

Chablis - Home Depot and Lowes have steadily become my biggest point of aggravation. Stock in the stores is hit or miss - and in some cases the stock they have clearly shows the ravages of time and gravity. Add to it that both of these are 18 miles away. So to drive all the way in to find an empty s...

I know this sounds odd - but how can you tell if the whole danged house is moving? House sits on sloped land, with decking on the lower, downhill side. The "symptom" is showing up along the inside edge of my deck and my front stairs. I trimmed the deck boards back a couple of inches a coup...

OK...I capped off the water lines, pulled the trim, unscrewed the flanges...but how the heck does the drain come loose? Do the drain fittings screw together or are they usually glued? If screwed, it appears drain area can only be accessed from the belly. If glued, is there a preferred "place&qu...