Show FIRST AID aida to the AILING HOUSE I 1 A by ROGER B WHITMAN J 1 summer house we recently looked Q QUESTION at a two story summer house 23 years old I 1 would say the walls are plasterboard upstairs bedrooms have very narrow boards for a ceiling personally I 1 dont think the house although small can be heated in its present condition do you think the house could be insulated you d and would a furnace be sufficient answer make certain there is a wo wood od sheathing and sheathing paper underneath neath the outside wall covering many summer houses have been built without it sheathing helps keep the weather out insulation will help make any type house more comfortable at a slightly higher cost a hot air furnace with ducts connected to each room would be preferable to the type creaking floor boards question occasionally at regular intervals there is a tapping noise noise which we discovered is a creaking of the floor boards the same thing has happened in another room how can this noise be stopped answer the tapping noise may W ae caused by the expansion and contraction of floor boards due to the absorption of moisture and to drying out nothing much can be done to stop this except to maintain a uniform amount of humidity in the air creaking of floor boards caused by loosening from the beams may be stopped by driving finishing nails through both of the flooring into the beam nails should be driven in pairs at opposite angles the heads of nails are driven below the surface of the floor boards with a nail set plug the nail holes with plastic wood talcum powder worked in between the floor boards may also correct this condition inherited house question the house which we recently inherited has five rooms upstairs and four rooms downstairs we plan to alter it can the roof be taken off and a bungalow type made of the building with all rooms on one floor we much money and wonder if the would give us a loan for remodeling can plans be had on modernizing ing a house answer the roof can be taken off and the upper story removed I 1 strongly recommend that you employ the services of an architect ile he will be able to plan all of the necessary structural changes to be made as well as rearranging the rooms and specifying the proper materials to be used in making these alterations loans on this type of work are made through local banks after the local office has approved the arrangements tourist cabins question where can I 1 secure plans for tourist cabins answer all of the larger manufacturers rs of insulating boards issue pamphlets on this subject so do several of the lumber associations ping pong table A correspondent has sent in the following suggestion for finishing a pin pong table apply two coats of linseed oil allowing ample time for the first coat to dry thoroughly and coating both surfaces and the edges finish with two coats of heavy dark green house paint which should last for several years wall coverings question Is it advisable to use oilcloth on the ceilings and wallpaper wall paper on the side walls answer you may find it more practical to use wall cloth or washable wallpaper wall paper for the walls and ordinary wallpaper on the ceilings soiling is more apt to occur on the walls than the ceilings stuck doors question in two garages that I 1 know the hinge type doors have stuck at the bottom on the concrete drive in cold weather although entirely free in warm weather can you explain answer that is not due to expansion ion as you suggest but to the heaving of the concrete apron by the freezing of water underneath the condition is quite common to get away from it drainage should be provided under the apron in many cases a deep bed of cinders is sufficient fici fi ent fumigation question please advise me on the fumigation of a house that we have just bought answer within city limits fumigation is generally only done by a concern licensed to do such a job even where there are no regulations it is most advisable to have the job done by an expert both for sureness of results and for safety safet wooden steps question the wooden steps of M my 1 Y old house are in n need eed of cebu rebuilding i I 1 d I 1 I 1 I 1 9 the side boards are buried in earth the dampness rots the boards very quickly my carpenter claims the quality of the wood is poor nowadays and advises brick brick or stone would not look well with the house could you suggest something answer lumber nowadays if it is is of good quality is just as good as it ever was you can now get treated lumber which will retard the rotting one of the woods suitable for your purpose is a good grade of cypress 0 roger B D whitman service |