All Forum Posts by: Don Meinke

Those look like better cabinets than your thinking of replacing with.  They are going to be hard to paint since the grease, grime and gore,,,plus the gloss has to go FIRST.  I would try some "orange Glo" or Amish cabinet cleaner first and see how that works.  If so go get some Old English scratch fix and you may be so surprised,,,you can always paint but you cant go back once painted

I personally dont like large homes, large family rentals,,,but thats just me.

A roll around center island would give max space,,,it can be pushed to give more space when needed.  Use the biggest widest roller on swivel casters you can find

I think can lights are just a fad but they are fashion these days.  IF you can easily get those in use LED bulbs in the brightest you can.

Does this house have a basement? Is plumbing access easy?  If it is metal pipe time to change to pex.  Change out metal drain plumbing also.  Its easy to do, maybe your dad can help?

I am going out on a limb here and suggesting looking at another angle.  FIRST I would look to outside slope close to and within 100 feet of the foundation.  IF you have a lake close by and a way in you can get ALOT of water underneath,  

Second check for leaking pipes under there right now,,,both supply lines and drain lines.  It can be a problem if present.

Third I understand the close quarters of 6 to 8 inches.  Is it ALL that way?  Any area you can get drain tile in and a bit of gravel??A sump and pump?  Short of that running 1 or 2 dehumidifiers are your best bet.  Best if they either drain by gravity but hooked into a tile and pump works too,,,just be sure you dont use the kind you dump the bin.  (Nobody is going to do that reliably)

MOST moisture problems come from being in a low hard to drain landscape as viewed from as far away as you can still see it and imagine NO houses or other buildings.  Is it low,medium,or high in relation to neighbors???  Any other drainage issues caused by grading or neighborhood???

To see whats really happening with downspouts,gutters and puddles you have to BE there in a huge pounding rain,,,just no other way.  Don the rain suit and boots and see if you splash ANY puddles within 50-80 foot of the house.

If drain tile would help dig a crawl space around the perimeter as painful as it is,,,and install drain tile there...it will help by draining  broken plumbing.  But you NEED heat down there or plumbing WILL freeze and break or stop,  I had a furnace on floor above and cut a duct hole and installed a duct into crawl.  DO NOT vent crawl to living area,,,musty trainwreck

Sometimes creative ways to remove dirt can aid in digging.  I elevated some once into a lake,,,using a grain elevator,,,long story.  How much  exposed foundation do you have from ground to where wood starts on the outside of the house?  You HAVE to dry this thing up somehow,,,just dont throw bandaids on symptoms and not real issue.

+1 on elongated

check flush (clog) ratings

American standard has a power flush model(think they advertised with a bucket of golf balls)

clogs cost you money 3 times over

Depends on where your access to this area is.  Do you have to wheel barrow this stuff out a half a block??Or take it thru your dwelling?  If you  do have alley access ,,,close carry.  Clear all the debris, take tree out close to house and build a wood deck over pouring concrete.  If your poring any concrete a pumper truck would cost more than the concrete.  I personally like 'cedar' wood over treated or composite. 475 square feet is a pretty small yard by our standards here.  Almost too small to mow so a deck and some mulch and tall grasses may suffice.  Wood is so much warmer than crete or stone.  Whatever you do make sure your drainage issues with your house is addressed now and in the future.  Slope away from house drastically and provide for excess water removal.(natural drainage preferred)

Just going to throw this out there if the situation warrents these actions.

AGEED with all others as getting rid of moisture.

Have heard another method of getting rid of mold is to media blast using dry ice pellets as a media.  First you spread a plastic throw away sheet down, blast it off unwanted surfaces,,letting the dry ice drag it down to floor plastic,,,, let dry ice evaporate,,,carefully wrap plastic to center and toss,,,protective gear should always be used. dry ice is hard on the skin so dont contact,,,cover up.

Another thought,,,IF any of that tile is the old 1 foot square stuff on a concrete floor dry ice will pop it loose the quickest,,,,then use glue remover on the remaining glue.

First rule of pex.  EACH fixture gets a home run supply.  Its own line.  IF your going to put 2 or 3 fixtures on one run it should be 3/4 or 1" and then manifold off that.  A quarter turn shut off for each line so you can isolate repairs etc.  one you dont need a ladder OR tools to get to.  (I put my shutoffs BELOW the finished floor in the basement,,,in case of a leak/ drip no damage to finished areas.

First I bought the manifolds with s.o. (shutoffs) on the manifold.  Upon thinking more,,, the valves are the most problematic so got them without and put s.o. inline on each one.  If I have to take one out and replace it MUCH EASIER THAN A MANIFOLD REPLACEMENT. Dont know how to replace one without butchering the system

ANY way you can splice a pex to old pipe and pull it down thru same spot?  If it works less wall cutting and patching.  I would do this all NOW when house is vacant and NO damage has occurred .  Fixing damage and replacing pipes as a tenant is complaining in your ear is not as much fun

There is more than one state with a town of Norfolk in it.  State would be good to know

How much space between your lot line and your house?Usually if you CAN get the water to the front yard vs the back its easier.  Front lawns lead to streets and streets have storm sewers as a rule.  Does yours?

If all this is impossible a larger holding tank and rock leach field?  OR pumping to a storm sewer?  We call the largest rains gully washers here in the real rural world,,,whatever you do it HAS to be sized to largest possible gully washer.  Of course unlimited is best!!

Is it possible to shoot a little video of said area??  And use a garden hose for your rain of today??  You HAVE to keep the water OUT of your crawl at all costs.  Being a do-it-yourself site there are lots of options that are mostly shovel and exercise and very low expense if you want to go that way.  Myself I would get my skid steer and rearrange enough dirt it could never happen again!!

I have 18v DeWalt because I bought it 25 years ago.  If I was to start over today would go 20v.  the 12v. tools I ever had were complete junk.  Was told only way to use a 12v. tool is jerk the wires out of it and hook it direct to a car type battery.

Mostly wanted to say not all 18v batteries are the same.  Original when bought could screw 200 screws thru tough subfloor on one battery.  They got old and bought new replacements at local dewalt handling store and they didnt hold charge long or last long.  When I replaced batteries this time, I took my time and researched online.  On ebay you have the cheap low amp batteries and a few of the high amp 'good' ones.  I bought the good high amp and if it isnt amazing,,,they hold a charge twice as long as the old style.  Not saying all are that way but I sure guess they are in all flavors, colors and volts.  Careful what you buy.  Wish I could buy an old good 18v charger for Dewalts from somebody that used to have that system.