Q: To finish an existing basement, I will be installing 2x4 walls around the perimeter. Should I install some type of waterproofing to the concrete walls? Can the 2x4 walls touch the concrete, or should I leave an air space?
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Q: Do the listed weight limits for ladders and scaffold planks include a safety factor? If so, how much weight can be added beyond the listed weight until failure occurs?
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Q: I will be installing a whirlpool tub for a customer who wants me to surround the tub with a horizontal shelf of natural wood. The customer has rejected my suggestion to install tile. Is there any species of wood that would hold up in this environment?
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Q: How big does an air space need to be before it stops working as insulation and starts working as a convective loop?
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Q: What type of saw blade should I use to remove about an inch from a solid-surface countertop?
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Q: Q. I’m building a tight house with above-average attention to air sealing, and I plan to ventilate with a Panasonic exhaust fan running continuously. Will the cracks around windows and doors admit adequate makeup air, or do I need to provide wall vents
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Q: I am planning to install new lighting in a warehouse. Are there any advantages, either in installation costs or in operating costs, to installing 240-volt lighting fixtures instead of 120-volt?
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Q: A customer asked me how to compare the cost of different heating fuels (natural gas, propane, oil, and electricity). Can you provide a chart with this information?
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Q: To support a beam for a residential deck, does a Sonotube pier need any rebar?
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Q: Is a concrete sealer effective at protecting a garage floor from road salt damage? If so, what is the best product to use — a floor paint or a clear waterproofing sealer?
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Q: Can regular sheets of metal panel roofing be installed on a curved roof with a radius of 28 feet?
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Q: The municipal storm drainage system in our city shares pipes with the sewer system. During heavy rainstorms, water backs up from the municipal drain line into a customer’s basement floor drain. Is there any type of check valve that can be installed in
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Q: The owner of a house with existing exterior cement stucco is unhappy with the finish. How difficult is it to install a new coat of stucco over the existing stucco?
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Q: What is the best vinyl trim detail to use on the wide angles of bay windows? The house in question does not have enough room at the corners to use a vinyl outside corner piece, which would be too wide. Is it acceptable to use a piece of inside corner t