Parrish Construction

Archive for the ‘Structural Issues’ Category

Q—What is the liquid that I’ve seen concrete contractors spray on the surface of concrete sidewalks and driveways?

Monday, June 20th, 2011 Posted in Exterior Remodeling, FAQ, Landscaping, Materials- Construction, Structural Issues | No Comments »

A—The product you refer to is probably a curing agent. Its purpose is to retard the rapid evaporation of the water in the concrete through the surface. Curing is the process of setting or hardening during which the water in ...

Q—Our concrete driveway has sunken near house, and water now ponds there. Is there any way to fix the problem without removing and replacing the driveway?

Thursday, April 7th, 2011 Posted in Exterior Remodeling, FAQ, Flood, Landscaping, Spring, Structural Issues, Waterproofing | No Comments »

A—The dirt backfill near your house has settled, causing the concrete slab to settle with it. Your driveway is a prime candidate for “mud jacking”. The process involves drilling a few small holes in the slab and injecting slurry (mud) ...

Q—Every Spring, we get water in our basement. Is there anything we can do to prevent this from happening again this year?

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 Posted in Basements, DIY Home Improvements, FAQ, Flood, Flooding, Handyman/Small Jobs, Historic Homes, Landscaping, Spring, Structural Issues, Timely Home Upgrades, Waterproofing | No Comments »

A—In my experience, most water problems in basements are caused by improper channeling of surface water away from the foundation. If water from downspouts, roof runoff, or adjacent landscaping is allowed to pond near the foundation, it can saturate the ...

Q—Help! We have a ceiling leak in our cathedral ceiling every winter. We’ve had it checked by a roofer who says the roof is fine. Any suggestions?

Monday, February 8th, 2010 Posted in Drywall Repairs, FAQ, Freezing Temp. Problems, Heating/Cooling, Lighting, Money-Saving Tips, Paint, Roofing/Ceilings, Spring, Structural Issues, Timely Home Upgrades, Ventilation, Waterproofing, Winter | No Comments »

A—The water damage is likely due to humidity inside the house condensing in the cold rafter space (usually the underside of the roof sheeting) and dripping on the insulation and drywall as the weather warms up. This is probably caused ...

Q—We are having a house built, and are concerned about the plywood subflooring. It has gotten wet several times, and is starting to look weathered. Should we be concerned about it deteriorating?

Friday, February 5th, 2010 Posted in Construction Process, FAQ, Flooring, Materials- Construction, New Construction, Safety Hazards, Spring, Structural Issues, Waterproofing, Winter | No Comments »

A—Subflooring sheathing, both plywood and oriented strand board (OSB) are designed with water-resistant glues to resist the amount of rain and snow typically encountered during construction. I’ve seen floors that had been exposed to the weather for months perform flawlessly. ...

Q—Our contractor plans to use “Scissor trusses” to create a vaulted ceiling in our family-room addition. What is a scissor truss?

Monday, February 1st, 2010 Posted in Additions, Architecture, Blueprints, Construction Terms, Design Tips, FAQ, Remodels/Additions, Roofing/Ceilings, Structural Issues, Ventilation | No Comments »

A—You’ve probably seen more conventional roof trusses being installed on new homes under construction. They are engineered and factory-fabricated structural members designed to effectively span wide areas, often without center support. Typically with a triangular shape, they incorporate the roof ...

Q: Help! I can’t seem to understand all the construction jargon my last contractor used. Can you share some of the most common terms?

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 Posted in Architecture, Blueprints, Construction Process, Construction Terms, Costs, Design-Build, Estimation, FAQ, Getting Started, Humorous Articles, Materials- Construction, Remodeling Concerns, Structural Issues | No Comments »

A—Jar-gon (noun) Obscure and often pretentious language marked by circumlocutions and long words (from WWWebster’s Dictionary on the internet).Construction, like many professions, has its share of jargon—obscure terms that are meaningless to the average person. Unlike the medical profession, however, ...

Q: We have a large crawl-space under part of our house, and a basement under the rest. Is it possible to dig out the crawl space to enlarge the basement?

Friday, January 1st, 2010 Posted in Additions, Basements, Building Trends, FAQ, Remodeling Concerns, Remodels/Additions, Space-Saving/Organization, Structural Issues, Ventilation | No Comments »

A: While it’s always easier to build the basement first and then the house, it is probably possible to build in the reverse order, depending upon soil conditions, existing foundation details, access for digging equipment, and how much money you ...