Summer is a popular time to build a deck or a patio so that you can spend time enjoying the great outdoors.  But which surface is really the best?

Deciding whether a deck or patio makes the most sense is part structural and part personal choice.  If your back door is close to the ground (within a foot or two), a patio is probably the best choice.  Decks require more vertical space for the posts, beams and joists to be built and it makes no sense whatsoever to build those below grade. 

If a patio is your pick, you can build a super nice one with concrete pavers.  These are modular bricks and fit together like puzzle pieces.  The most important part of the installation is the preparation of the base.  You’ll need to clear and flatten the land, then lay down 8-10 inches of crushed gravel and tamp it until it is almost as solid as concrete.  If the base isn’t prepared correctly, you’ll end up with a patio that looks more like rolling hills punctuated by weeds.

If you have more vertical height off the backdoor or if your yard slopes off so much that a patio wouldn’t be practical, building a deck is the best option.  When designing your deck, first decide whether you want one level or more.  Keep in mind that while multiple levels can be very attractive, each one reduces the amount of useable space since furniture can’t be placed near step-downs.  If a deck is for you, there are many material options.  Natural wood choices include pressure treated lumber, cedar, redwood or Ipe, a beautiful and resilient hardwood.  Composites, made of plastic and lumber combinations, are also becoming extremely popular.  My co-host recently installed a composite deck product called Fiberon and it was gorgeous!

Tom Kraeutler is the host of The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show and the Home Improvement Editor for AOL. For more tips, sign up for Tom's free e-newsletter here. Tom's latest book, My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure, is available in bookstores everywhere and online.

Hoping you can shed some light on this concern of mine. I recently went into a bidding war on a century-old home and won─however, it wasn’t disclosed until after the deal was signed that the home has asbestos siding. After much internet research, I’ve seen many different responses, all of which seem to suggest that this product is highly questionable and unstable, and that it can’t be altered at all (by cutting, scrubbing or painting) as the asbestos can become airborne and compromise everything.  Can you please clarify for me what you know to be true? Should I be purchasing a home in this day and age that has asbestos siding?
Hayleigh N.

First off, don’t panic…Asbestos contained in siding, known as “cement asbestos”, is far less of a risk than when used in other applications, as the asbestos fibers are bound within the siding’s cement composition and can’t be easily released into the air. After 20 years as a home inspector, this is not something I have ever seen impact a home’s value.  Cement asbestos siding is non-organic and so it does not decay and actually holds paint quite well (which, by the way is NOT dangerous contrary to what you have been told!). 

As for handling it, you do need to take a few precautions.  Cutting asbestos siding is the only danger, which is minimized with use of specialized tools that “shear” rather than cut the shingles.  Also, I recommend against installing new siding over top of the existing asbestos material, as the process will damage the latter and cause asbestos fibers to be released.  Remember also that while removal of asbestos siding is not regulated, disposal of the material may be so also be sure to check with your local trash collection service to ensure that the material can be disposed of properly.

Finally, I don’t believe having cement asbestos siding would negatively impact your home’s value.  It is not dangerous and while it may not be the most trendy siding product out there, it is super durable and does it’s job of protecting your home’s structure quite well.

Tom Kraeutler is the host of The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show and the Home Improvement Editor for AOL. For more tips, sign up for Tom's free e-newsletter here. Tom's latest book, My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure, is available in bookstores everywhere and online.

Can you explain what I need to do to clean and restore or replace the grout in my tiled shower? The tile is 4” x 4” with white grout, and despite my cleaning it gets black and moldy every week.
MarvA 7-12-08

The place to start in this case is with the overall moisture situation in your bathroom. If the space were properly ventilated, that mildew wouldn’t be making a weekly appearance. One way to stop the show and related health threats is to install a vent fan on an occupancy sensor.  This combination can be set to let the fan run 10-15 minutes after you leave the bath, doing a better job of evacuating moisture from the space.  Combination fan/light units like those from Broan-NuTone can include features like these that provide powerful ventilation and lighting, along with a quiet fan. Finally, remember that vent fan units must exhaust to the outside of your home and not into your attic!

After your bathroom’s ventilation problem is solved, restore tiled shower surfaces by using a grout saw to scrape out the existing grout material, and replace it with an antimicrobial grout that’ll resist future settlements of stain-causing mildew and mold. Laticrete offers a great solution for this step with its antimicrobial 1500 Sanded Grout and 1776 Grout Admix, both of which contain the mold-and-mildew-inhibiting protection of Microban, and also eliminate the shading and blotching caused by minerals and organic particles commonly found in domestic water.

Reaching Tom:  For more tips, sign up for Tom's free e-newsletter here.  If you have a home improvement question or comment on this topic, please post it below.  For answers to other home improvement questions, please email Tom at tomsmoneypit@aol.com so your question can beused in future blog entries, or search Tom's home improvement articles at moneypit.com

I listen to your show on WABC in NY and understand you spent many years as a home inspector.  We are buying a ten year old house in Fishkill NY. We had the house inspected last week; however the home inspector would not check the septic system with color dye. He stated that the fields 'looked okay.'  Would you insist on him doing the test?

jchris379

Well, yes…and no!  I’d definitely insist upon having a septic inspection done but I’d pass on letting this inspector do it!  There’s just no way a system can simply “look okay” unless a minimally thorough septic evaluation is done.  And while a septic system evaluation is not a required part of a standard home inspection, any home inspector offering that service has the responsibility to do it right – or not do it at all.

In my home inspection business, most of the homes we inspected had city sewers.  In the occasional house that had a septic system, I regularly declined performing this additional evaluation, preferring to leave that up to the folks that did them all the time. 

For a state of the art look-see into what a present-day septic inspection should entail, I turned to Joe Corsetto, Past President of the American Society of Home Inspectors and a Registered Environmental Health Specialist with the State of New Jersey.  Joe says that dye testing, is “inadequate in almost all situations, except near water” when it can help spot a leak into the waterway.  He recommends that a thorough septic inspection include the following four steps at a minimum:

*  Each septic system component should be located and opened to perform a visual check of its function – this is an absolutely essential element of all thorough septic inspections.

*  The gravel disposal field, laterals, seepage pits (older systems), and other elements must be probed to determine the presence of abnormal saturation.

The home’s plumbing system must be run enough to simulate usage (known as “volume loading”).

*  And, inspectors should perform a record check at the municipal Health Department.  This can help identify all sorts of concerns including proper permits, plans, complaints, etc.

A septic inspection as described above should cost $450 - $650, which while significant, can help you avert repairs costing far, far more.

Reaching Tom:  For more tips, sign up for Tom's free e-newsletter here.  If you have a home improvement question or comment on this topic, please post it below.  For answers to other home improvement questions, please email Tom at tomsmoneypit@aol.com so your question can beused in future blog entries, or search Tom's home improvement articles at moneypit.com

As you prepare to bring out the stars and stripes for the 4th of July, here are a few tips to help ensure the honor of the flag and our nation’s independence with a careful, thoughtful display:

HANDLE WITH CARE: Always handle the flag carefully; it should not touch the ground or become worn or soiled.

UNION UP: The American flag should be displayed with the blue union up, except as a distress signal in times of dire emergency. So, if you fly your flag from a staff, make sure the union is stationed at the staff’s peak, and if the flag is displayed on a flat surface outside or inside the home, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right─that is, to the observer’s left. One more thing: never use the flag as a wrapping or any other sort of decoration. That’s what red, white and blue bunting is for.

LIGHTS ON: Your flag should be illuminated at all times while on display, so if you leave it up at night, make sure a porch or street light is shining nearby. You can also install a sensor light that automatically comes on in the evening.

RAISE BRISKLY, STORE CAREFULLY: When hoisting the flag, raise it briskly. Lower it ceremoniously to a recipient’s waiting hands and arms, taking care that no part of it touches the ground or any nearby objects along the way. Then fold the flag neatly and carefully for storage.

NO ADS, PLEASE: The American flag should never be used for advertising or printed onto anything designed for disposal, like paper napkins or plates. It also shouldn’t be embroidered onto furniture, cushions or handkerchiefs, or worn as clothing. Flag pins, however, are absolutely okay, so long as they are displayed on the left lapel, nearest the heart.

DISPOSE WITH DIGNITY: If your flag becomes too worn for display, make sure to dispose of it properly. This can be done either by burning it in a dignified manner or through the assistance of your local VFW, American Legion, Knights of Columbus, Elks Lodge, or Boy or Girl Scouts.

Reaching Tom:  For more tips, sign up for Tom's free e-newsletter here.  If you have a home improvement question or comment on this topic, please post it below.  For answers to other home improvement questions, please email Tom at tomsmoneypit@aol.com so your question can beused in future blog entries, or search Tom's home improvement articles at moneypit.com

My son lives in Athens, Georgia, in an apartment complex that houses mostly college students. Since he moved in, he has been sick almost constantly with lung issues─up to and including coughing up blood! We recently found that the AC/heating unit in his apartment is covered in mold and mildew on the inside! Although they have come out and cleaned the unit, I think they need to do more than just cleaning the coils. Is that enough to get rid of the problem or are they just shoveling sand against the tide if they don’t treat the ductwork as well as the rest of the apartment?
Dani

Indoors and out, mold spores’ ideal landing pad is one with moisture, air and organic matter to serve as food. This combination of conditions can be found everywhere from furnishings to cardboard boxes, but as you and your son have unfortunately discovered, one of the biggest and most often overlooked havens for mold is the air conditioner, whether a portable or part of a central air setup. An air conditioner’s coil and everything around it is damp while the machine runs, and without adequate filtration, that’s a perfect invitation for mold to grow. Using a decent filter can make all the difference─that means a pleated filter with a MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating of at least 8, or 11 in the home of someone prone to allergies. If the air conditioner in your son’s apartment is a wall unit, its original filter would’ve had a MERV rating far lower than 8, so an immediate filter upgrade is in order.

Considering your son’s serious condition though, the best advice would be for him to move out.  There’s no sense staying there if it is making him sick.  Mold effects different people in different ways and if he is that sick, he needs immediate medical attention and a clean place to live, ASAP.

Reaching Tom:  For more tips, sign up for Tom's free e-newsletter here.  If you have a home improvement question or comment on this topic, please post it below.  For answers to other home improvement questions, please email Tom at tomsmoneypit@aol.com so your question can beused in future blog entries, or search Tom's home improvement articles at moneypit.com

My 6-year-old roof has some nasty black staining that I believe is a moss or algae. Can you suggest a product to get rid of this and prevent it from returning? Also, is this a do-it-yourself project?
Mark F.
Westfield, NJ

Sounds like your asphalt shingle roof has been marked by blue-green algae or "moss", a typical phenomenon in areas with hot, humid summers. Removing this is certainly a DIY project as long as you have the proper gear to reach the affected area safely (depending on your roof’s pitch and design, a ladder or scaffold, along with extra rigging, will be required). To remove, you can either purchase a ready-made cleaning/antifungal solution at your local hardware store or home center, or make your own using one part bleach, three parts water and some tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) for extra cleaning action.

Before you begin, make sure to wet down any plantings around your home’s foundation in order to protect them from damage caused by the cleaning solution (even if you plan to cover them with tarps while you’re working). Then head for the roof and use a plastic garden pump sprayer to apply the solution to affected areas, letting it sit just as long as is specified by package instructions or, if you’ve made your own mix, 15 minutes. Then rinse it away using a garden hose (do not use a pressure washer, which can damage your shingles). If some stains remain, allow the roof to dry completely before making another pass with your cleaning solution. Also repeat the rinsing of those landscape plantings once you’re done with the job.

Reaching Tom:  For more tips, sign up for Tom's free e-newsletter here.  If you have a home improvement question or comment on this topic, please post it below.  For answers to other home improvement questions, please email Tom at tomsmoneypit@aol.com so your question can beused in future blog entries, or search Tom's home improvement articles at moneypit.com