“The Home Improvement Show with Scott Mosby”
Saturday, July 28, 2007, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Topic: Doors Sticking & Floors Squeaking

Scott will take your calls at 314.436.7900 or toll-free at 1.800.925.1120.

RECYCLED BUILDING MATERIALS

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 32% of all American participate in recycling programs. Recycling paper, cardboard, glass and plastics is an easy habit to learn and conserves resources in an earth-friendly way. You can take that concept even further by building and remodeling with recycled building materials. Reusable construction materials become available whenever a demolition takes place, and there are several sources that cultivate these materials for you to use.

In the St. Louis area, we have ReSource St. Louis, who provide a searchable database of materials currently available. Visit this link, and click on the “Materials Exchange” tab. For a list of St. Louis City and County businesses offering recycled and reclaimed materials, visit this link.

WHAT CAUSES A DOOR TO STICK?

• Weather conditions
• The house settling
• Paint buildup
• Hinge malfunction
• Changed floor height

WHAT CAUSES A FLOOR TO SQUEAK?

• Unsecured subfloor
• Wood moving along a nail
• Metal ductwork
• Touching X braces

ANOTHER UNIVERSAL DESIGN TIP

Scott Mosby is the Certified Aging In-Place (CAPS) Specialist of the year, and as the national spokesman and educator about universal design and mobility, he offers this tip:

HALLWAYS The typical residential hallways is 32″-36″ wide. Expanding a hallway to 48″ wide allows clear mobility for people using wheelchairs or crutches. It also makes it easier to move furniture, and for anyone whose been stuck behind a bulky object, that wide hall would be both a convenience and a luxury!

THERMOSTAT SETTING FOR AN EMPTY HOUSE

Be it during a typical workday or away on vacation, cooling an empty house has become an expensive proposition, and there are valid concerns about what is the best thermostat setting. If the temperature is set too high, humidity build up will cause mold and mildew growth, or damage wood. So, what setting will protect both your home and the utility bill?

Humidity damage usually occurs above 90 degrees, so leaving the thermostat at 85 degrees while the house is empty is a safe compromise.

According to the American Solar Energy Society, the ideal solution is to have a programmable thermostat installed so you can follow the pattern of: 90 degrees during the day and 71 degrees from 3-5 a.m. The theory is that intense cooling in the early morning hours removes moisture from the air, thus keeping relative humidity low as the temperature changes to the higher setting for the majority of the day. Using this pattern, tests conducted on homes in Florida showed a 72% savings on utility bills during the period the home was unoccupied.

END NOTES

When you need expert assistance with any of the topics discussed today, we are here to take care of you and your home.

A summary of today’s KMOX Home Improvement Show, and access to frequently asked questions, is available here.

And a very happy birthday to Scott Mosby, who celebrates another year this weekend!!

Related posts:

1. KMOX – Power Issues
2. KMOX – Choosing Exterior Siding
3. Scott Mosby Receives His CAPS of the Year Award
4. Visit Mosby at the Spring Home Show
5. KMOX – Outdoor Living Options

Learn the Art of Living at CallMosby.com.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 27th, 2007 at 8:59 am and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.