Mason,

I have a small (1400 sf) old Cape. There is a wall with a double-door opening that separates the living room from a small sunroom. Around the corner from that, there is a tiny bathroom and corridor that separates that sunroom from the kitchen. I'd really like to remove the wall and the bathroom and open the whole space up. My question is, what are the factors that need to be considered to do this and keep my house from falling down? I hear the term "load bearing wall" and don't really know how to tell. And, what if it is? Can I still open up the space? 

This clearly is a job for a pro

Dear Mason:

I live in a 1960's home in the Richmond, VA area.  I seems to be of good quality construction, but I have had problems with the crown molding pulling away from the ceiling, which leaves an ugly crack.  We have tried caulking it, but it re-appears after a year or less.  Is there something wrong with my crown molding?  What can we do to fix it forever?

Lisa B

 

Lisa:

Ahhh, cursed crown.  It's ALIIIIIVE!

Indeed, in all likelihood, that is the problem.  Most crown molding is made of living (or once-alive) material - wood.  All wood has a tendency to expand and contract with swings in

Mason:

What are the three best questions that a homeowner can ask when trying to choose a design/build firm and why?

Evan

 

Evan,

I appreciate your question... naturally, finding a good "fit" between yourself and a building / remodeling partner is the first and most important key to a successful project experience.

Take a look back at my archived post "On Selecting a Contractor" (August 2007).  There, we talk about achieving a level of comfort with the prospective contractor, his reputation, people and processes.  All of this applies regardless of any particular delivery system.

The search for a

Dear Readers:

Greetings from your chief blogger that, nine months ago, had no idea how these things work!

Our web developer has given us some analytics for our site, indicating that AskMason is the #1 most-visited section of our website; in excess of 1,000 views a month. Promotion has been mostly “word of mouth” and via the typically-available search tools (word-of-mouth for the 21st century).

I know that EVERYONE has questions about caring-for or improving their home. When I talk to my friends and acquaintances about posting those to the site, the overwhelming response is “Oh, I wouldn’t want

Mason:

Our hardwood flooring was buckled in several areas, so we hired a flooring guy to sand and refinish all of it throughout our first floor. Two months later, those same areas have buckled again! What happened, and what do we do now?

Elsie M., Gum Springs

Dear Elsie:

There are several possibilities for this, but (without examining the before and after conditions), I can give you the “90% probability” response…

When the edges are higher than the middle of a wood board, this is known as “cupping”. This condition is typically caused by a higher moisture condition on the bottom of the boards, than