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D.O. Construction offers you the chance to ask Darren about any questions you might
have on construction topics or your home and problems you might be having there! As
Oakville and Burlington's best contractor we know quality construction!
To ask a question, scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the button!
Note please, that due to the large number of questions that we receive that not all of
your questions will appear here on this page and we hope you understand that the ones
that we do answer here should be of interest to all.
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QUESTION:
I am trying to build a fence in my backyard and am digging the holes 4 feet deep for the posts.
How do I work it so that the posts are the same height? digging holes is not an exact science. Thanks,
Tait
First please dig your holes all at approx. four feet down where possible & try to mushroom them at the bottom.
Then fill the bottom up with two inches of clear gravel for water filtration , then apply your pressure treated posts
into these holes & make sure these bottom ends of the posts going into the ground are protected with a pressure
treated sealer paint to reduce any future rotting to the posts.
Then fill up your post holes with a quick setting concrete mix 4" - 6" below grade & top off with grass if desired.
Your posts should be longer than you want so you can cut them off when they have set in place.
I would string a line to keep all the posts in line with each other and the line should run from one end of the fence post system to the other.
Use a few dead-mans of 2" x 4" spruce lumber & attach them to the posts & wedge them into the ground to keep all your posts in
line with the string line that you have run.
Once this is all done & your concrete has set in place over night & your posts are in place you can remove the dead-man's & string line.
To cut your desired heights for your posts heights at the same heights use a water level & mark on each post.
The water level should be some kind of 3/4" plastic or clear rubber tubing that can be filled with water & have wire attached
at each end of that water level hose so you can attach it to the posts where necessary (you can even put in some
food coloring to identify the water better in this water level hose ).
This water level can be started at the first post & left there & by using the other end of the water level you can mark of each post once the water has
settled in the 3/4" plastic type tube when held at each post.
Once this is done you will have the exact post heights of the first post where the water level was attached.
You next step is to square of these marks with a speed square & use a skill saw to cut of the unwanted 4" x 4" pressure treated
post & once again treat these cut of posts with a pressure treated paint at the tops where you made your cut , next your ready to lay out your fence
system.
Hope this helps you accomplish your fence endeavor.
Signing off Tait, hope we where able to help you, regards Darren.
QUESTION:
i used some paint that I had left over. It looked ok so I started to use it. Once I started to
use it started to smell like the paint was spoiled. Will the smell go away once the paint
drys or will the odor stay?
Dale
We have found that
using a bad smelling paint right from the can & applying it onto the wall
will have a long term effect of a bad smell. This could take weeks, months
even years before this smell will go away too. What you need to do, is
either re-paint the wall with a paint called Fresh Start in either a latex
base or oil base -- or you can use something called "Kill." This product is
for those awfull smelling paints or real hard to get out stains on walls.
Watch out if you use this product Kill; the smell may be more than you
can handle & you may want to vacate your property for a couple of days. You
could also hire a profesional to tackle that for you as they have the experience
in matters like these!
Signing off Dale, hope we where able to help you, regards Darren.
QUESTION:
Darren, I'm having trouble with my outdoor lights that are directly plugged into my outdoor
GFI plug in the garden. They are not working, but when I go to my fuse panel, I see that
the circuit breaker is still fine. Shouldn't they be on?
What that means is that your GFI circuit may need to be reset. Go to any of your
bathrooms, and depress the red RESET button. As all GFI circuits are tied together, that
single act will reset the complete circuit, which includes your outdoor lights!
QUESTION:
This may sound odd, but I've just reopened can of paint that I've kept out in the
garage for about a year, and all the paint is spoiled! What did I do wrong as I did make
sure that the lid was very tight when I finished using it?
There is a type of chemical reaction that occurs between a can of paint and a bare concrete
floor, and it sounds like this is what happened. Next time, when you're finished and wish to
store your paint, ensure that the lid is on VERY tight, and store the can upside down (lid down)
and on a shelf where there are no major temperature fluctuations. This "upside-down" storage
will ensure that no air gets into the container and that it will be fine the next time you open
same!
QUESTION:
Due to a small leak in our upstairs washroom, we ended up with a yellow stain on our dining
room ceiling in the textured surface. How can I remove that?
To get rid of those kinds of stains, mix 1 part Javex bleach with 1 part water, and put it in
a spray bottle. Cover the area below the stain so as not to cause any accidential damage
and then lightly spray the stained area. Wait, and watch as the bleach slowly lightens the
stain, and reapply if necessary. Clean up and your done!
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