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Q. I have a tree stump that is 2 feet above ground. It is between two
garages, so I can't get a stump grinder in there to grind it down. How can I
get rid of it? V.M., Watertown A. Cut it to ground level (chain saw, carefully, or an axe, tediously and carefully). Then bury it with earth, add fertilzer (manure is good), keep it wet, and wait a couple of years. It will decay enough in that time for you to dig the rest of it out. Keep that manure-laced earth away from any wood siding on the garages. Q. My old barn-garage is inundated by squirrels. The barn has many holes and has no door. I tried to plug up holes to the attic with limited effect. Anything else I can do? I've had some luck with a noise machine, but the neighbors can hear it. How about an ultrasound machine? S.C., Lexington A. Keep plugging the holes, and don't even think about success until you put a door on the place. Squirrels are wily critters, and have found a home in your barn, and even if you do plug all the holes, they will try to come back, claiming squatters' rights. Every hole must be filled, and filled sturdily, with new wood; new wood is much tougher to gnaw on than damp, punky wood. In the attic, consider building a squirrel-proof room for storage or any other use within the attic. Put windows in it and you will have light and ventilation. While many authorities have not found ultrasound machines to be effective against rodents, one may work for you, especially if it is in a restricted indoor area.
N.B., Kensington, N.H. A. Not necessarily. There are two basic ways you can use to see if they are fair. One way: Determine the square footage (864; for simplicity, let's make it 900). Figuring this way, the low bid is about $11 per square foot, the middle is $16, the high is $20. The cost for building a house -- everything except land -- ranges from $50 to $100 a square foot. The $11-per-square-foot figure is one-fifth to one-tenth of the house cost, so the bid is reasonable. The $20 figure is two-fifths to one-fifth of the house cost, not as reasonable, and a bit high. The other way is to add up the cost of the materials. Such a cost is generallay equal to the cost of labor. So if you have $10,000 worth of materials, then the $10,000 bid is fair; in fact reasonable. Q. Snow melting in my garage in winter really soaks the floor, and some of the plasterboard at the bottom of the walls at the floor line is getting soft. How can I prevent those walls from getting soft? If I have to cut the plasterboard, what is the best way to do it? MARK MESSORE, Wellesley A. I think the best way to handle that rotted plasterboard is to cut, say, 5 1/2 inches off the bottom, and insert a pressure-treated 1 x 6 as a baseboard. Don't even bother to paint or stain it. If the plasterboard is soft higher up, cut a little more off and insert a wider board. To cut plasterboard in situ (already installed), use a utility knife. This is easy with soft plasterboard, but more tedious and difficult in sound plasterboard, which is what you should cut anyway. Make a mark with a straightedge, then use the straightedge as a guide to cutting the plasterboard. Repeat the cut until it's all the way through. The plasterboard will come off in pieces, and nails holding the board in place must be pulled. You could instead use a saber or keyhole saw, but this will make a mess, and you're much more likely to end up with a crooked cutting line. Q. My overhead, folding garage door is sagging or is warped a bit, so much so that there is a considerable gap on both ends of the door when it is closed. It is a double door, but it's only two years old. How can I fix it, or at least make it so it seals properly when closed? It's wood with hardboard panels. D.M., Acton A. The whole door is sagging because its folding panels are attached to each other, so it would be difficult if not impossible to try to straighten out. But try this: Cut the bottom panel straight so it will come in complete contact with the floor. To do that, remove the gasket and close the door. Then, place a long straightedge on the floor in front of the door. Mark the door where this straight edge covers it, and use this mark for cutting. Two other alternatives: Install a lighter-weight door, such as a hollow hardboard or steel one. Or, install a post in the middle of the opening and buy two shorter doors to fit in the two spaces created by the middle post. Q. My old house has a garage underneath that is not being used for cars any more. I would like to paint the floor. I tried washing it with TSP cleaner and bleach without much success. There might have been some paint on the floor many years ago. How can I paint it? P.H., Bourne A. If there is any paint remaining, you can try painting the floor with an epoxy floor paint. If the concrete is bare, never having been painted, then use a concrete stain instead. Benjamin Moore makes a concrete stain in seven decorator colors and white. Q. My garage door windows have little strips of wood molding in place of the glazing compound holding the glass. I can take them out when replacing the glass. Why don't regular windows have this molding, and why can't I use it when I reglaze my old windows? BERT KESSEL, Lincoln A. Why not indeed? In fact, I think some replacement windows have wood or plastic molding. I have no idea why such molding was not used on old windows; perhaps it was felt that the glazing compound was more waterproof. I have seen such molding on the market, and you can use it in place of glazing compound, but you must first take out all the glazing compound from your windows, not an easy chore. And, once the old stuff is removed, be sure to caulk the joint (between wood and glass) with caulking compound. Then when you press the wood molding into place, it will press against the caulking compound to make a waterproof seal. Be sure to paint the molding. If you can't find the ready-made molding, which slopes a little to allow water to run off, you can make your own molding out of pine, in the shape of a right triangle, about half an inch wide on each of the flat sides. Q. What kind of a garage door is best: wood or metal? Is there an advantage to flush doors? CHARLIE GREEN, Milton A. I don't think it's a matter of what's best, except from the manufacturer's standpoint. It's a matter of what is best for you. The handyman prefers wood, but wood has to be stained or painted, just as most outdoor wood surfaces must be painted. And, the weak point of a paneled wood door is the joint between the frame and the panels; this is where decay most often occurs, although panels can be replaced with some effort. Wood doors are also heavy. Metal, usually steel, has its strengths and weaknesses. It is light in weight, but has to be kept painted, and if rust occurs, painted is more difficult. Metal doors can dent, and even paneled metal doors are not attractive, which is strictly an opinion. Flush doors are practical, but pretty ugly. Again, that is an opinion. New are fiberglass doors, and relatively new are hardboard paneled doors. These must be stained or painted, but are light in weight. So take your pick. Q. The flat roof on my two-car garage is tar and gravel. The roofer wants to put on a rubber roof. Is that OK for a flat roof? JOSEPH GIGANTI, Westwood A. Yes, a rubber roof is state of the art for flat roofs. It was developed to take the place of tar and gravel roofs, also called built-up roofs. I think the old roof should be removed first so the rubber can go on a sound wood or concrete base. Even if putting the rubber over the tar and gravel is OK by code, taking off the old roof will result in a better job all around. Q. My garage roof is a flat concrete slab, 70 years old, and it has been leaking badly and damaging the cars under. A contractor sealed the holes, then applied a clear sealer. It did not help. Another man put in two inches of concrete which also did not work. Still another man took off the concrete and sealed the roof, also without success. Now what can I do? LEE BURNS, Medford A. After spending a small fortune for all thsoe unsuccessful patches, consider moving the cars out for a while until the roof is fixed, once and for all. And this might be the once-and-for-all fix: If the roof is relatively intact, I suggest hiring a roofer to put on a rubber roof. But be warned that you cannot walk on this rubber roof, even if it is on concrete. In fact, I know of no roof that can be walked on (with added stress of furniture, etc.) that is waterproof. If you want to use the roof as a patio, you have to build a deck above it; a few inches above it will do. Q. I am replacing the shingles on my garage roof, which is a hip roof, with slopes going down all four sides from a point. Is it necessary to ventilate the garage? I also have an old picket fence that has been stored for some time in the garage. It looks good, and is sound. Is there any reason I should not install it now? JIM, from Brighton A. First, the fence: Go ahead and install it. It will give you good service. Be sure to use hot-dipped galvanized, stainless steel, or brass fasteners to resist rust. OK, the roof: The garage does not have to be ventilated except to keep it cool in summer. Opening windows will accomplish that, except heat will rise into the ceiling, trapping hot air. A cupola on the point of the roof would let a lot of that air out and will be decorative, too.
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