When it comes to building a home or renovating an old one, choosing between a crawl space and a basement can be a difficult decision. Both are subterranean areas that you can use for storage or as additional living space. While they share some similarities, there are a couple of significant differences that can affect…
Crawl spaces can be problematic when they become musty or smelly, putting you at risk of dust mites, mold infestations, bacteria, allergens, and more. Crawl space mustiness is often a result of high humidity. This begs the question, can you put a dehumidifier in a crawl space? Yes, installing a dehumidifier in your crawl space…
What an awful experience when rain turns your crawl space into a messy, flooded area. If you’ve been through it, you must be wondering: why does my crawl space flood when it rains? Well, if your house foundations are cracked, this can result in a flooded crawl space after rain. An erroneous sewage system can…
Although your crawl space may be the least habitable area in your home, it doesn’t mean you should neglect it. That said, encapsulation is one way to care for and maintain your home’s crawl space. But what is crawl space encapsulation? Encapsulating a crawl space involves covering the space’s walls and flooring with a vapor…
When it comes to constructing sidewalks, it’s important to ensure durability and longevity. Rebar and other reinforcement methods help to provide strength and stability to concrete, but do sidewalks need rebar? You don’t always need rebar for sidewalks. While it’s essential for thicker sidewalks, especially those that exceed five inches, most general-use sidewalks don’t need…
Is it illegal to bike on the sidewalk? The answer depends on which state you’re in. Anywhere we go, there will always be disagreement among people. That seems to be the case with lawmakers on their take on sidewalk cycling as well. Today, we’ll discuss which states ban cycling on sidewalks. You’ll discover the reason…
How wide are sidewalks? This question is more loaded than you realize! Sidewalks are like the veins of a city. They give life to the economy by connecting us to buildings and facilities. They provide us with safety and help us keep healthy. It might seem simple at first glance, but plenty of thought goes…
Crawl spaces are often the most neglected part of the house. Many homeowners forget that they’re even there due to their out-of-sight, out-of-mind nature. If this is you, you may be wondering: Do crawl spaces have radon? Radon gas can easily get into a crawl space that isn’t sheltered from the soil beneath it. This…
You walk into your deck to enjoy your cup of coffee. Your child comes up to you and pleads with you to color the deck using chalk. You then wonder, “Can you use sidewalk chalk on a wooden deck?” Fortunately, you can. The material can come off the surface using household cleaning supplies, such as…
If you tend to look down a lot while walking, you’ve probably asked yourself this question at least once: what are the black spots on the sidewalk? The most widely accepted explanation for those dark patches is that they’re dried pieces of gum that have been squashed into the concrete or brick surface. How can…