Q: I have recently purchased a building lot in Chilliwack. I looked-up contractors and builders through the Fraser Valley Builders Association and tried to contact two or three, without success. Can you recommend a custom builder in the Chilliwack area? How much should I be looking at for a finished square foot? Would the range be $95 to $115, depending upon terrain, house plan and amenities?

Clive, Vancouver

A: My suggestion would have been what you’ve already tried. Unfortunately, you have picked the wrong time to build your own home acting as your own contractor. Building a custom home at this time would be difficult because the housing market in our province is at an all-time high and most of the builders are too busy to take on additional projects.

I suggest you pay a visit to the Fraser Valley Home Builders office to register your concern.

Q: Our house is 12 years old. The problem is within the house and every winter the ceiling separates from the wall. The area affected is a closet-pantry area, which is an island separating the kitchen-dining and living and hall areas. In the summer, the gap closes up tight. In some places the gap is more than 1/2 inch in the winter.

Mel, Abbotsford

A: This is commonly known as truss uplift and is usually caused by poor roof ventilation and ceiling draft proofing. Contact our HouseSmart roofing division when it’s time to replace your roof because that’s the best time to correct the situation. Our roofing division deals with your roof as a system with ventilation and draft proofing taken into consideration. To repair it as a separate project would be quite costly due to the amount of labour involved. The structure of the home is not being damaged by leaving it alone for the time being.

Q: I live in a townhouse in Richmond, with the master bedroom on the second floor facing north (very little direct sun exposure). In the cold months of the year, the aluminum window fogs up during the night and water collects all over the glass and frame. This, of course, causes water to collect at the bottom of the window frame track, and promotes the growth of mildew, which I am constantly trying to clean up. Is there a solution to this problem?

Deiter, Richmond

A: It sounds as though your home requires more exhaust ventilation, such as bathroom- and kitchen-exhaust fans. After each bath or shower, your exhaust fan should run at least one hour; if it’s two showers, then run it for two hours and so on. As well, one of your fans can be operated by a dehumidistat that will take out the guesswork. A dehumidistat will turn the fan on and leave it on as long as excess moisture is indicated. If you don’t have an efficient bathroom exhaust fan, call the HouseSmart Referral Network at 604-542-2236 to get a referral for a quote on installing a proper fan to exhaust excess moisture.

Q: I have an older house whose basement ceiling has a tongue-and-groove type “cardboard” tiles. They were installed right to the underside of the joists. The tiles are about 16 x 32 inches. Recently, I had to change the water-pressure valve, which was located in the basement ceiling. The plumber had to open up the tiles and in doing so, the three pieces were damaged and not re-usable. I can’t find any. Can I still buy them and if not, what would be the best way to cover up the ceiling?

Theng, Vancouver

A: The ceiling you describe is known as a ten-test CIP ceiling tile that was very common back in the ’60s and ’70s. Unfortunately they are no longer available.

My suggestion would be to remove the individual tiles around the perimeter in order to obtain enough to replace the area damaged by the plumber. This will transfer the problem of missing tiles to the outside border. Add some blocking between the floor joists to accommodate a 16×16-inch tile. You can then use Donnacona board cut into 16-inch wide pieces around the perimeter, forming a border. Then paint the ceiling blending the old with the new.

Shell Busey hosts a weekly radio show on CKNW from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Sunday mornings and a weekly TV show, Home Check, on Global Saturday mornings. Look for Shell’s new book It’s Just That Easy; Volume 4 (Shell Busey’s House Smart Centre, $16.95) which offers answers to many of the most commonly asked questions dealt with in this column.

© The Vancouver Province 2004