Paul Bianchina: Best to rectify those missing permits before selling – Oklahoman.com

I strongly recommend that you buy a new prehung exterior door unit, which comes complete with a new frame, exterior molding, sill and weatherstripping already installed. If its not practical to replace the entire door and frame, then consider leaving the frame in place and just replacing the door itself. Any door shop can route the hinge locations and drill the knob hole in the new door to match the exact locations of whats on the existing frame, which will make the change-out quick and easy.

Q: I have a concern with my friend, who removed her dryer vent hose to clean it. When she couldn't replace it she placed a sock around the vent opening and secured it with a zip tie. She said her mother did this and it worked just fine. This has me worried that this is a fire hazard. Is this safe?

A: While I applaud your friend for cleaning her dryer, what shes done is definitely NOT safe! All that a sock (or a piece of pantyhose, or whatever) will do is collect some of the lint so it doesnt go flying into the house. It does nothing to stop all that warm moist air from collecting in the house, where it becomes a breeding ground for mold and mildew, and eventually causes structural damage. Secondly, and even more important, as it dries all that lint creates an extreme fire danger.

Please tell your friend that she needs to have her dryer correctly vented all the way to the outside of the house! And while shes at it, she needs to take care of her moms dryer, as well.

Have a home repair or remodeling question for Paul? He can be reached by email at improvingyourhome@ykwc.net.

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Paul Bianchina: Best to rectify those missing permits before selling - Oklahoman.com