March 16, 2009

Galen is confused: I know you’ve discussed radon gas before. I hear that the testing to set the allowable levels was arbitrary and feel that maybe this is just one more scary thing that folks make money on. What do you think?
I know what you mean: It seems we are always on edge over the next crisis, whether it’s our food supply, “hazardous” chemicals, mold, asbestos or whatever. It is true that the early radon research was somewhat flawed and that old uranium miner data was extrapolated into the present to set our current limits. Personally, I feel the maximum 4.0 allowable level is too limiting, especially here in the active geology of the Rockies.
Nevertheless, this radioactive gas has become part of our real estate culture. So, when it comes up, you have to deal with it. That means that, as a seller, you may be asked to mitigate the radon level so it ends up below the permissible limit. The cost? Between $1000 and $2000. Perhaps you can split it with the buying couple. In any event, don’t run them off, since you’ll have to disclose it to the next set of purchasers.

Marcia has an older fireplace: It is moss rock and it’s dark and looks dirty. How can we clean it? Or should we replace it?
Moss rock fireplaces are part of the 70’s motif we thought was so cool back then—dark and darker was the motto of that era. Replacing it would not be an option for me; it will be very messy and quite expensive. You can clean it up a little with a shop vac and a furniture brush to remove clinging dust. Then start a regimen of feeding the moss (it’s actually lichen). Some folks report that a mixture of water and beer—half and half—will wake up the foliage.
You can also cancel out some of the effects of the rock wall with decorating. A large mirror just the right painting would help. And how about some new lighting? Brighten up the area with a Halogen track light set. Or add a tubular skylight for extra brightness.

Greg has rusty window wells: How can I clean them up and paint them? They are pretty ugly.
There are rust-combining paints that you can use. They turn the iron oxide into part of the new paint finish. Check with a name brand paint store. I’m concerned, though, with what might actually be the cause of the rust you mention. The culprit is usually drainage. Make sure that the top lip of the well is a few inches above the surrounding soil and that the surface drainage pattern slopes away from it.
Sometimes a hose faucet or sprinkler zone valve box is nearby, and that can also create trouble for the window well. You could use a concrete splash block under the faucet to carry water away. If it’s the sprinklers, dig out the box and install some heavy duty plastic sheeting beneath it. Then punch a few holes in the cover to aid evaporation of water that accumulates inside.

Roger has grout troubles: I have a flagstone patio extension and all the grout is chipping away. It’s laid on sand not on concrete, by the way.
I hope they bedded it in sand for some extra stability. This is a tough one because there are two culprits here. The soil is probably shifting a little as seasonal moisture comes and goes. Also, the thermal expansion and contraction of the grout itself contributes to the deterioration you describe.
You could replace the mortar with a good butyl-based exterior caulking, but it wouldn’t be very pretty. The best long term answer is to re-bed the flagstones with sand between the cracks instead of hard mortar. If this was installed by a professional, I wonder why they didn’t point this out to you?