u/RangerNo5619

I got a great price on a tar & gravel installation for my commercial building, but they specified there would not be a base sheet. They said they would mop the ply directly to the wood sheathing, as they usually do. Is this acceptable? Do I need a mechanically-fastened base sheet?

I shot three bullseyes in a row at 20 yards on 40 cm targets with bullseyes 2 inches wide. It's a tack driver!

Then I adjusted the sight down to my 50 yard pin, shot 8 arrows, walked to the target and found all of them grouped about 7 inches left. They were all grouped to the far left of the bullseye.

This has been going on for some time now. Why is this happening? Yes, I know that my left hand sometimes twists outwards on release, and I've seen in real time how radically this affects the arrow trajectory. However, even opening my hand and using the proper push-away release doesn't seem to fix the problem – and not every arrow I shoot I actually twist left on release. But every one of my arrows hits left.

I think it has something to do with the relationship between my arrow rest and my sight. When I look behind my bow, my single-pin adjustable sight is not even close to being lined up vertically with my drop-away arrow rest. It's sitting very far to the left of the rest. Is this normal? How do I stop this from changing my windage adjustment every time I change my elevation?

I got a great price on a tar & gravel installation for my commercial building, but they specified there would not be a base sheet. They said they would mop the ply directly to the wood sheathing, as they usually do. Is this acceptable? Do I need a mechanically-fastened base sheet?

I received two quotes for a roof replacement, each from a different company: one for a tar & gravel, and one for a torch-down. The catch? They're the same price.

Truthfully, they are a few hundred dollars different, but they might as well be the same. One is for a torch-down roof, and the other is for old-fashioned tar & gravel.

Which should I go with, and why? This will be on a residential home, with a roof slope of 2:12.

I’ve been doing plenty of research on the pros and cons of putting foam in an old home. My house was built in the 70s and the attic was meant to be unconditioned, vented, and the same temperature as the outside. I’d like to keep it that way.

Currently, however, there is insufficient fiberglass insulation on the attic floor. The attic floor is literally the upstairs unit ceiling – the only thing separating the insulation from the upstairs unit is a thin layer of sheetrock. The attic is not meant to be walked in, and it’s also too narrow to stand up in without the roof off. So I’ll be doing all of this while I’m having the roof replaced.

I live in a climate that gets to -20 Fahrenheit in the winter. The boiler will be running constantly and the baseboard heating can’t keep up with the heat loss. It’ll barely stay at 55°.

A contractor proposed spraying 2 inches of closed cell Spray Foam over the attic floor to seal the attic floor entirely and prevent hot air from escaping into the attic. He would first install baffles in the eves to ensure they remain vented, and after spraying 2 inches of foam, he will add fiberglass insulation on top of it to bring the value up to R-60.

This seems like a phenomenal way to reduce my heating bill in the winter and keep the upstairs tenants warmer, and happier. But I’m not the expert. Are there any major downsides to adding closed cell Spray Foam to an attic floor for the purpose of creating an air seal between the attic and the upstairs unit, particularly to a house that has never had Spray Foam in it before?

Keep in mind, this contractor understands the importance of keeping the attic vented, and will only be putting it on the floor, and nowhere else. He will be installing brand new baffles to ensure the attic retains airflow through the soffits, and my roofer will be adding a ridge vent at the top of the roof.

I’ve been doing plenty of research on the pros and cons of putting foam in an old home. My house was built in the 70s and the attic was meant to be unconditioned, vented, and the same temperature as the outside. I’d like to keep it that way.

Currently, however, there is insufficient fiberglass insulation on the attic floor. The attic floor is literally the upstairs unit ceiling – the only thing separating the insulation from the upstairs unit is a thin layer of sheetrock. The attic is not meant to be walked in, and it’s also too narrow to stand up in without the roof off. So I’ll be doing all of this while I’m having the roof replaced.

I live in a climate that gets to -20 Fahrenheit in the winter. The boiler will be running constantly and the baseboard heating can’t keep up with the heat loss. It’ll barely stay at 55°.

A contractor proposed spraying 2 inches of closed cell Spray Foam over the attic floor to seal the attic floor entirely and prevent hot air from escaping into the attic. He would first install baffles in the eves to ensure they remain vented, and after spraying 2 inches of foam, he will add fiberglass insulation on top of it to bring the value up to R-60.

This seems like a phenomenal way to reduce my heating bill in the winter and keep the upstairs tenants warmer, and happier. But I’m not the expert. Are there any major downsides to adding closed cell Spray Foam to an attic floor for the purpose of creating an air seal between the attic and the upstairs unit, particularly to a house that has never had Spray Foam in it before?

Keep in mind, this contractor understands the importance of keeping the attic vented, and will only be putting it on the floor, and nowhere else. He will be installing brand new baffles to ensure the attic retains airflow through the soffits, and my roofer will be adding a ridge vent at the top of the roof.

I'd like to replace my boiler and indirect water heater. I have baseboard heating in my home.

Coincidentally, I'm also putting in a concrete/asphalt driveway this summer, as it is currently dirt. I live in Alaska, so we get a lot of snow in the winter.

I received two quotes for a boiler and water heater replacement: one with a hydronic heated driveway installation included in the quote, and the other without. Both quotes include a replacement of the boiler and water heater. These two quotes are from separate companies.

The boiler/water heater replacement + all the piping from the boiler to the heat exchanger + the glycol piping in the driveway, was quoted at $35,000. The boiler in this quote has been sized for the heated driveway. There will not be a separate boiler – both the home and the heated driveway will operate from the same 176,000 output BTU boiler. This quote includes everything needed, aside from the concrete itself.

The boiler/water heater replacement by itself, from another company, was quoted at $17,800. This is a full replacement with the required permits, new zone valves, piping, flue, etc. There's just no heated driveway in this quote, and the boiler is sized for the house only.

Would you opt for a heated driveway for this difference in cost? How much should I expect my natural gas bill to go up when I'm not powering the driveway? Will I see a substantial and consistent increase in my natural gas bill?

Thank you for your professional opinion.

I'd like to replace my boiler and indirect water heater. I have baseboard heating in my home.

Coincidentally, I'm also putting in a concrete/asphalt driveway this summer, as it is currently dirt. I live in Alaska, so we get a lot of snow in the winter.

I received two quotes for a boiler and water heater replacement: one with a hydronic heated driveway installation included in the quote, and the other without. Both quotes include a replacement of the boiler and water heater. These two quotes are from separate companies.

The boiler/water heater replacement + all the piping from the boiler to the heat exchanger + the glycol piping in the driveway, was quoted at $35,000. The boiler in this quote has been sized for the heated driveway. There will not be a separate boiler – both the home and the heated driveway will operate from the same 176,000 output BTU boiler. This quote includes everything needed, aside from the concrete itself.

The boiler/water heater replacement by itself, from another company, was quoted at $17,800. This is a full replacement with the required permits, new zone valves, piping, flue, etc. There's just no heated driveway in this quote, and the boiler is sized for the house only.

Would you opt for a heated driveway for this difference in cost? How much should I expect my natural gas bill to go up when I'm not powering the driveway? Will I see a substantial and consistent increase in my natural gas bill?

Thank you for your professional opinion.

in the Arctic! Because, as it seems, the behavior of acculumated snow is a major consideration between these roofs. If I lived in a climate that didn’t see any snow, I’d go with standing seam without question. But due to the low slope of the roof and the danger of acculumated snow falling into vehicles or people in one big chunk, my 27-year-old exposed-fastener metal roof has snow stops all over it. The problem is that these are not a reliable long-term solution. My snow stops have ripped out in the past, leaving holes in the roof, and fasteners in the gutters.

It’s time to replace it. But I’m torn between a standing seam metal roof that will need to have 3rd-party snow stops installed (ruining the whole point of it being standing seam when these inevitably tear off) or just going with tar and gravel.

What do you suggest?