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♪♪

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Kevin:
On "Ask This Old House,"

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our experts travel
across the country

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to answer questions
about your house.

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♪♪

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Today, Jenn heads to Portland
to install a rain garden.

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Jenn: Alright, so now
it's time to plant.

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Kevin: And Ross shares how
moisture meters can help you

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identify potential water damage.

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Then Mark improves the safety
of a homeowner's concrete steps

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by installing an iron railing.

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Mark: Alright.
Scott: Looks good.

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Mark: Yeah, looks great.

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Kevin: That's all coming up next
on "Ask This Old House."

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♪♪

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♪♪

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Jenn: Hey, Aaron. Hey, Autumn.
Aaron: Hi, Jenn.

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Autumn: Hey, Jenn.
Welcome to Portland.

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Jenn:
Nice to meet you in person.

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So excited to get your e-mail
about rain gardens.

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I think it's an important topic.

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So why don't you tell me
a little bit about your lot?

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Aaron: We moved in
a year ago yesterday,

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and we have a little under

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a quarter acre here
to deal with.

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Jenn: Wow. That's a lot.

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That's a lot
of land for this area.

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Aaron: It's a lot of land for
this area and it's all grass.

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And we are looking for ways
to reduce our footprint.

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Jenn: Okay.
Yeah, because sometimes grass

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is like just green asphalt
and a lot of water runs off.

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Aaron: Absolutely.
Autumn: And, Jenn,

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Portland's climate
is really changing.

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We both moved here
about 20 years ago

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and it was just constant rain
all the time.

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And now with
our changing climate,

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we're just getting
a lot more dry days,

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long stretches
of really hot weather

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and started thinking about
how do we use this space

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in a way that is going
to make plants grow,

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use water well so that
we're not watering all the time.

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And so we got interested
in rain gardens

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and we are looking for help and
how to install a rain garden.

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Jenn: Well, I have a friend
who lives in the area

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and she works for the Soil
and Water Conservation District

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and she is on board,
happy to help.

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We've already talked
about possibilities here,

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so I want you
to come meet her.

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Autumn: Let's meet her.
Jenn: Alright.

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Aaron: Alright.
Jenn: Hey, Kathy.

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Kathy: Hey.
Jenn: So good to see you.

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Thanks for coming. I wanted you
to meet Aaron and Autumn.

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And they want to talk
about water conservation.

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Autumn:
Hi, Kathy. Nice to meet you.

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Aaron: Nice to meet you.

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Kathy: Nice to meet you two.
Thanks for having me over.

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So, as the Soil and Water
Conservation District,

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we're here to help folks
manage their soil

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and stormwater resources.

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And on a house this size,
in a one-inch rainstorm,

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you typically see about
900 gallons of water flow off.

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And so it's always good
to find a way to manage that

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and to -- a place
to put the water essentially,

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so that it doesn't flow off
and into the street

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and picking up all kinds
of oils and dusts

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and things like that
and making their way to the --

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to the stream
or water-treatment facility.

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We're talking 33,000 gallons
of water per year

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that we can use
on this landscape.

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Autumn: So, Kathy, do we
determine the size of the garden

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based on the size of the roof?

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Kathy: That's right.
We'll take a walk around

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and identify where your
downspouts are coming down.

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Autumn: Okay.
Kathy: And that's where

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we'll figure that out.
Jenn: I have an idea.

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Why don't we look
at the front foundation,

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determine where
those downspouts are,

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and then we'll figure out
a game plan?

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Alright. So it looks like
there's just one.

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[ Laughter ]

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Kathy: That makes it easy,
doesn't it?

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This is a great location
for a downspout, actually.

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And what would be really great

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is if we could just move
the water from that downspout

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and we could put in a river
rock creek

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that would direct it
right to a rain garden.

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Autumn: And from here, where
should we put the rain garden

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once we divert it from here?

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Kathy:
Well, some of the good rules

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are it needs to be at least
10 feet away from the house.

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If you have a basement, two.
If you don't have a basement,

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it needs to be at least
three feet away

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from like driveways and streets
and things like that

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and at least two or three feet
away from any sort of pathways

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because it's going to be
a bit of a dip.

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And so you want to have it
in a place where people aren't

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just going to accidentally
step off into it.

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Jenn: That makes sense.

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Autumn: And considering
all those specifications,

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how big are we wanting
to make this garden?

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Kathy: Well, you know,
Jenn and I were looking

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at the topos online,
and you can use a tool

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to measure
the area of your roof.

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This area here
was around 350 square feet.

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Jenn: Yeah, yeah.

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Kathy: So one of the rules
for the rain garden

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is you want at least
10% of area

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that will be able
to capture that water.

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So for 350 square feet,

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you'll want at least
35 square feet.

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The other thing that
we need to think about

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is how well the soil
is going to absorb that water.

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And so the first thing
we'll want to do

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is to do a percolation test,

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which is basically just digging
a hole and adding some water

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and seeing how quickly
that water drains.

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Autumn:
What's the ideal drainage rate?

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Kathy: The ideal drainage rate
of a percolation test,

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you want to get at least
a half an inch an hour.

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Jenn: Because if it doesn't
drain properly,

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you're going to want to rethink

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where you're going
to put the rain garden.

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Otherwise you're just
going to have overflow

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and then it's just going
to flow out into the street.

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Alright.
Our soil test looks good.

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The percolation rate
is three inches per hour.

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Kathy: The thing we're going to
do next is place the downspout

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redirect to put the water
to our rain garden.

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Jenn: Alright, Let's start
by marking out

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the shape of the rain garden.

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♪♪

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Kathy:
The anatomy of a rain garden

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is such that you want it
to slope steadily

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and then the center area
is going to be...

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your deepest.

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♪♪

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One, two, three.
[ Grunts ]

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♪♪

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♪♪

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Jenn:
Along with digging the basin,

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we're going to be digging out
the river rock bed.

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♪♪

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Next, we'll incorporate
a four-way soil mix

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into the existing soil.

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We're also making sure
we don't compact the soil.

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Keeping the soil loose
will encourage water filtration

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and allow the plants
easy root growth.

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Now we're going to
lay landscape fabric

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down the trench as a barrier
between the soil

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and the river rock.
Kathy: We're going to cut it

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roughly to size before
we lay the rock down over it.

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The reason we've chosen
river rock is, one,

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because we're mimicking
a small creek,

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but, two, river rock
doesn't compact.

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All the rounded edges
allow water to easily flow

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in between the rocks,

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and it won't ever,
over time, compact.

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Alright, so now
it's time to plant.

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We've chosen a mixture
of deciduous

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and evergreen native trees

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and shrubs and ground covers
to fill this space

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to help with
a little bit of privacy,

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to also add some visual interest

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and to add
some wildlife habitat.

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A lot of these things
are flowering and fruiting.

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They also will soak up all
the water in the wintertime,

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but can also withstand
drought during the summertime.

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We're going to use the old sod
that we pulled up

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and place it around the edge
just to give it a little lift

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that will hold the water.

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Alright.
And finally, we're going to

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just put the mulch down.

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We want to put it down just
lightly to hold the moisture in

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and add a little organic matter.

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You'll want to keep watering
through the summer months

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while they get established.

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After that, they'll take
care of themselves.

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Jenn: So what do you guys think?
Autumn: We love it.

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Aaron: We're really excited.

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Autumn: It is better than
we could have imagined

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and we're super stoked about it.

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Jenn: Well, this is
a fantastic project

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because you're addressing
water conservation

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and keeping your water
on site for the ground recharge.

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So love that.
And, you,

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great job on this whole
design work and plan.

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It's function and form and it's
beautiful as well, so...

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Kathy: Absolutely my pleasure.
Jenn: Yeah. Nice job.

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Autumn: Kathy, thank you so much
for all of your expertise

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and your wisdom in helping
to guide this project.

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It's awesome.
And thank you, Jenn,

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for coming all the way out here
to help us.

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Jenn: My pleasure.
Aaron: Thank you so much.

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♪♪

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Kevin: Hey, Ross.
Ross: What's up, Kev?

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Kevin: You tell me. What's with
all the gadgets?

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Ross: We got -- We're talking
about water damage, right?

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Is one of the most
common insurance claims

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filed for by homeowners
across America.

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Kevin: Water in the house,
not a good situation.

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Ross: Right. It could be
groundwater, bulk water

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from rainwater coming in.

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It could be a plumbing leak.
It could be a toilet drain.

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It could be...condensate.
Right?

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There's a lot of things may be
coming from inside or outside.

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We don't always know.
And a lot of times

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it's in hidden spaces
like behind drywall.

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Kevin: Right. So how do we find
it if it's behind drywall?

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Ross: So the first thing
we typically do

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is when we're doing
a home energy assessment,

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we're thinking about thermal
imaging cameras like this.

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This is going to see
surface temperature.

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And what we're typically using
that for is

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for insulation to see do
we have insulation in walls

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and in roofs and stuff
like that.

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In this case, though,
a byproduct

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is we can also see water
because water is typically going

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to be at a different temperature
than the air.

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Kevin: Look at that.
Ross: Right?

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Kevin: So I've got a little
amoeba looking thing.

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Ross: Right, somewhere here?
Kevin: Yeah, right there.

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Bluish, whereas around
it's kind of a gray or red.

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Ross: That's right.
Kevin: That's an indication of

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water because there's
the different temperature?

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Ross: That's right.
So if I was scanning that,

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I'd be like, "Alright, I don't
know if it's necessarily water.

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I know that there's something
going on in this area."

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It might be a lack of insulation
on a cold day with cold air

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infiltrating through
or it could be water.

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Kevin: Okay. So this might
be the first indication.

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Ross: That's right.
Kevin: How do you confirm?

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Ross: Yep. First pass. Alright.
Second pass is we can use

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one of these, which has
an electromagnetic sensor.

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Kevin: So this is a water meter?
Moisture meter?

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Ross: Moisture meter.
Exactly right.

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It will sense up
to three quarters

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of an inch into the wall.
Kevin: Okay.

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Ross: It will work with
all building materials, right?

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So it can work with concrete,
masonry, drywall,

240
00:10:36,766 --> 00:10:38,300
and it's going to
give us more targeted.

241
00:10:38,366 --> 00:10:39,833
It's going to tell us
where that moisture is.

242
00:10:39,900 --> 00:10:41,366
And it does it
nondestructively, meaning

243
00:10:41,433 --> 00:10:44,500
so I can scan
and I can see 6%, 8%

244
00:10:44,566 --> 00:10:46,700
and then all of a sudden
look at that, right?

245
00:10:46,766 --> 00:10:49,066
Kevin: Oh, yeah.
Ross: So I've got problems...

246
00:10:49,133 --> 00:10:50,366
Kevin: Right there.
Ross: ...right here.

247
00:10:50,433 --> 00:10:52,000
Kevin: That lines up
with the little amoeba I saw.

248
00:10:52,066 --> 00:10:53,000
Ross: That's right.
So it's telling me

249
00:10:53,066 --> 00:10:54,233
percentage of moisture.

250
00:10:54,300 --> 00:10:56,133
And, you know,
really what we're trying to do

251
00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,300
is make sure that stuff
stays in that 6% to 9% range.

252
00:10:59,366 --> 00:11:00,766
Kevin: That's a good range?
Ross: That's a good range,

253
00:11:00,833 --> 00:11:03,066
but I'm seeing,
you know, 15, 18, 20.

254
00:11:03,133 --> 00:11:04,700
Right?
So this is going to tell us

255
00:11:04,766 --> 00:11:07,066
really more pointed
and indicate it is water.

256
00:11:07,133 --> 00:11:09,000
Kevin: Okay. So that's
a good device to have.

257
00:11:09,066 --> 00:11:10,333
The others?
Ross: We can go a step further

258
00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:12,500
and go pinned.
So, this is destructive,

259
00:11:12,566 --> 00:11:14,800
meaning that I actually
have to pin the wall

260
00:11:14,866 --> 00:11:17,266
to actually get the moisture
reading and it's going

261
00:11:17,333 --> 00:11:19,800
to send electricity current
across the pins.

262
00:11:19,866 --> 00:11:22,700
And obviously more water on
the wall means less resistance.

263
00:11:22,766 --> 00:11:25,066
So it means that I have
more water content in that wall,

264
00:11:25,133 --> 00:11:26,533
so much more accurate,

265
00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:28,666
but it's not going to work
for concrete, masonry,

266
00:11:28,733 --> 00:11:30,066
and other types of materials.

267
00:11:30,133 --> 00:11:32,000
It will work for drywall
and wood, of course.

268
00:11:32,066 --> 00:11:34,933
Kevin: Right. I've seen the wood
flooring guys use this

269
00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:36,866
and they stick it into the back
of their samples or whatever.

270
00:11:36,933 --> 00:11:39,300
So no problem putting
little pinholes in this wall.

271
00:11:39,366 --> 00:11:40,766
Will you give us a reading
and...?

272
00:11:40,833 --> 00:11:42,366
Ross: Sure.
Kevin: Put it -- Yeah. Go down.

273
00:11:42,433 --> 00:11:43,466
That's good. Right there.
Ross: Right there?

274
00:11:43,533 --> 00:11:44,933
Kevin: Yeah. Thereabouts.

275
00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:46,200
Ross: Yeah.
-[ Meter beeps ]

276
00:11:46,266 --> 00:11:47,400
Kevin: Yeah.
Ross: There you are.

277
00:11:47,466 --> 00:11:50,500
Kevin: What do you got?
Ross: 16. 18. Yeah.

278
00:11:50,566 --> 00:11:53,166
Kevin: Now, can you come up
about two or three inches?

279
00:11:53,233 --> 00:11:54,900
A little higher.
A little higher. A little left.

280
00:11:54,966 --> 00:11:56,300
Right there.
Ross: Right there?

281
00:11:56,366 --> 00:11:58,533
30. 30. We're off the charts.

282
00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:00,200
Kevin: Corresponds to the amoeba
again like that.

283
00:12:00,266 --> 00:12:01,866
Ross: That's right.
Kevin: Very cool. So this is --

284
00:12:01,933 --> 00:12:03,833
Are you saying
this is more accurate than this?

285
00:12:03,900 --> 00:12:05,400
Ross: It is.
It's going to be very localized

286
00:12:05,466 --> 00:12:08,166
to where those pins are.
Kevin: Gotcha. Okay.

287
00:12:08,233 --> 00:12:09,466
Ross: There is a combo meter.

288
00:12:09,533 --> 00:12:11,000
So this has got both.
Kevin: Oh!

289
00:12:11,066 --> 00:12:12,766
Ross: So it's got an
electromagnetic sensor here

290
00:12:12,833 --> 00:12:14,666
and it's got the pins.
Kevin: Sneaky.

291
00:12:14,733 --> 00:12:16,800
Ross: Right? So two for one.
I got a two for one with that.

292
00:12:16,866 --> 00:12:18,733
But it's only going to give us
the relative scale.

293
00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:20,533
It's not going to give us
percent moisture content.

294
00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:22,566
It just tells us dry or wet
on a sliding scale.

295
00:12:22,633 --> 00:12:24,400
Kevin: Oh, gotcha.
Can you get a combo

296
00:12:24,466 --> 00:12:25,866
that gives you a perc--
Ross: More expensive.

297
00:12:25,933 --> 00:12:28,400
Kevin: More -- You can. Gotcha.
I can't say it, but there it is.

298
00:12:28,466 --> 00:12:30,866
Ross: Yeah. There you go.
Kevin: So if 6 to 9

299
00:12:30,933 --> 00:12:32,400
is a good reading --
Ross: That's ideal.

300
00:12:32,466 --> 00:12:33,566
Kevin: Ideal?
Ross: Yeah.

301
00:12:33,633 --> 00:12:34,833
Kevin: What happens
as we go up the scale

302
00:12:34,900 --> 00:12:36,166
and when are we in trouble?
Ross: Right.

303
00:12:36,233 --> 00:12:38,933
So once you get to 15,
we're starting to get worried.

304
00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,433
Once you go beyond 15,
we start to get really worried.

305
00:12:41,500 --> 00:12:42,933
Kevin:
And what are we worried about?

306
00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,833
Ross: We're worried about mold.
We're worried about wood rot.

307
00:12:44,900 --> 00:12:45,900
We're worried about
structural damage.

308
00:12:45,966 --> 00:12:47,066
We're worried about
a lot of things.

309
00:12:47,133 --> 00:12:48,400
Kevin: Gotcha.
Ross: Right? So in a perfect

310
00:12:48,466 --> 00:12:49,833
world, everything would be
between 6% and 9%

311
00:12:49,900 --> 00:12:53,233
for all building materials
and for a normal indoor space.

312
00:12:53,300 --> 00:12:55,900
Kevin: If I get 20%, 30%,
what am I doing?

313
00:12:55,966 --> 00:12:58,100
Am I tearing things out?
Am I blowing it dry?

314
00:12:58,166 --> 00:13:00,000
Ross: Yeah. When you get that
much moisture, you know,

315
00:13:00,066 --> 00:13:01,733
more than 20, you definitely
need to replace

316
00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:02,933
the Sheetrock in this example.
Kevin: Yeah.

317
00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:04,466
Ross: So you'd be cutting out
that section,

318
00:13:04,533 --> 00:13:06,200
removing it,
making sure -- inspection --

319
00:13:06,266 --> 00:13:09,000
to make sure there's no other
mold or anything behind there.

320
00:13:09,066 --> 00:13:11,266
Usually we take a larger section
than where we see the water

321
00:13:11,333 --> 00:13:13,433
because the water will migrate.
Right?

322
00:13:13,500 --> 00:13:16,000
So that's -- If you have
a little bit of moisture,

323
00:13:16,066 --> 00:13:17,466
then you can run maybe
some dehumidifiers

324
00:13:17,533 --> 00:13:18,766
and just dry out
the space to help.

325
00:13:18,833 --> 00:13:21,100
Kevin: Cool. Alright.
So I know this is expensive.

326
00:13:21,166 --> 00:13:23,200
Most homeowners aren't going
to be playing with this one.

327
00:13:23,266 --> 00:13:25,333
You guys are.
But these right here,

328
00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:27,166
they look like I can find them
down at the store.

329
00:13:27,233 --> 00:13:28,833
Ross: That's right.
Kevin: Sense a price for them?

330
00:13:28,900 --> 00:13:30,233
Ross: Yeah. All less than $100
for all of them.

331
00:13:30,300 --> 00:13:32,100
Kevin: Oh, nice. Very cool.
Ross: Yeah. Yeah.

332
00:13:32,166 --> 00:13:33,633
Kevin: Which is good peace of
mind if you're trying to find

333
00:13:33,700 --> 00:13:35,033
something you can't see.
Ross: That's exactly right.

334
00:13:35,100 --> 00:13:36,100
Kevin: Awesome.
Ross: You got it.

335
00:13:36,166 --> 00:13:37,433
Kevin: Thank you, Ross.
Ross: Cool.

336
00:13:37,500 --> 00:13:38,833
Kevin: Alright, cool.
Ross: Which one do you think?

337
00:13:38,900 --> 00:13:44,466
♪♪

338
00:13:44,533 --> 00:13:46,400
Mark: Scott.
Scott: Mark, nice to see you.

339
00:13:46,466 --> 00:13:47,533
Mark: You as well.
How you doing?

340
00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:48,933
Scott: So, Mark, I wrote in
to the show

341
00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,033
about these stairs over here,
these concrete stairs.

342
00:13:51,100 --> 00:13:53,533
Mark: Okay.
Scott: I have two young children

343
00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:55,200
and I have grandparents
that are coming over

344
00:13:55,266 --> 00:13:56,833
all the time to watch them.

345
00:13:56,900 --> 00:14:00,233
They run onto the back yard.
We just have a safety concern.

346
00:14:00,300 --> 00:14:01,666
Mark: Alright.
Scott: It seems a little steep.

347
00:14:01,733 --> 00:14:04,166
We're wondering if we could get
some sort of railing in here.

348
00:14:04,233 --> 00:14:06,300
Mark: Alright.
So I just took a measurement.

349
00:14:06,366 --> 00:14:08,200
We're actually well
within the code.

350
00:14:08,266 --> 00:14:09,966
So you really
don't need a railing.

351
00:14:10,033 --> 00:14:11,766
But I do love the idea.

352
00:14:11,833 --> 00:14:14,466
Parents getting older,
kids running around.

353
00:14:14,533 --> 00:14:15,933
Safety is always paramount.

354
00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,433
So even looking at these steps,
they're super solid.

355
00:14:19,500 --> 00:14:21,266
So they'll really accept
the installation

356
00:14:21,333 --> 00:14:22,933
of the railings perfectly.

357
00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:24,300
So did you have
a design in mind?

358
00:14:24,366 --> 00:14:25,333
Scott: We actually have
some stuff over here.

359
00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:26,200
Mark:
Alright. Let's check it out.

360
00:14:26,266 --> 00:14:27,933
Scott: Take a look.

361
00:14:29,633 --> 00:14:31,433
Yeah. So we really like
these guardrails.

362
00:14:31,500 --> 00:14:33,466
We'd really like something
to match up with that.

363
00:14:33,533 --> 00:14:36,033
Mark: That's a great idea.
This is wrought iron,

364
00:14:36,100 --> 00:14:38,566
which is typically used
in this situation.

365
00:14:38,633 --> 00:14:41,633
I love the simple design.
This picket is twisted,

366
00:14:41,700 --> 00:14:44,266
this one straight, twisted,
straight and so forth.

367
00:14:44,333 --> 00:14:47,600
So I think what I'll do next
is just get some measurements,

368
00:14:47,666 --> 00:14:48,866
take some photos.

369
00:14:48,933 --> 00:14:50,766
I have a guy who's perfect
for this job.

370
00:14:50,833 --> 00:14:54,466
He can weld everything up for us
and you and I can install.

371
00:14:54,533 --> 00:14:55,866
Scott: That sounds great.
Mark: Alright.

372
00:14:55,933 --> 00:14:59,300
♪♪

373
00:14:59,366 --> 00:15:02,666
Iron fabricators can be found
anywhere across the country.

374
00:15:02,733 --> 00:15:05,800
They mostly work
with either steel or iron.

375
00:15:05,866 --> 00:15:08,900
They're a great option for
homeowners looking for gates,

376
00:15:08,966 --> 00:15:12,566
stairs or railings
that are built to last.

377
00:15:12,633 --> 00:15:14,266
Scott has chosen wrought iron

378
00:15:14,333 --> 00:15:16,200
for the material
on his railings.

379
00:15:16,266 --> 00:15:18,866
Wrought iron is very common
to use for railings

380
00:15:18,933 --> 00:15:21,400
because of its sturdiness
and durability,

381
00:15:21,466 --> 00:15:24,033
and it still looks delicate.

382
00:15:24,100 --> 00:15:28,933
Wrought iron arrives
in rods spanning 20 feet long.

383
00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:31,133
Ironworkers lay out
the materials

384
00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:35,166
and, using a bandsaw, will cut
the pickets according to code.

385
00:15:35,233 --> 00:15:39,933
Railings are cut
to 36 inches in height.

386
00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:43,233
Next, they'll add the twist
details to every other picket.

387
00:15:43,300 --> 00:15:45,933
To do this,
a bender machine is used.

388
00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,333
It's designed to twist
or curve the metal

389
00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,066
to the desired shape.

390
00:15:51,133 --> 00:15:52,566
With all pieces prepped,

391
00:15:52,633 --> 00:15:55,433
it's time for assembly,
which they'll do by laying out

392
00:15:55,500 --> 00:15:59,100
the pickets, post, and handrail
and welding them together.

393
00:15:59,166 --> 00:16:07,300
♪♪

394
00:16:07,366 --> 00:16:09,666
After welding,
the assembled railing

395
00:16:09,733 --> 00:16:11,733
is then smoothed out
with the grinder

396
00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:14,033
and prepped for the final step.

397
00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:19,033
And finally, the railing
is primed

398
00:16:19,100 --> 00:16:21,333
and painted to create
a finished look.

399
00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:25,300
♪♪

400
00:16:25,366 --> 00:16:27,066
Alright, Scott,
what do you think?

401
00:16:27,133 --> 00:16:28,133
Scott: Looks fantastic.

402
00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:29,466
Looks like
it matches perfectly.

403
00:16:29,533 --> 00:16:30,600
Mark: Oh, yeah.
Scott: It looks sturdy.

404
00:16:30,666 --> 00:16:32,200
Love the detailing.
Mark: Right.

405
00:16:32,266 --> 00:16:34,233
So you can see
this piece right here

406
00:16:34,300 --> 00:16:35,466
with a little detail at the end.

407
00:16:35,533 --> 00:16:38,200
It started out
as a straight piece.

408
00:16:38,266 --> 00:16:41,766
The twisted picket, the straight
picket, twisted picket,

409
00:16:41,833 --> 00:16:43,566
all the details there.

410
00:16:43,633 --> 00:16:46,466
This is much better than just
pulling something off the shelf.

411
00:16:46,533 --> 00:16:48,100
And I'll tell you why.

412
00:16:48,166 --> 00:16:50,433
You can feel and even see
how heavy this is.

413
00:16:50,500 --> 00:16:52,066
Scott: Yeah.
Mark: If we pulled something off

414
00:16:52,133 --> 00:16:53,833
the shelf, they come out hollow.

415
00:16:53,900 --> 00:16:55,866
Not only is this
heavy-duty material,

416
00:16:55,933 --> 00:16:58,200
but we're going to sink it into
the concrete and lock it down.

417
00:16:58,266 --> 00:17:00,300
So it's going to really,
really be sturdy.

418
00:17:00,366 --> 00:17:01,466
Scott: Great.

419
00:17:02,466 --> 00:17:04,633
Mark: Now, placement,
as you know, is very important.

420
00:17:04,700 --> 00:17:07,300
We have a couple obstacles
that we want to avoid.

421
00:17:07,366 --> 00:17:09,033
The most important
is going to be the door.

422
00:17:09,100 --> 00:17:11,933
So we want to be able to get
the door open, the door closed,

423
00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,700
and then still have a little bit
of room to operate if you will.

424
00:17:15,766 --> 00:17:18,566
So I have figured that
I want to come

425
00:17:18,633 --> 00:17:22,300
3 1/2 inches
from the outside in.

426
00:17:22,366 --> 00:17:24,833
Again, that's going to get me
into the beef of the step,

427
00:17:24,900 --> 00:17:26,566
which is where I want to be.
Scott: Okay.

428
00:17:26,633 --> 00:17:30,666
Mark: And then because I want to
be able to use the handrail,

429
00:17:30,733 --> 00:17:32,300
let it breathe a little bit,

430
00:17:32,366 --> 00:17:35,066
I'm going to bring it
out of the house 7 inches.

431
00:17:35,133 --> 00:17:42,700
So if you grab that end
of the rail and bring that up.

432
00:17:49,333 --> 00:17:52,033
Just hold it steady.

433
00:17:52,100 --> 00:17:54,100
I'm just going to double-check.

434
00:17:54,166 --> 00:17:57,633
Seven there.
A little bit...to you.

435
00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:04,266
My three and a half.
The rag out of the way.

436
00:18:04,333 --> 00:18:06,200
So that gives me enough space
in here

437
00:18:06,266 --> 00:18:08,366
to be able to use that bend.

438
00:18:08,433 --> 00:18:10,233
See the detail that we put in.

439
00:18:10,300 --> 00:18:11,600
How does that look to you,
Scott?

440
00:18:11,666 --> 00:18:12,966
Scott: Looks great.
Mark: Alright.

441
00:18:13,033 --> 00:18:15,566
Give enough -- enough room.

442
00:18:15,633 --> 00:18:18,133
Operate the door open
and closed.

443
00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:22,333
So why don't we take
that rail back out?

444
00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:25,500
Alright, Scott.
So let's get started.

445
00:18:25,566 --> 00:18:27,100
Scott: That's not your average
drill right there, Mark.

446
00:18:27,166 --> 00:18:31,300
Mark: So this is not. This is
what we call a coring machine.

447
00:18:31,366 --> 00:18:32,933
You can see this bit
is nice and round,

448
00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:35,333
so that's going to give us
a perfect circle.

449
00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,866
And this right here
is just a piece of plastic

450
00:18:37,933 --> 00:18:39,600
that we're going to use
as a template.

451
00:18:39,666 --> 00:18:43,133
We already have our drill bit
mimicked into that plastic.

452
00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:45,733
That's hovering over
where our post is going to go.

453
00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,033
So all we have to do
is take this drill,

454
00:18:48,100 --> 00:18:51,333
put it into that hole,
let the machine do its work.

455
00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:54,300
Now, right now I'm going to do
a dry run and just score

456
00:18:54,366 --> 00:18:56,833
that so it'll control
the coring machine

457
00:18:56,900 --> 00:18:58,333
just a little bit.

458
00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:03,433
♪♪

459
00:19:03,500 --> 00:19:08,633
♪♪

460
00:19:08,700 --> 00:19:10,166
Alright. Nice job.

461
00:19:10,233 --> 00:19:12,966
Okay, now we're going
to put the water on.

462
00:19:14,966 --> 00:19:17,400
This is what we call a boot

463
00:19:17,466 --> 00:19:20,700
and we're going to cover
our hole with the boot.

464
00:19:20,766 --> 00:19:24,133
And what that's going to do is
actually keep the water at bay

465
00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:25,833
so we don't get soaked.

466
00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:31,400
It should be right there. Okay.

467
00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:38,000
Alright, Scott.
Now it's time for the install.

468
00:19:38,066 --> 00:19:41,033
Set it in.

469
00:19:41,100 --> 00:19:42,666
Lift that up a little.
[ Grunts ]

470
00:19:42,733 --> 00:19:43,700
Alright.
Scott: Looks good.

471
00:19:43,766 --> 00:19:45,400
Mark: Yeah, looks great.

472
00:19:45,466 --> 00:19:49,066
So we're going to use
these block of wood,

473
00:19:49,133 --> 00:19:52,133
and that's just going to
help us...stabilize.

474
00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:53,033
Scott: Yeah.
Mark: Yeah.

475
00:19:53,100 --> 00:19:55,866
So a couple little tricks.

476
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,400
Good.
Okay.

477
00:20:02,466 --> 00:20:06,200
You can see that I want to leave
an even space around this post

478
00:20:06,266 --> 00:20:09,733
so that way the material
that we mix will float around.

479
00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:11,633
So we're going to use
a different type of cement

480
00:20:11,700 --> 00:20:15,033
than we normally do.
This is called hydraulic cement.

481
00:20:15,100 --> 00:20:18,233
And what it means is it gets
very, very stiff very quickly.

482
00:20:18,300 --> 00:20:20,700
So we're going to have
to work fast.

483
00:20:20,766 --> 00:20:24,166
Alright. Give me about
five seconds worth of water.

484
00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:29,066
Good. I'll start with that.

485
00:20:31,166 --> 00:20:32,966
Scott: Perfect.
Mark: Yep.

486
00:20:35,300 --> 00:20:37,600
Scott: What's the consistency
supposed to be on this?

487
00:20:37,666 --> 00:20:40,000
Mark: So, when we're making
regular mortar type N,

488
00:20:40,066 --> 00:20:43,400
we like to use what we call
an oatmeal consistency.

489
00:20:43,466 --> 00:20:47,700
And this right now we call soup.
Scott: [ Chuckles ]

490
00:20:47,766 --> 00:20:53,900
Mark: So very, very wet, very
liquid and very easy to move.

491
00:20:53,966 --> 00:20:57,066
I want to make sure
I don't have any clumps.

492
00:20:57,133 --> 00:20:59,466
So, Scott, I'm going to give
this over to you.

493
00:20:59,533 --> 00:21:02,233
Scott: Alright.
Mark: And pour it.

494
00:21:07,066 --> 00:21:09,800
And we're going to sponge
that post off when you're done.

495
00:21:09,866 --> 00:21:11,133
Scott: Okay.

496
00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:15,700
Mark: I'll help you get
the material down to the bottom.

497
00:21:17,300 --> 00:21:19,533
Don't be afraid to go
over here to the side.

498
00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:21,033
Scott: Yep.
Mark: Just like that.

499
00:21:21,100 --> 00:21:24,033
Scott: So we can go around.
Mark: You can go around.

500
00:21:24,100 --> 00:21:27,033
Again, I'm going to help you
get it in, but you can see it...

501
00:21:27,100 --> 00:21:28,233
Scott: Yeah.
Mark: ...starting to set up

502
00:21:28,300 --> 00:21:29,400
just a little bit.
Scott: Already.

503
00:21:29,466 --> 00:21:31,200
Mark: Yeah. Already.

504
00:21:38,666 --> 00:21:40,500
And the other thing we're going
to want to make sure

505
00:21:40,566 --> 00:21:43,700
is we give it
a little bit of a bevel.

506
00:21:43,766 --> 00:21:47,666
That way the water
will run off.

507
00:21:52,166 --> 00:21:55,433
Okay. Alright, Scott,
we're looking good here.

508
00:21:55,500 --> 00:21:59,066
Why don't we take a step back,
check it out? What do you think?

509
00:21:59,133 --> 00:22:00,266
Scott: Looks fantastic.

510
00:22:00,333 --> 00:22:02,133
Looks like it's been here
for 50 years.

511
00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:04,000
I'm really excited about it.

512
00:22:04,066 --> 00:22:05,400
Mark: Yeah, that's the bonus

513
00:22:05,466 --> 00:22:08,333
to these little projects
is when they fit, they fit.

514
00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:09,700
Scott: Yeah. That's great.

515
00:22:09,766 --> 00:22:11,233
Mark: Alright, so I'm just
going to leave you

516
00:22:11,300 --> 00:22:14,000
a little bit of homework
and all that is, is to make sure

517
00:22:14,066 --> 00:22:17,266
that people stay off of that
railing for 24 hours or so.

518
00:22:17,333 --> 00:22:18,966
Other than that,
you are good to go.

519
00:22:19,033 --> 00:22:21,000
Scott: Well, thank you again.
It looks fantastic.

520
00:22:21,066 --> 00:22:23,866
I'm so happy.
Mark: Alright, Scott.

521
00:22:23,933 --> 00:22:26,333
So if you've got questions
about your house,

522
00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:27,533
we'd love to hear from you.

523
00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:30,300
So keep them coming.
But until next time,

524
00:22:30,366 --> 00:22:32,900
I'm Mark McCullough
for "Ask This Old House."

525
00:22:34,666 --> 00:22:36,100
Scott: Fits right in, right?

526
00:22:36,166 --> 00:22:39,166
♪♪

527
00:22:40,433 --> 00:22:42,466
Kevin: Next time
on "Ask This Old House"...

528
00:22:42,533 --> 00:22:44,500
Lee shares his snow-removal tips

529
00:22:44,566 --> 00:22:46,166
to prepare
for the coming winter.

530
00:22:46,233 --> 00:22:48,400
Lee: I got magnesium chloride,
which is much better

531
00:22:48,466 --> 00:22:51,200
for the environment
and much better for the pets.

532
00:22:51,266 --> 00:22:54,700
Kevin: Then Mark shares his list
of go-to masonry tools.

533
00:22:54,766 --> 00:22:56,866
Mark: You can see
I got a nice edge on it.

534
00:22:56,933 --> 00:22:58,866
Kevin: And on "Build It,"

535
00:22:58,933 --> 00:23:00,933
Tom is ready to upgrade
the workspace

536
00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:02,733
by building a miter saw station.

537
00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:06,266
Tom: We even got the wheels.
We can roll it back.

538
00:23:06,333 --> 00:23:09,033
Kevin: All that
on "Ask This Old House."