Home & Yard Handbook

Q: Saw your ad in the Home&Yard Handbook and I’m hoping you can tell me what’s the best way to get rid of these grayish white spiders that seem to love my bathroom & kitchen. I’ve been bitten a couple of times and once the bite became very infected. The bites are very nasty in that they swell up and leave a hole in your skin. I don’t know where they are coming from, they just appear out of nowhere. I’ve killed 4 today. Please Help! – L.C.

A: I am no spider expert so I had to incorporate the help of my 9 year old on this one. We have similar sounding spiders in our house but have never experienced a bite from one. Aaron (my 9 year old) and Noah who is 6 and I went on a spider hunt the other night and our investigation turned up the following: we believe the spider that resembles our house spider which is grayish white and we always referred to as a milk spider, is actually a yellow sac spider. They are common in our region and when we looked closely his rear section was tinted yellow. According to our research they typically live outdoors but come in during the cool fall weather and will lay eggs. They are hunters and wander around for food versus using a web to hunt. They make tube or “sac” webs to live in during the day and are more visible at night.

 A couple of thoughts on their elimination: they eat insects so avoid having ants and other prey in the house and the spiders are less likely to come in. Keep firewood and brush away from the house and keep tree branches trimmed away from your roof. Spiders can enter through very small holes so keep up on caulking and be sure windows and doors are sealed well.

A few years ago my wife got some Black and Decker pest control repellers that simply plug in to an outlet and they have greatly reduced the spider population in our home. Our lot is surrounded by trees and has a lot of landscaping against the house so we will probably battle with some type of insect forever.

I found the website www.asktheexterminator.com to be very helpful in this research. I would recommend calling a professional to verify the type of spider and recommend a process of elimination for your particular problem.

Thanks for your email question and for reading, and remember to listen live Saturdays at 10 to Home and Yard Radio on 950am.  

Email your questions to me at: Len@HomeAndYardHandbook.com

Q: I have heard many different opinions on whether vinyl siding can or should be painted or not. What is yours? – Mary A from Holcomb

A: There  are not many things that can’t be painted, the question is whether or not it makes sense, will it hold and is it the best means to an end. Most, if not all vinyl siding manufacturers will void their warranty if you paint the siding, so that is the first consideration in my mind. If you are okay with that then have at it using these tips. It is imperative that the siding is clean from dirt, mildew etc… a good power washing will take care of that. Mildew can be removed with  a 3 to 1 water/bleach mixture but be sure and protect any landscaping with some plastic. Vinyl siding is prone to chalking, especially older vinyl and it is important you remove that as well. Let the siding dry completely after rinsing thoroughly and then try in a test area first. I would recommend a high end 100 percent acrylic latex in a flat finish. If you have a trusted paint store then see what they say. Keep in mind that vinyl holds heat well and so do dark colors, so the darker you go the warmer it gets and that can result in the vinyl warping or “oil canning.”  I would try and stay lighter than the color of the original vinyl if possible. 

Send Us Your Questions!      Email your questions to: AskLen@HomeAndYardHandbook.com

Q: My husband and I are not from this area and due to his job we are moving again.  My husband is not very handy and we are preparing our house for the spring real estate market. We have several larger projects and a punch list from our realtor of about 2 dozen little things we need to address.  It almost seems overwhelming hiring multiple types of contractors to get this done. We have only ever heard horror stories about handymen who don’t show up or claim they can fix things that they are not qualified to do. Any suggestions?

A: First of all you have started in the right place. Home and Yard Handbook has many assets to our community that are right in the handbook and can probably manage all of your needs. What you need sounds like a general contractor that offers handyman services and doesn’t mind doing small jobs as well. In this economy I would imagine that to be an easy thing to find. While many peoples perception of a general contractor is that they make money for just organizing workers is somewhat true, let me tell you that it is a difficult job and most people are very thankful and willing to pay a little extra to avoid the headaches that come along with this job. A good G.C. will make your projects and punch list disappear quickly and you won’t have to invest in Advil! Start interviewing contractors and asking people you know for referrals and by all means utilize the Better Contractors Bureau as well. I used to do a lot of work for realtors under similar circumstances to yours and finding a one stop contractor to get your house ready as fast as possible for market is my best suggestion.

Q: Coming up this spring we know that we are going to have to replace our front porch flooring.  We live in the city in the Park Avenue area and the floor is most likely the original wood flooring. We were told by one contractor that it is probably Fir and that we can replace it with the same product. We are wondering if there are any other options or is this the way we should go?

A: First of all your contractor is probably right. Most porch floors were made of Fir (Douglas Fir ), which is a very stable wood. It is still readily available and depending on your finish preference is a sure bet for lasting a long time. Fir is the best suited for painting so if that is your preference then make it your choice. 

Another choice would be Mahogany, which is also a very stable wood for flooring as it is very dense and resists dents and scratching very well. There are many varieties of Mahogany and thus prices can differ. Mahogany, due to it’s inherent  density is not a wood that accepts paint well and should be stained instead. 

Over the past couple of years many manufacturers have come out with PVC porch flooring in tongue and groove profiles. For low maintenance this is your best option. 

Since you said you are in the Park Ave area you may first want to make sure there are no historical preservation rules regarding using a PVC product  on your porch. 

Be sure and take the time while the porch floor is removed to inspect and reinforce the framing structure as needed.  I would also recommend inspecting any columns and bases as they tend to be a home for carpenter ant infestation.