Wherever I turn I see top-10 lists on television, in comedy shows, in magazines and in politics. I thought I would rate the top 10 most-frequently-asked questions posed by readers in 2003.
I took my 52 weekly articles (some included more than one question) and put them in order of popularity according to the number of questions I received.
There were a lot of questions that I had to place in the "miscellaneous" column simply because they could not be associated with the basic theme of the lists.
To be honest, I thought that questions on mold spores on the interior and exterior of the home would have been the most frequently asked, but those fell far short of the other question categories. I guess questions concerning mold were more important to me than to you. Here goes:
No. 10: One article about crickets and bug problems. I guess most of your homes are clean.
No. 9: Two articles on dust inside the home. I rated this less than the electrical questions because the second article was written to clarify the first article.
No. 8: Two articles on electrical problems. This is a good statistic because electrical repairs should be left to professionals.
No. 7: Three articles on insulation -- what to look for, how to do it yourself and R (resistance to thermal transfer) ratings.
No. 6: Three articles on moisture control. Again, I place moisture control above insulation even though they received the same number of questions. Why? Without proper moisture control insulation can be damaged.
No. 5: Four articles on mold spores. This was surprising to me because I have answered so many of your questions by e-mail. If an e-mail question has merit, I will try to answer it. Letters will only be answered if they contain a self-addressed, stamped 4-by 9 1/2--inch (approximately) envelope.
No. 4: Five articles concerning furnaces and/or ductwork, and another five articles on venting/HVAC (heating, venting, air conditioning).
No. 3: Six articles on plumbing ranging from leaky faucets, septic systems and proper ventilation of the sewer pipes. Sewer odors topped the lists.
No. 2: Eleven articles I placed under "structural," which covers everything attached to the home -- cracked walls, damaged window seals, tile underlayment, chimney problems, hand rails, etc.
No. 1: Fourteen articles are listed under "miscellaneous": to-do lists, suggested gifts lists, how to hire contractors and home inspectors, water conservation, painting tips and winterizing tips helped me fill my columns last year. Keep the questions coming.
(Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home-improvement questions at PO Box 268, Evansville, IN 47702 or send him e-mail at d.barnett@insightbb.com.)
