[quote name='ajh2298']Ok next issue:
Has anybody ever dealt with a exterminator before. We are having a "ant" issue at our house and my wife wants to call in a professional. About how much do the charge to come out and spray? Also has anybody had this problem before and can recommend a product to use maybe I could just spray myself.[/QUOTE]
Where exactly are the ants? Kitchen, bathrooms, etc.? Have you followed their trail(s) to the various points of entry? First job is to locate their source of entry/habitat in your home. Unless these are fire ants from hell, you should be able to easily
handle this problem yourself. You can even make your own "organic" non-toxic (or extremely mildly toxic to humans/pets) insect killer/bait with a boric acid base (just get Borax or boric acid powder/solution from various supply stores). Boric acid/boron basically acts like napalm when it comes into contact with insects' exoskeletons...it sticks and is very abrasive to chitin. Also if you put it in bait it will rot them out nicely as it eats through their stomachs and poisons them. That site I linked to has all the info you need; there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't be able to handle this problem yourself. No need to call in a "professional" who will charge too damn much and most likely use poisons/toxins to neutralize the ants.
[quote name='hufferstl']Anyone have experience with a basement leak? I have water coming in(I can hear individual drips when it rains hard). It is coming in on the side of my house that my driveway is on. What I'm wondering is if there is any chance that I can do something without either A) breaking up the driveway or B) taking the finished wall out where the leak is coming out.
I'm getting ready to call professionals, but I wanted to check here first.[/QUOTE]
Where are you hearing the drips when it rains hard, inside of the wall that is next to your driveway (i.e. you can hear the drops land inside the wall at the floor level or below while you are in the room - please explain)? And you are sure the drips are coming from inside the wall, and not from the rain itself outside or from a gutter/spout or roof location etc., dripping onto the ground/driveway outside? If it's coming from inside the wall, chances are there's a leak coming from somewhere along the roofline or the roof itself, maybe a damaged eave/overhang/gutter connection etc., or even some damage to the wall itself, perhaps a window or door that isn't installed/weatherproofed correctly. Are their water stains on the wall or ceiling anywhere, or on the external wall? Are there any cracks, gaps, obvious points of entry for water from where the house/foundation and driveway meet (or from any dirt patches if they don't meet)?
Impossible to tell without seeing the place firsthand or at least in detailed pics.
Fixing this yourself depends on how handy you are. If you've had some experience with roofing/roof patching, drywall/stucco or whatever material your internal and external walls are made of, cement/concrete repair/patching experience then you should be able to fix it as long as you can pinpoint the source of the water point of entry.
EDIT: ok, re-reading your issue I gather that you are hearing the dripping behind a finished wall in your basement, and the water is leaking into the basement from the wall around the spot of the drip? The drip is only the start of the search for the point of entry of the water. You can try to trace it back to its point of entry by checking externally, however note that that drip location can be quite a ways away from the actual point of entry, as the water will seek its own level. Like Javery said you have to prevent it from coming in at the external source.
COL (mostly housing and insurance) is very high compared to OH and it kind of sucks, but everything else is miles better.
