I'm not sure where to post this, so I'm trying here. We moved to from our townhouse to a rented house in a new town a month ago, and ever since my son has been breaking out in hives about 4 nights every week. It only happens after he spends extended periods in his bedroom. There is nothing there he hasn't had in his previous room. I did not switch detergents, he has hardwood floors (no rugs) and painted walls. I'm at my wit's end! What could be causing these nighttime hives? Britta

I have designed and built many complicated remodels all over the east coast, including basement underpinning projects and structure elevation projects as well. As mentioned earlier, you have two options, disconnecting all the utilities, installing a cribbing system, and jacking up the structure or lower the basement slab and underpin the foundation footer. You have to consider the downtime of the structure, as well as the stability of the existing foundation. If it is settling or has any issues you may need to repair it before changing the load on it. If you can not afford the downtime of the structure, which inn itself can cause damage without air conditioning, and you need to repair or beef up the foundation, you may want to consider lowering the elevation of the basement floor. Sometimes this is the cheapest way to go, especially if you are going to act as the GC and save some money. Lowering a slab requires a lot of unskilled labor, which you can easily supervise. Excavating the concrete and dirt is the majority of the work, this method also causes the least amount of damage to the structure above, as you do not have to physically move it. Underpinnings are very common, especially in Washington DC Historical Zones where I spent most of my career, and I would say that if you are planning to be the GC on the project, lower the foundation floor, you can live in the home while the project goes on, and you can manage the majority of the labor force on your own. If you have any other questions email me Halebuilt6@gmail

Your really going to stir up the GW anti OTR Microwave bias with this one - they'll be popping in droves to assail the OTR Microwave. I hear the stampede. All kidding aside, I don't know this model but the major problem is that it is a re-circulating fan and not vented to the outside. As you experience illustrates even a vented downdraft is better than a re-circulating fan. Whether it would perform well enough to meet your needs if vented outside is hard to predict but it would certainly make a significant difference.

Wow! Thanks for all the replies in such a short time. :) Let me take them from the top! "do you have the windows open on the days he develops hives?" -yes, but they are open all over the house, and he doesn't have problems anywhere else "Do you have forced hot air heat or AC vents that might need to be cleaned?" - Nope, we have hot water baseboard, BUT, I'll have to take the covers off and clean in between there. "Did previous tenants have a pet?" Yup, they had dogs, but he was tested and is not allergic to any animals. "Washing walls and floors thoroughly might help." I'm going to do that this weekend. Should I just use warm water, or what kind of soap? "Any chance it was something he ate/lotions/bath soap/etc. he consumed/used on those days before going to bed?" Nope, nothing new at all. "Fleas? Bed bugs? Spiders?" My daughter does have an allergy to dust mites, so he might have developed it, too. I'll have to go buy special mattress and pillow covers this weekend. "Could the paint be new enough that it's giving something off?" It's about 8 months old, so that shouldn't be a problem any more. "Or could there be mold inside the walls in his room?" How would I know? There's nothing visible on the walls, but it's an old house (built in the 1920's), so it might be possible. He has gotten hives at odd times before, and the previous ones we tracked down to Boyscout brand microwave popcorn, and detergent. I'll scrub the room and get the anti-mites sheets this weekend and will keep you posted. Thanks again! Britta