What comes first? The siding or the windows?

Q. What comes first, new windows or new siding? I have contracted for new vinyl siding and Marvin fiberglass windows and sliding patio door. The window contractor thinks it's best to put in the windows before the siding, and the siding contractor thinks it best to put up the siding first. The windows will be using the existing framework but the patio door will be completely torn out with new frames being put in. Apparently, this is where the problem lies. Is any one way better than the other?

A. The new windows should be installed first! Their flanges should be nailed to the sheathing and covered with tape. Their heads should be properly flashed with the upper flange set under the housewrap and taped. If you put the siding up first, how will the windows be properly flashed? Your siding contractor sounds like someone to avoid. Can you find another - more savvy - one?

Q. I finally heard from Magnetite and was amazed to find that the metal frames with acrylic panels are installed on the inside. Could they be installed outside, or would wind, snow and sleet scratch it too much?

A. The acrylic panels are quite tough and should be able to take the weather. But the main reason for installing Magnetite storm panels inside is that because they are so tight, installing them outside can result in fogging and condensation on the inside of the panels, since they can be tighter than the primary windows. It is best to install them inside.

On our casement windows, they were installed on the frame of the sashes, so they do not need to be removed in the summer when the windows are opened.

Q. I enjoy reading your column every week. My current project is the replacement of a mahogany porch and two steps at the entrance to my townhouse. The porch is protected from the elements by a roof. The house and porch were built in 1989 and I am the only owner. When new, the porch had a brilliant finish that lasted a few years. The association refinished the porch on two or three occasions but the board has refused to do so in recent years, turning the responsibility over the homeowners. The original porch was light mahogany. I have looked at several materials as potential replacement: a light mahogany; a dark mahogany; and AZEK brownstone. My personal preference is the light mahogany.

If I decide on the light mahogany, what is the best way to seal and finish the wood? The work will be done by a professional carpenter. Is it feasible for me (73, handy and in good health) to refinish the porch when necessary? Any other suggestions are most welcome.

A. You should go with your preference; it's usually the best choice in the long run. Major paint manufacturers have penetrating finishes for all types of wood. Cabot, Benjamin Moore, Penofin, etc., have finishes for hardwood. Penofin only has one tone: cedar; the others have several hues to choose from. If you have one or more pieces of scrap, take them to a well-stocked paint store and have them try several finishes on them for you to decide. It certainly is feasible for you to do the finishing.

Q. I've learned so much from your column. I'm hoping you can help me with a deck that heaved over the winter. It was built three summers ago by a licensed contractor. It is quite large, multilevel and sits about 2-feet above the ground. The support footers were dug 4-feet deep, concrete was poured into 8-inch diameter tubes and threaded rods were inserted in the tops to hold the joist supports. The first winter the deck came through fine, heaved a tiny bit, then settled right back into place. This past winter, the concrete pillars on the north and east sides - farthest from the house - came out of the ground nearly 6 inches.

Now that all the frost is out of the ground, they have not settled back, and are still a good four inches up from the ground. The pillars on the southeast end and those in the middle of the deck did not move. This not only leaves the deck uneven, but since it is attached to the house, it is putting stress all along the side of the house and garage where it is attached. We can reach the footers by crawling under the deck, but any work on them would have to be done while lying on the ground. Short of tearing out the entire deck, digging out the footers and redoing them, is there any way to remedy this problem?

A. It is not clear from your description whether the contractor used Big Foot plastic forms, or equivalent, as footings for the concrete piers. Big Foot was developed to provide a regular footing for these piers. Before that invention, contractors who insisted on providing footings for concrete piers used to make them up and attach the cardboard forms to the framework. It is also essential that L-shaped rebars (reinforcing steel bars) are set in the footings and forms prior to the concrete being poured.

If Big Foot forms were used with no rebars to tie them to the concrete piers, it is possible that the concrete columns broke off as frost tightened its grip around them at, and just below, grade. If Big Foot forms were not used, the concrete piers have been "bear-hugged" by the frost. Once the piers are lifted, the adjacent soil collapses under them, and they cannot return to their original place. It is also wise, in cold regions, to set the footings lower than 4 feet, particularly because there is no snow cover under decks to keep the soil insulated over the winter. I have always put concrete pier footings 8 feet deep. The problem you have also tells me that one or more of the following took place:

• The backfill was done with the native clay or silty soil instead of coarse material, which then should be topped with a layer of the clay, humped to provide a collar that sheds water.

• The backfill was not humped around the piers, leaving a flat or concave area into which water accumulated.

• The soil beneath the deck is flat or lower than the outside grade - often what I see when inspecting these problems, collecting rain and snowmelt that saturates the soil and freezes into a solid ice block (although this seems not to be the case here since the mid-posts didn't heave).

• If a high water table or spring was found when excavating for the piers, a drainage system should have been provided to keep the soil under them dry. In cold climates, a layer of 1- to 2-inches thick XPS (extruded polystyrene rigid insulation) should be placed horizontally and about 6 inches below grade around the piers to prevent frost penetration.

In your case, because the piers have not returned to their original level, they will have to be dug up and redone. Fortunately, only those on the outer edges of the deck have been affected. I would not recommend cutting off the concrete piers, as may be suggested to you as a simpler solution, because their bases are no longer on solid ground. And insulation that's cut to fit around the piers and extends at least two feet in all directions must be buried a few inches below grade.

Q. We have rugs with pet-urine odor. Of course, the smell is worse when the windows are closed. Need advice on what to do when rugs and padding are to be replaced. Can the floorboards under the carpeting be treated in any way to permanently remove the odor? Some of the carpeting will be replaced with new carpeting and some with wood flooring.

A. Faced with the same problem in a house I rented to tenants who were not supposed to have pets, I had great success by washing the plywood with Pinesol. A mixture of Clorox bleach and water should also work. Good luck.

Q. We have a tall cabinet next to the fridge where we keep canned and dry goods. There are tiny brown bugs in the open cereal, pasta etc. We've taken everything out and washed thoroughly, but they appear to be back. What can we do to get rid of them?

A. There are a variety of pests that breed and feed in foodstuff. Control is pretty much the same for all of them. Eliminate existing infestations (of no longer usable foodstuff) by getting rid of unusable foodstuff. If the products are still usable, you can put them in deep freeze for several days, heat them in the oven at 140 degrees for a minimum of 30 minutes or place them on a flat tray under afternoon sun for several hours. Vacuum clean all cabinets in which these products are kept and wash the shelves with a disinfectant. Do not store large quantities of these foodstuffs and buy smaller amounts. Store them in tight-lid glass or metal jars and inspect all new purchases for signs of insects.

Q. What do you recommend to stain a wood fence?

A. It depends of the type of wood. If pressure-treated, use one of the products specially made for this type of wood. If it's regular wood, such as cedar, you can use any stain manufactured by a good paint company.

• Henri de Marne was a remodeling contractor in Washington, D.C., for many years, and is now a consultant. Write to him in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or via e-mail at henridemarne@gmavt.net.

© 2009, United Feature Syndicate Inc.