How to make your pool safer

Q. We purchased a new home with a built-in pool. Do you have any safety tips?

A. There are a couple easy home improvements to ensure pool safety. First, get an ornamental iron fence with a locking gate that surrounds the entire pool. You can also have an alarm put on the gate itself, or a sensor alarm that can alert you when there is movement inside the pool. Then, get a pool cover. You will need more than one of the soft plastic solar covers, which are designed only to trap heat and not to keep people or animals from falling in. A good pool cover will attach at various locations on the deck and cover the entire pool.

Q. We will be putting a new roof on soon and it will most likely be a light weight tile one. We currently have a heavy shake roof. Should we remove the shakes before the tile roof is put on or should the tile roof be put over the shakes? I have seen both approaches lately and am not sure which would be better.

A. We too have seen both approaches and are even familiar with some firms who, as part of their advertising, tout leaving the existing shakes and installing the new roof over them. They claim that by doing it this way, the job will go faster and will result in cost savings to the homeowner.

Baloney! We strongly recommend that all of the existing roofing be removed before a new roof is installed. The wood sheathing below the roof is highly susceptible to fungus damage and dry rot that will continue to spread if left untreated. Roof replacement is an excellent time to make a thorough inspection of the roof sheathing and make any needed repairs. This would be impossible if the new roof is installed over the existing roofing.

True, there is a cost attached to this, but, comparatively speaking, it is only a small part of what the new roofing job will cost. Besides, if dry rot does exist and it is not dealt with now, it could cost significantly more to make the repairs later.