August 16, 2017 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

I'm sitting at gate 54A here in the San Francisco airport waiting to get back home. I've been out here on the Left Coast of the USA for over two weeks.

Two weeks ago, I was just starting a very interesting tour of the KEEN shoes and boots factory in Portland, Oregon. opens in a new windowCLICK HERE to read that story and watch a video of me making boots!

I then had to be in San Francisco yesterday for a small conference at Google's offices at 345 Spear Street. Here was my view from the 7th-floor roof deck as I ate lunch.

In between the two business events I wandered down through Oregon and Northern California. This past weekend, I was blessed to stay with my oldest daughter Meghan and her husband Brent.

We had dinner on Sunday with some of their friends. Tanya was there and she came to the USA from Vietnam about forty years ago. She told us the harrowing story about how she and dozens of people were rescued minutes before their leaky boat sank in the Pacific Ocean. It was a riveting story of survival.

Two days ago, I received a second blessing and got to meet Beth, a long-time subscriber. She uses my Stain Solver for all sorts of cleaning chores around her home, and for several years, I promised to stop by as I drove past her in Palo Alto, CA.

I'm so happy to be going home to see Kathy and get back into a normal routine! My guess is Lady the dog is going to be quite happy to see me tonight.

Steel Beams & Wood

Overnight Dan emailed me. He's building a home in Crown Point, Indiana. Look at a photo he sent me. Pay attention to where the red arrow points. What's wrong there?

What you're looking at is a treated lumber sill plate and an untreated block of wood under the steel I beam. There are some thin steel shims on top of the untreated wood.

Dan wanted to know if this was acceptable.

The answer is NO!

Steel beams must be placed on solid masonry or something else that can't compress or ROT.

Yes, treated lumber ROTS. opens in a new windowCLICK HERE for proof.

Building On Solid Rock

Topsoil is often not too thick. You may have to build on solid rock.

What are the challenges and what should you avoid at all costs?

There are quite a few things you need to know when faced with rock.

My college degree is in geology and I was intrigued with hydrogeology while in school. What's that?

opens in a new windowCLICK HERE do discover more and how to protect yourself when faced with bedrock.

It's getting close to boarding time. I'll have more news and photos probably this weekend.

Oh, you may want to read about the most exciting thing that happened to me last week! I was deep in a redwood forest in California.

opens in a new windowCLICK HERE and tell me what you think about this story!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Do It Right, Not Over!