Q&A / 

Bad New Home Builder - On My Own Street! Over the past five months I’ve watched the dream of a neighbor I’ve yet to meet start to come true on my own street. It started just after the snow melted when two men arrived with a giant machine that wrestles logs and chain saws. Their Read More »

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Cracked Stone Small stones can be cracked with a sledgehammer. But what about solid bedrock that extends through the globe to China? Well, you use a giant jackhammer when blasting is too expensive or there are other houses too close to the blasting site. Part One of this two-part series is below the Cracked Stone Read More »

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Install a New Concrete Foundation - Going Up! Recently my daughter purchased an old camp summer house on a lake. The house is about eighty years old and was built on crude cinder blocks that just rested on stony soil. Frost heave over the years has caused the doors and windows to not fit well. Read More »

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How to Prevent Brick Foundation Problems - Go to the BIA A few weeks ago, a visitor to my AsktheBuilder.com website wanted to know about brick foundations. Karen had this ambitious desire to build a small 900-square-foot house by herself. She was well aware of her physical limitations and asked me if it was possible Read More »

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Surfside City Condo Collapse - My Early Guess: Rusty Rebar Fractures and Weakened Concrete Columns This past weekend, my wife asked me all sorts of questions about the tragic sudden collapse of the 40-year-old condominium building near Miami, Florida. We’ve dated since high school and she knows I’ve got a geology degree instead of one Read More »

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Foundation Repair: How Much Does It Cost? (2021 Pricing Estimates) Your foundation is the footing of your entire home. It's the 24/7 soldier that keeps your floor, walls, windows, doors, and possessions safe and secure. So, what happens when it starts to fail? You may notice a door that doesn't shut quite right, a section Read More »

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  Crumbling Concrete Foundation - Easy DIY Repair QUESTION: Hey Tim. I watched your three-part video series on patching a concrete foundation on your website. It’s exactly what I needed to help me repair the cosmetic crumbling of my concrete. I’ve got questions. Will that method work to also patch defects in steps and flat Read More »

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Replace A Foundation - Just Lift Up the House QUESTION: I’m thinking of buying a house that has a crawlspace. The foundation is in very bad shape. While the house looks quite bad, it’s got good bones. Is it possible to completely remove a bad foundation and install a new taller one? What’s involved? Who Read More »

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Stone Foundation Repair DEAR TIM: I’m thinking of buying a dilapidated old frame house out in the country. It’s got a stone foundation that seems to me to be too close to the ground. Are stone foundations adequate and strong? Is it possible to add more stone or concrete to get the foundation higher? How Read More »

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