Pressure Washer Dangers are Real - Be Super Careful Do you own a pressure washer? I’ve had no less than five of them in my lifetime. I must say they’re amazing machines when you use them correctly and on surfaces that won’t be harmed by the powerful blast exiting the nozzle at the end of Read More »
Concrete Rust Remover - Special Acid Just Below You may be like me and notice things about who knows what. For example, you may pay attention to decorating things and color coordination. Or, you may focus on landscaping and outdoor furniture arrangements. The list of things to look at in and around homes is almost Read More »
Roofing 101 - What you Need to Know I have no clue how many new roofs are installed in the USA each year, but it’s got to be in the hundreds of thousands. Perhaps a new roof is in your future or in the next few years. If so, you’d be wise to retrieve it Read More »
Groundwater Flow Direction - It's Almost Always Sideways and Down Your home may be plagued with a wet basement or crawlspace where water enters at will when it rains outside. In addition, your yard may be the neighborhood bog rendering it useless in the wet season. Would you be interested in knowing how to make Read More »
Concrete Patch - The Best Ones Require Work Do you have a wide unsightly crack in your concrete sidewalk, driveway, or patio? The concrete may have cracked all the way through the slab and now one piece is higher than the adjacent piece. Some cracks can be trip hazards. Each Sunday, I walk up the Read More »
Are you going to be pouring a concrete sidewalk, driveway, patio or apron slab soon? Do you know you get ONE CHANCE to get it right? Is your contractor going to botch the job and your new concrete spall or develop ugly random cracks? How do you know it's going to be done right? Are Read More »
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 »
3D Printed House Cost - It's Not All Unicorns and Rainbows You may wonder if the new belle of the ball, 3D printed house, is really going to cost you less money to build than a normal house. Some publications fawn about new techniques like these and only share the glitter and gleam of the Read More »
Connecting Deck Posts and Piers - Use the Right Hardware QUESTION: Tim, you helped me years ago and now I’m back. I’m going to build a freestanding deck at my house during my vacation. After watching lots of online videos, I’m somewhat confused about how to connect the deck posts to the concrete piers. What Read More »
Clean Algae Off Siding - Liquid Soap and Oxygen Bleach Not a week goes by that I don’t get a question about cleaning this or that. These questions flow through the Ask Tim page on my www.AsktheBuilder.com website. As it turns out, I happen to know lots about cleaning things. I attribute much of this Read More »
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