DEAR RON: I'm quite sure I can help you with this project as I've got lots of experience creating walkways using brick, stone and other masonry materials. Perhaps you can learn best from my failures and successes.

The small loose stones between the pieces of rock can cause a mess. Photo Credit: Ron Bergnal, Chicago, IL

When I was a greenhorn in the construction business, I decided to install a gorgeous brick sidewalk at the second home my wife and I rehabilitated. Back in the 1970's, home improvement television shows were in their infancy and I watched a show where a man said to just lay the brick in coarse sand. All you had to do was level the sand, butt the brick against one another and sweep fine sand between the cracks in the brick.

That seemed like a great idea, and it was most certainly easier and less expensive than putting the brick down in concrete or on a gravel base. I proceeded with the job and it really came out looking spectacular.

But then I discovered that the bricks would shift at the edges, sand would track constantly into the house and weeds growing between the brick were a constant nuisance. In other words, my new brick walkway was a disaster.

A few years before, I had installed a brick walkway and path for my future mother-in-law where you blended coarse damp sand with Portland cement, spread this mixture about 3 inched thick, level it and then tamp it. You then butt the brick on top of this and sweep the cracks with fine sand mixed with Portland cement.

This patio, to this day, still looks fantastic. It was a grand success, and only a few of the edge brick ever popped loose. The few weeds that grew in the cracks were easily removed or treated with weed killer.

My best stone and brick walkways involved more work, but thirty years later they look the same as the day I installed them.

I discovered if you want really professional results you install the stone or brick on top of poured concrete that contains reinforcing steel. The reinforced concrete creates a solid foundation for the finished stone or brick so that it resists frost heave or other ground movement.

I would mortar the brick or the stone to the concrete slab with regular mortar made from medium sand and Portland cement. The mortar bed was usually only one-half-inch thick. I would mix three parts sand to one part Portland cement for this bedding mortar.

The spaces between each piece of stone or brick was filled with extremely strong mortar made from clean sand and lots of Portland cement. I wanted a mortar that would possibly last 50 to 100 years so that I wouldn't ever have to worry about tuckpointing it.

I would estimate that the compressive strength of the mortar exceeds 8,000 pounds per square inch because it contains so much Portland cement. I made this mortar by mixing one part sand to one part Portland cement. It was extremely rich in cement content, but fortunately a bag of Portland cement is not really expensive.

I discovered that you could use a tired old circular saw equipped with an abrasive masonry blade to create crisp cut lines in both brick and stone. If you desire the more rustic hand-chipped look on the edges of the stone, you can use the saw to make a score line on the bottom of the stone just under where you want the jagged line to appear.

Cut the stone at least halfway through its thickness and then tap the top side of the stone with a hammer along the line you want to create. This should produce an acceptable jagged line when the stone splits off.

Installing stone, brick or any other finished masonry material on top of a poured concrete base is lots of work. When I watch the modern television shows that show the fast and easy method, I usually chuckle because the young people on camera remind me of myself when I thought it was a grand idea to take the shortcut placing the brick in the sand.

If you do decide to place your stone on top of a concrete base, don't spend the time to put a smooth finish on it. You want the concrete to be in the same plane with no humps in it, but a simple screeded finish with some holes in it will do just fine. The coarse finish helps hold the bedding mortar to the concrete.

When he took his first bite with a blue corn tortilla chip, he exclaimed, "WOW, that's the most amazing guacamole I've ever tasted!"

He questioned my ingredients and said he had never heard of one being used in guacamole. See what you think of the mystery ingredient below. How about you make some and tell me what you think:

TIM'S ASKTHEBUILDER.COM GUACAMOLE

© Copyright 2103 Tim Carter

The following includes Tim's revised recipe.

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup diced red or Vidalia (sweet) onion
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• juice of one lime
• 2 crushed cloves of fresh garlic
• ½ cup diced ripe tomato
• 1/3 cup diced jalapeno pepper

Blend ingredients with a fork ensuring avocados still have some small chunks the size of baby peas.

Surgeon General's WARNING: Eating too much of Tim's AsktheBuilder.com guacamole can lead to a serious addiction and weight gain. Only consume small amounts. Eat only in the presence of a food buddy to prevent overdose.

Let me know what you think of my guac!

TIP OF THE WEEK - SOLDERING COPPER

You may not know this, but I've been a master plumber for about 35 years. I've always enjoyed plumbing. Just about a week ago I shared a story with my buddy Jim Cluett about tapping a trunk line sewer.

A trunk line sewer is one that drains quite a few houses. This sewer line was pretty far down in elevation from the subdivisions it was connected to. Remember your high school physics?

Force = mass X acceleration

I waited until about 10 a.m. when I thought everyone was at work before I started drilling into the precast concrete pipe. Close your eyes. Conjure up a image of a mountain stream cascading down a bunch of rocks.

I described my surprise when I discovered the sewer was running about 80 percent capacity and the raging torrent of you-know-what was right at the edge of the tapping hole I created. That was WAY too close for comfort, let me tell you.

But let's now talk about more pleasant things like successful LEAK-FREE solder joints on copper tubing! If you're afraid to solder copper because you feel you'll get a leak, I'm going to help you get past that.

It's so easy to solder copper tubing and not have a leak. Watch my video on soldering copper.

One tiny little point I forgot to mention in the video, although I did just add an annotation note in the video, is DON'T TOUCH the copper tubing with your hands after you have cleaned it with the sandpaper or polishing cloth. You don't want to get skin oils, dirt, etc. on the bare copper. This will interfere with the solder bonding to the copper.

The reason it's so important to get the copper perfectly shiny is simple. Removing the oxidized layer of copper, the dark-brown copper or green, prepares it to molecularly BOND with the solder. That shiny copper, you can't hear it, is SCREAMING to bond with other elements so it's stable. The solder fulfills that chemical desire.

Happy soldering! Let me know about your success. Always practice on some scrap copper tubing before you really try to tackle a real water line.

Get comfortable knowing when the copper tubing and fitting is hot enough to melt the solder without the torch flame being present. You can actually TURN OFF the torch once the tubing is heated and complete the soldering.

Remember, you can't solder copper tubing if there's water present. The water prevents the copper from getting hot enough to melt the solder. The steam also can foul and contaminate the shiny copper.

FORM FOOTER FORMS

Wow, that's a mouthful. Two weeks ago I believe I told you about the Form Footer.

Hank emailed me after that mention ran and said:

"Those pier forms are expensive. Adds almost $500-800 to the cost of a project depending on how many you need."

Hank's comment is a perfect example of what happens when you don't do a good job of communicating! And I'm not talking about Hank!!

I'm talking about ME!

Here's what I sent back to Hank (I did expand on my original reply to Hank to make it clear for you):

"Hank,

So let's examine the problem:

Your challenge - when deciding to pour concrete piers - is to:

• Go buy steel
• Go buy the vertical tube form
• Cut the steel
• Bend the steel
• Cut the tube
• Figure a way to support the tube
• Create a structural connection between footer and form

Now add up all those trips to different stores and the time.

I guarantee you it will be between $500 and $800 - remember, your time counts for something.

With the Form Footer, you don't need to make any trips anywhere. No gasoline is used. No wear and tear on your car. No large cardboard tube strapped to your car. No reinforcing steel scratching your paint as it bounces hanging out from your trunk.

The Form Footer is shipped to your home, and in the time you spend making your *first* trip to the building supply house, you already have the forms assembled, in place and you're pouring concrete! No tools needed!"

Don't underestimate the difficulty of using a traditional cardboard pier form. Not for a second.

If you're building a deck or need concrete piers for any project, you should seriously consider the Form Footer. I so wish these were available back when I was building every day!

TAKE A BREAK - VERY FUNNY VIDEO

When I travel to southern California, I almost always fly into the Burbank airport. I saw this hilarious video shot in Burbank last week. It says it was published on May 9, 2013.

This has nothing to do with home improvement, but I just thought you'd really enjoy it. It brought tears to my eyes it was so good. Watch the video NOW before reading anything else.

Seriously, WATCH THE VIDEO.

Did you watch the video?

Come on, tell the truth.

You're still on dial up? Okay, you're forgiven, but everyone else better have watched the video.

Okay, for the record, I went to snopes.com to see if this was not real. There was nothing there. But in a random chat this morning with my good friend Chuck Eglinton, where I happened to mention the video, he shot me a link to a story that gives you all sorts of background it.

I was really hoping the video was spontaneous, but in this case it appears it was absolutely staged.

But what the heck! It's still funny and it's something you could absolutely see happening.

I KNOW PEOPLE that would react as they did and sing at the gas station. I know I'd engage the Pumpcaster in conversation! But if he asked me to sing, the only reason the video would go viral is because my singing is so bad.

Laughter and humor really help ratchet down stress. You and I need far more laughter in our lives each day.

BEFORE AND AFTER IMAGE TECHNOLOGY

Back about a month ago I mentioned in this newsletter the DaVinci Roofscapes Shake-it-Up contest you could enter to win a $5,000 makeover of the exterior of your home. You may have been one of the folks who made the FINALS!!!! Woo Hoo!!!

All you had to do to enter was send in a simple photo of your home and then an artist, using computer software, was able to transform the exterior of the house to show you what your home *could* look like.

Please go look at the five finalists and vote for which house you feel deserves the makeover. Look at all five entries and then vote for the house that's going to look like the Belle of the Ball once they spruce it up with the $5,000 worth of Sweet Moola!

Next time I promote a contest here in this newsletter, you simply must enter. Last fall the winner of the Bosch Take-Back-Your-Day contest was an AsktheBuilder.com subscriber. Let's do it again!!! Let's see if we can't produce the winner of this DaVinci contest.

Go to the DaVinci Roofscapes Facebook page and VOTE. It's easy. Go VOTE NOW.

FRYEBURG, MAINE HOME AND GARDEN SHOW

I'll be at the Fryeburg, Maine Home and Garden show all weekend in my Stain Solver booth. I'll be there with my son and we'll be doing cleaning demonstrations all day.

Stop by and see me! If you do intend to go to the show, I have 5 FREE TICKETS to save you some sweet moola. But to get them in time, you NEED TO notify me today so I can mail them to you.

I'll also be doing two FREE AsktheBuilder.com seminars - one on Friday afternoon and one on Sunday morning. I hope to see you at the show!

TOOL REVIEW - ROCKWELL 16-VOLT DRILL/DRIVER

A few months ago, my UPS man delivered a Rockwell cordless drill / driver to me. I've used and tested many cordless drill / drivers as you might imagine.

After a while they all seem the same. But this one was different. I was immediately taken by its shape, size and the way it fit in my hand.

I don't have huge hands, but I would gander they're larger than most women's hands. All the same, I thought that this cordless drill / driver would be the perfect power tool for a woman. It's well-balanced, has power and it's very smooth when it's working.

Now, this doesn't mean that men should not take a look at it! I really enjoyed testing this tool and loved everything about it.

If you dropped the ball on Mothers Day, here's a great belated gift. If you're looking for a sweet Fathers Day gift, you better go give this a hard look.

Go look at the technical specs on this drill / driver now. You get TWO batteries when you purchase it. Wait till you feel it in your hand ladies. After you get one, PLEASE email me and tell me if I wasn't correct about this being perfect for women.

More Tips and Treats next week!

DEAR PATRICK: Each week I receive emails from homeowners just like you. They share your astonishment about having to clean their vinyl siding. Many homeowners are not too happy as the salesmen's claims about no-maintenance seem to be as hollow as an old log.

I've seen hundreds of printed ads, heard countless radio commercials, etc. with these maintenance-free statements when it comes to exterior home improvement products. Decking, siding, railings, fencing, etc. are often touted as requiring no future care. As you now know, it's just not true. Certain products are absolutely reduced-maintenance, but not maintenance-free.

The mildew and algae on this vinyl siding can be removed quickly with a solution of oxygen bleach. Photo Credit: Tim Carter

You're probably wondering how mildew and algae can survive on plastic, or vinyl siding. The mildew and algae are feeding on sugars, dust, dirt, or other things that are attached to the siding. Many people are unaware that trees, both evergreen and deciduous, often broadcast ultra-fine aerosols of sugars at different times of years. Park your car under certain trees, and you'll discover thousands of tiny droplets of sap or sugar on the painted finish and glass. This is yummy food for mildew and algae!

When it comes to wood siding, the mildew and algae are possibly feasting on the actual stains and sealers you may have used to preserve the wood. Many clear and semi-transparent wood sealers and stains are made with alkyd or oil resins. These natural oils are also delicious food for mildew and algae. Some of the sealers and stains contain chemicals that are designed to prevent mildew and algae growth, but these chemicals can breakdown when exposed to sunlight and repeated exposure to rainwater.

I know that you may love your pressure washer because it's a cool tool, but it can wreak havoc with houses if used improperly. Pressure washers are like Spiderman - "With great power comes great responsibility."

The water that's ejected from the tip of the pressure washer wand can be driven into cracks and crevices where water is not supposed to go. The intense water stream can and will erode the lighter-colored spring wood in your wood siding causing it to look older than it actually is.

Water driven behind vinyl siding at lap joints and corners can cause wood rot if your house lacks a proper weather barrier under the vinyl siding. Believe it or not, this requirement was lacking from the building code for many years. There are tens of thousands of houses, maybe hundreds of thousands, that do not have a weather barrier under the siding. The siding is nailed directly to wood sheathing.

Perhaps the better way to clean the mildew and algae off your house is to use a hand-pump garden sprayer, some oxygen bleach and a brush on a pole. I just demonstrated this method last week to a homeowner, and he was amazed at how well it worked.

Don't confuse oxygen bleach with chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach can remove the color from wood siding, and it can kill expensive landscaping around your home. Oxygen bleach will not remove color from wood, and it's safe to use around plants and animals.

To clean your wood and vinyl siding, you just mix the powdered oxygen bleach with warm water, stir till dissolved and then apply it generously to the siding. It's best to work when the siding is in the shade. Allow the solution to fizz and bubble on the siding for about ten minutes. Scrub with the brush and rinse with clear water from a garden hose. The siding should look brand new once dry.

It's always best to apply the oxygen bleach solution to dry siding. This allows the solution to soak into the wood and deep clean it. Oxygen bleach can and will remove sun-damaged wood sealers and stains from the wood. It can absolutely remove sun-damaged and oxidized paint pigments from painted surfaces.

This makes it an excellent product to use if you're getting ready to restain or repaint your home. You want to remove these damaged finishes before you apply new.

For periodic cleaning to prevent mildew and algae buildup, just wash your home each year with a solution of liquid dish soap and water. Remove the sugars from the siding before the mildew and algae sit down at the table to feast!

But in the meantime, he's helping me complete lots of projects here at the house that will become video series. Here's a partial list of what we'll be taping in the upcoming months:

• Installing a New Window in a Blank Wall
• Installing a Structural Wood Beam in a Wall Opening
• Installing a Linear French Drain to Stop Water Leakage into Basements/Crawlspaces
• Building a Freestanding Attractive Firewood Storage Shelter that matches our house
• Repairing Damaged Drywall Ceilings (foot through the ceiling or large patches from plumbing repairs)
• Basic Baseboard Installation Tricks and Tips
• Installing an Extension Jamb on a Door or Window
• Basic Wall Painting Tricks and Tips - Beginner's Guide
• Installing Strong Deck Railing Posts

I think you can see we've got lots to do, and we're starting this week! Next week I'll announce a pre-production sale on the first two video series we plan to do. Those who buy advance copies of the video series will be getting a sweet deal, and discover some great tips too!

WIN DAREDEVIL SPADEBITS - RIGHT NOW!

Six weeks ago, I was exhibiting my Stain Solver at two home and garden shows. Eighty percent of the people that stopped and watched my demonstration of how it instantly got rid of dried red wine stains bought the product right there on the spot. They did this because they actually mixed the product and dropped in the stained pieces of cloth into the solution.

If you begin to use Bosch Daredevil drill bits, saw blades, etc. my guess is you'll be instantly converted just like the home show visitors. I know it for a fact because I use Daredevil spade bits to drill my larger diameter holes. The threaded tip pulls the bit through the wood, reducing stress on your muscles. When working overhead or in tight places where you can't lean into the drill, you'll appreciate this!

Bosch wants you to become a believer. This is why they're giving away 300 Daredevil bits so you can experience what I already know. After you use a Daredevil bit, I pretty much predict you'll become your neighborhood's spokesperson for Daredevil. You'll be boasting how you discovered a way to have more energy to put into your daredevil playtime because your new bits didn't wear you out like traditional spade bits would have.

Go ahead, enter the Daredevil contest NOW so you have a great chance of getting a Daredevil spade bit. Please let me know if you're one of the very lucky winners!

TIP OF THE WEEK - MAKEUP AND COMBUSTION AIR

Overnight I received an email from the great guy who purchased my house in Cincinnati, OH. He was down in the basement near the furnaces and looked up and saw an open pipe that exited the band board of my house. Curt wrote:

"Before I taped this up with duct tape, I wanted to check with you to see if this is by design at all before I mess with it. I'm guessing it probably has a negligible effect on heat/cool loss given in only goes to the furnace room, but figured I'd tape it up anyway (unless you know of a reason I should not)."

I immediately replied telling him that it would be a huge mistake to tape that up. You see, that open pipe connects to a special makeup air vent device that looks like a dual clothes dryer vent. It's a special vent that allows air to readily flow inside my house. Why's that important? Here's what I wrote back to Curt:

"That is open by design. If you go outside, you should see a funny vent cover that looks like it's a double dryer vent. That is a fresh-air intake vent. It has flapper vents outside that work opposite what a clothes dryer does.

Think about this: When the furnace, water heater, bathroom vent fans, central vac, kitchen exhaust fan!!!!, operate, WHERE do they get their makeup air?

What happens if you turn on the kitchen exhaust fan to HIGH, have the central vac on and then the furnace kicks on?

Do you think the exhaust air from the furnace will go *up* the chimney, or will the replacement air from all the above things being on, suck needed air DOWN the chimney and distribute the carbon monoxide into the house?

Taping over that pipe will not be a good idea."

I installed a monster kitchen exhaust fan that sucks vast amounts of air from the house. The central vac does the same thing.

Remember, air-hungry devices will pull combustion air and make-up air from the path of LEAST resistance. This is often the chimneys of your fuel burning appliances or your wood-burning fireplaces or stoves!!!

RECENT ASKTHEBUILDER.COM COLUMNS

Here's a list of columns that have been uploaded to the website:

Install a New Front Door and Save Money

Water Drainage Tips

Home Repair Tools

New Home Construction Tips

GREAT UTILITY FLASHLIGHT

The day after my son got back from college, we started talking about going on a Father - Son camping trip up in the White Mountains of NH.

We've got all the gear we need, I just need to get a bottle of tent seam sealer and seal the seams on my tent again.

Since food is important, he was talking about all the cooking gear he has. We seem to be in good shape all the way around.

I always like to take with me on expeditions like this multiple flashlights. One of my favorite ones is my Energizer Utility LED flashlight.

I love the swivel head. It's got a low and high regular white LED setting. The best part are the two colored LEDS that come with it. Click one switch and you get a intense green light. This is ideal for inspecting for cracks or defects. Click the switch again, and two red LEDs come on. This is perfect for nighttime illumination as you don't lose your night vision.

If you're looking for a superb multi-function flashlight, this is one to look at for sure!

More Tips and Tricks Next Week!

DEAR BONNIE: Your bewilderment is pretty common. What you're attempting to do requires a certain amount of building skills and magic, especially if you want the deck to be both structurally sound and meet or exceed building code requirements.

It's important to realize that many people each year are injured in wood deck collapses. Some people die. If you don't want that to happen at your house, you absolutely need to realize when you're drifting outside of your building comfort and knowledge zone.

You can clearly see the special hold-down anchor that connects the wood post to the concrete pier. Photo Credit: Tim Carter

In the small space I have here in this column, it's impossible to share with you all the tips about what you're trying to do. However, I do have a few videos you can watch for free that should help clear up any confusion you have. The link to those videos is at the end of this column.

First, let's talk about getting the concrete support piers in the correct location. One way that's worked really well for me for years is to just construct the outer frame of the deck and support it temporarily with simple framing lumber. Using two tape measures I then take the time to get this outer frame square. Once it's square, I then nail in some flat diagonal braces to keep it square.

With the outer deck frame joists up in the air and in position, you can then locate where the beam will be up in the air. Some deck joists cantilever out over the deck beam and frequently the deck beam is under the end of the floor joists. Use your plan to locate your beam on the deck frame that's suspended in the air.

Using a plumb bob, or a laser level if you own one, you can then create on the ground the locations of where the beam will be. Once you have this, you look at your plan to see the spacing of the wood posts that support the beam. Plumb bobs are inexpensive and highly accurate, so don't allow someone to pooh pooh the idea of using one. You now know where to dig the holes for your concrete piers.

There are any number of wonderful metal connectors that are made that allow you to permanently connect a wood post to a concrete pier. They're fabricated in different sizes to fit different-sized wood posts. You'll discover the biggest challenge is locating the anchor bolt that needs to be embedded in the wet concrete. There is very little margin for error depending on the metal connector you choose to use.

Understand that decks, as well as sheds and other structures, need support for sideways and uplift forces. Don't think that the force of the deck is always down to the earth. Be sure you select the correct framing connector and anchor bolt that will be suitable. A structural engineer or architect can assist you here.

There are any number of ways to connect the wood beam that's under the deck floor joists to the vertical wood support posts. Once again, the companies that make the metal connecters for attaching the post to the concrete piers, well, they make similar metal connectors that allow you to do a great job of connecting the wood posts to the wood beam.

I tend to gravitate to making a traditional lap joint at this location. If my deck beam is a double 2x10 or a double 2x12, I prefer to make a notch in a 6x6 post. This notched cut allows the beam to sit on a shelf I've cut into the wood post. The remainder of the 6x6 post laps over the inner or outer vertical face of the beam. I then use through bolts that pass through the beam and this post extension to complete the connection. I never use lag bolts.

I prefer this method because it creates solid bearing of the deck all the way down to the concrete pier. I've seen other people bolt the beam to the side of the wood post, but then all the weight of the deck, the people and things on the deck is supported just by the small bolts that pass through the vertical post. I think it's better to have the wood beam rest on the vertical post.

Believe me, there are many other aspects of this job you need to know. Some of it is common sense, but much of it comes with experience. Be sure the wood you use has the proper chemical treatment, especially if the wood posts will be contacting the soil at any point.

You can watch three free videos showing very important post and beam installation steps. These videos will show you concrete pier and wood-post installation secrets I've discovered the hard way over the past 40 years. Click here to go this page now.

Yesterday I took delivery of two gorgeous Simonton ProFinish windows that I'm going to be installing very soon. It's going to be an exciting project where I cut an opening in a solid wood-frame wall where there is currently no window. All you see now is just fiber cement siding on one side and drywall on the other.

Do you need to do the same thing but a job like that scares you? Do you feel you could do this with some guidance? I'll bet the answer is, "Yes Tim, I think I can do it with your help!"

Well, I'm going to be offering those tips and building secrets in a series of step-by-step videos that show you exactly what I'm thinking as I work and how I overcome the challenges of the project.

I'll be putting in a structural header over the window, so you can see how that's done. After that project is done, then we move on to putting in one of my classic Linear French Drains! This is what you use to stop water from leaking into basements and crawlspaces.

There's lots of work happening here in New Hampshire. How about at your house?

TIP OF THE WEEK - WATER AND CONCRETE

I've written countless articles about installing concrete. Perhaps you're going to work with this magical building material this spring or summer.

Yesterday I walked into a newer Post Office building in Tilton, NH. My guesstimate is the sidewalk that leads to the front door is less than five years old. The top surface of the concrete had spalled off exposing the ugly stones that give concrete its strength.

There are numerous possibilities as to what caused it to happen, but my money is on water. I'm pretty positive that freezing water caused the top finish to break away from the slab. I'd also wager that water was at the root of the problem, probably, when the concrete was being poured and finished.

Keep in mind that the Portland cement in concrete is the only thing holding the sand and stones in the mix together. If you dilute this cement, concrete loses its strength and is highly susceptible to the pressure caused by expanding ice crystals in concrete.

You can dilute the cement in the upper surface of the concrete if you add water to the concrete as you trowel it, or if you trowel in the bleed water that floats to the surface in between bull floating and troweling.

All you need to know is that you don't need to add water to concrete to finish it if you know what you're doing. Concrete that's incredibly stiff, some with a slump as low as 1 inch, can be finished without added water. Granted you may need the help of a vibratory machine, but understand there's enough water in the mix to achieve a stone-free finish.

SOLDERING IRON

I received a few soldering irons the other day. They're made by Weller.

Soldering irons are the perfect tool to help you make permanent connections when splicing wires or doing other projects that involve solder. I'm a huge fan of soldering copper or tin flashings up on roofs. You can achieve leakproof joints that last over 100 years with solder.

I just used my old soldering iron a few weeks ago to solder small transistors and other parts onto a circuit board for a tiny ham radio I'm building.

These new soldering irons come with LED lights to help illuminate what you're working on. That's a good idea as you need to see what you're doing.

When working with soldering irons, you need to keep them away from anything that can be hurt by heat. They can set paper, cardboard, clothing, rags, etc. on fire in seconds. The metal tips are  HOT, but they look innocent because they're not glowing red or have a flame showing. Be careful!

NEW HAMPSHIRE FREE SEMINAR

I'm going to offer a FREE home improvement clinic here in central New Hampshire on May 11, 2103. If you live in the area and want to stop by, I'd love to see you.

There are going to be all sorts of great door prizes. You can stop by and ask any home improvement question you like, and I'll do my best to answer it.

I'll be at the Funspot Bingo Hall at 579 Endicott Street N. on Route 3, one mile north of the historic Weirs Beach, NH. The clinic starts at 9:30 a.m. and runs till 11 a.m.

BUILDING A DECK? OR???

If you're building a deck or any other structure where you need to place a vertical support column on a concrete pier, you might have a number of questions:

• How do I pour the pier?
• What kind of form should I use?
• Does it need reinforcing steel?
• How do I cut and bend the steel?
• How do I connect the column to the pier?

That's just a partial list of questions. Last summer I had the pleasure of easily answering most of those questions by using a product that assembled with NO TOOLS.

I had to pour eight piers, and precisely place them, for my large shed. I used the Form Footer. It's an ingenious plastic form that snaps together and comes with the needed one-half-inch steel bars already cut and pre-bent!

I had seen this marvelous invention months before at a trade show. Watch the video I shot of the Form Footer at the trade show.

If you don't use this product, your challenge is to pour a footer on one day, then you have to purchase a cardboard tube that will then hold the vertical concrete. Wait till you try to position this cardboard tube and support it so it doesn't move! Hah, good luck with that. Then you have to splice the steel rods from the footer to the column and get those positioned properly. You'll be cursing for sure by this time.

The beauty of the Form Footer is that you just place it on level compact ground and get it in the right position. The precut steel SNAPS into position inside the plastic form in seconds.

You then fill around it with dirt BEFORE you pour the concrete. The dirt and soil hold it in positions so it's level and plumb while you pour the concrete. You can assemble the form, place it in the hole, and pour the concrete within 30 minutes. What a great time and labor-saving idea!!!

If you're a new subscriber to this newsletter you probably don't know my policy about promoting products. I generally only promote things I think are great products AND I use them at my own home. That's important!!!

Well, I can tell you I used eight of the Form Footers and only wish they had been invented back when I was building every day. They're a dream product. It's absolutely a game changer, and I could see that when I walked down the aisle at the trade show.

If you purchase Form Footer products from this newsletter, I do get a very small commission. There's nothing wrong with that, especially since it's a win - win - win. You're the first winner, because you get a superlative product that will produce a great pier for your project. How's that for alliteration?

I have a short series of videos about Positioning Concrete Piers.

If you want to see a series of videos showing how to work with the Form Footer Pier Forms and discover some other ninja pier-building tricks, check out this video series:

INTERNET SALES TAX

Do you purchase lots of stuff online? Are you aware there's a movement that's trying to establish a nationwide sales tax on Internet sales?

I just want you to be aware that if this happens, you'll be directly affected. Prices of items will go up to take care of the administration of the tax. If you don't want an Internet sales tax, you have to let those that create such laws how you feel. It's that simple.

More Tips Next Week!

DEAR GARY: Installing a new front door is an ambitious project, especially if you've never installed a door before. That's not to say you can't do it. I just want to manage your expectations. There are many steps required to ensure the door works properly, seals tightly to save energy, and that absolutely no water leaks into your home. Water leaks at exterior doors can cause serious structural damage over time.

It's impossible in this short column to give you all the knowledge I've attained about door installation over the years. But I'll give you a link to a page at my website where you can watch several videos that will really help you get started so you can save money on this job. The money you save by not hiring a contractor can be used to purchase a nicer door.

A gorgeous front door like this can be installed in one day. You just need to know secret master carpenter ninja tricks. Photo Credit: Tim Carter

Let's talk about what can go wrong so you know the pitfalls in this project. For starters, you can make a mistake and purchase the wrong door. If your home is less than 50 years old, you should be able to purchase a prehung door that fits very nicely in your existing opening. But to make sure that you don't goof up, you need to check measurements before you get out your credit card.

In my opinion, the easiest thing to do is to remove the interior trim that surrounds the door. You can do this with a razor knife, a wide putty knife and a flat pry bar. Always start at the bottom of the door where the trim meets the door jamb at the floor. Be sure to cut a very fine line with the razor knife where the trim touches the wall surface. This ensures any caulk between the trim and the wall surface doesn't cause the drywall paper to tear off the wall as you pull the trim away from the wall.

Once the trim is removed, you can see the entire door frame. Use a flashlight if necessary to see where the bottom of the door frame and the threshold assembly touch your concrete slab or the wood subfloor.

Your job is to obtain the outer width and height dimensions of your existing door frame assembly. These are commonly referred to as unit dimensions. It's critical that your new door match these dimensions as closely as possible. You also want to determine the thickness or width of the door jamb. It's usually either 4 and 9/16ths or 6 and 9/16ths. This is the actual thickness of the wall if you measure the width of the wall studs plus the thickness of the interior drywall and exterior wall sheathing.

Once you have the new door, you need to make sure you have all the other supplies you need. Don't start to tear out your existing door unless you have everything on site. You'll need wood shims, rust-proof trim screws that are at least 2.5-inches long, a plastic sill pan flashing kit, rubberized waterproofing membrane, several tubes of elastomeric caulk, and any tools that will help you remove the old door.

The next step, before you start to remove your old door, is to read all the written instructions that come with the new door. Check to make sure all the dimensions are correct. Check to make sure the new door swings the same way as the old door. Be sure you have all the supplies the written instructions call for. You don't want to remove your old door and find out that you're missing some critical materials.

The biggest mistake most rookie installers make is installing a new door without a proper flashing under the door. Many feel that a bead of caulk will stop water infiltration. It will not. You need a flashing to keep your house waterproof. I always install a wonderful plastic pre-formed flashing pan under my doors. They come in various sizes to accommodate all doors. It takes just minutes to install this critical component.

Once the new door is in the opening, you want to secure it with the wood shims and the rust-proof fasteners. As you do this, you're constantly checking to make sure the door frame is not twisted, that it's plumb, and the door threshold is level. If your door doesn't have glass sidelights, you want to make sure you install a very long screw behind the top door hinge so the door frame is securely fastened to the rough framing. This prevents door droop.

It has a fantastic two-cylinder, 617 cubic centimeter motor with fuel injection. The list of features for this vehicle is too long for me to cover in this video.

This model has 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive and even has a locking differential. Great for steep hills or traveling through mud. It includes power steering.

It has 4 seats, but the back seat folds away and the cargo area extends if needed. This provides great flexibility for either passengers or cargo. The cargo bay tilts up to provide complete access to the engine compartment.

That was a pretty neat ride. These are great vehicles with lots of features. Go check them out at your Kawasaki dealer. Kawasaki is not paying me to say this. If you do decide to get one of these machines, be sure to read and follow all the safety instructions. Be sure to wear the required safety clothing including safety goggles. These things don't have windshields.

This vehicle will help save you time and money and will be a lot a fun, if you follow the safety information.

]]> http://www.askthebuilder.com/kawasaki-mule-4010-video/feed/ 0 http://www.askthebuilder.com/april-23-2013-askthebuilder-newsletter-tips/ http://www.askthebuilder.com/april-23-2013-askthebuilder-newsletter-tips/#comments Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:27:53 +0000 Tim Carter http://www.askthebuilder.com/?p=8485 Here's an interesting question for you.

How are you challenging yourself this spring (fall if you live below the equator!) when it comes to home improvement projects? You do realize it pays to step outside your comfort zone every now and then. My father-in-law, who just celebrated his 96th birthday three days ago, had a saying: Nothing builds success like success.

When you do a job yourself, you can frequently save money and you build your confidence at the same time. That's how I advanced myself through the building vocation nearly 40 years ago.

Here's what I'm doing to challenge myself since I pretty much have the home improvement gig down pretty well. I'm learning Morse Code. I'm really trying to immerse myself in it, and I'm having fun.

Last week, I received my QSL cards from the printer, and mailed out my first two cards hours later! A QSL card is an old tradition among amateur radio operators. It's a written record, or receipt, of a conversation between two radio operators.

The design of some cards is very unique. Here's what the front of my card looks like. My daughter Meghan did the design with photos I supplied.

I'm lucky that I have three fellow hams who are mentoring me through this Morse Code chapter of my radio hobby: Jim Cluett, W1PID - Hanz Busch, W1JSB - and Dick Christopher, N1LT.

I'd like to help mentor you in your upcoming projects. Much of it I can do for free. I've got thousands of free columns at my website, many of which give you helpful hints on how to do things. Just use my search engine to find what you need.

I've got hundreds of free videos at my website you can watch. Same thing, use my search engine and always add the word "video" in your search. For example: roof cleaning video

Finally, I've now got over 30 step-by-step DIY Video Series that really show you how to do things. I'm creating more video series each month. See below for the next three I'm getting ready to tape.

TIP OF THE WEEK - LED FLASHLIGHTS

Have you been paying attention to the rapid advancements of flashlights over the past few years? Wow! I clearly remember the days of tapping a flashlight with my hand to try to get it to work. Most new flashlights are amazingly reliable, durable and BRIGHT!

LED technology has really moved the flashlight ball down the field.

I just tried out a small LED Hybrid Light by Snap-on. It's got a fancy red aluminum handle and top cap, 16 LEDs that are in the wand part of the light and one LED in the tip that works like a regular flashlight you point. The magnetic base makes this useful for working in mechanical rooms, or any place you're working that has metal you can attach the light to.

The trouble is, the people at Snap-on don't have this flashlight available for you at Amazon.com to buy! Isn't that crazy? Not to worry! I won't leave you in a pickle without a flashlight.

Here's a flashlight that everyone should have. It doesn't need batteries! I have one and I LOVE it. Oh my gosh is it ever a cool flashlight.

Not only can it get energy by just exposing it to sunlight (small solar collector cells on the body), but you just crank it and it stores the energy created by a miniature generator.

Talk about handy! When you need a flashlight, it always seems the batteries are dead or close to it. That's why you need several of these no-battery flashlights! One for your house, one for each car, one in your camping gear box, etc. The flashlight easily stores in a woman's medium-sized purse.

Buy some of these little hand crank flashlights now. It's part of my Get Prepared course that's going to happen this summer.

DAREDEVIL TOOL CONTEST - YOU MUST ENTER THIS ONE!

How hard do you work? Or, do you play harder than you work? Are you a Daredevil when you do?

Either way, if you send in a simple photo of you doing either you could win some sweet Daredevil swag.

Bosch is giving away cool stuff each week that could help you work or play even harder! Would you like a Daredevil circular saw blade? Or a Bosch Daredevil spade bit-set? Or how about a classy Bosch Daredevil t-shirt?

I can tell you that it pays to enter these contests. Just last year an AsktheBuilder.com subscriber won some sweet gear from Bosch!

If you don't win, you absolutely want to consider Bosch Daredevil bits and blades for your tools. Not only are they a great value, they'll make what you build better. Straighter cuts, smoother holes and all around better quality. Daredevil accessories allow you to work faster so you can play longer!

CLICK HERE to enter the Work Hard, Play Hard contest and see Daredevils like you.

FAST AND EASY WINDOW WASHING

Spring usually means washing windows. I have to do it here at my house. Who wants to come help?

Unfortunately many people don't use the best method and tools to wash windows. As with many things, there's lots and lots of bogus information out on the Internet about cleaning windows and glass.

Think about it for a second. Who do you think knows the BEST way to wash windows? It's a person who has money on the line. Professional window washers. It's in their best interest to get glass perfectly clean and do it FAST.

Pros do NOT USE:

• newspapers (soy ink smears on glass)
• blue liquids in spray bottles (I'm convinced there's a chemical in the liquid that attracts dirt.)
• paper towels
• ammonia

The pros use a special cleaning wand that's frequently made with lambs wool. They then use any number of high-quality squeegees to dry the glass once it's clean.

The lamb's wool wand is dipped in a solution of water that has a small amount of liquid soap in it. This wand is what gets the glass CLEAN. The squeegee simply removes water from the glass to prevent spotting - it does NOT clean the glass.

Click here for the squeegee I use at the Carter Casa.

You can also get the combination lambs-wool pad and squeegee as one combo tool. I have one of these as well, and it works really, really well.

SPEAKING OF BOGUS INFORMATION

I wanted to remind you that you have to be REALLY careful out there on the Internet when it comes to home improvement information.

Last week I touched on a tectonic shift in Google's search algorithm that caused low-quality content to be on page one of Google's search results. This is why I've switched to using Bing.com. Bing seems to be putting up much better home-improvement results. Don't believe me? Try it yourself at BingitOn.com.

Realize there are several content farm websites out there like ehow dot com that pay people $5 or $10 to write a column. If you want to know all the suspect content farm websites to AVOID, just go to Bing.com and type in: "top content farms".

Many of these writers have NO hands-on experience in the topic. They just go out and find other columns about the topic, including mine, and copy / paste parts of each one to make a regular column.

Guess what? These pirates - I say that because they are abusing the Fair Use Doctrine - don't know if the content they're cobbling together is accurate or not!

If you stumble across a fancy looking column at ehow dot com, you may get sucked into the Black Hole of Death and walk away with bad information.

Be CAREFUL out there...... And pass the word to all you know.

UPCOMING VIDEO SERIES

I've got three new video series that should happen in the next five weeks. These will not be free videos. All three will be available for either online viewing or on a DVD. Tell me if you have these projects or problems?

• Wet or Leaky Basement or Crawlspace
• Need a Window in a Solid Wall
• Need an Easy but Stylish Covered Firewood Storage System

Well, I'm going to show you how to:

• Install one of my famous Linear French Drains to keep your basement DRY
• Cut an opening in a wall and install a new window
• Build an attractive firewood storage shelter with a sloped gable and hip roof

Be SURE TO OPEN all upcoming newsletters IMMEDIATELY. Why? I'm not going through Kickstarter to do these projects. I'll be running the promotions myself in my shopping cart.

I'll have Early Bird Specials that WILL SELL OUT. The lowest prices on these products will be gone by the end of the day, so you need to act quickly.

I urge you to open next week's newsletter on TUESDAY so you can be one of the lucky folks to get a great deal on all of these products.

UPCOMING MEET UP IN MAINE

I'm going to be in far western Maine for three days in May: the 17th, 18th and 19th. I'll be doing one-hour seminars at the Fryeburg, Maine Home and Garden Show. Fryeburg is just across the border from New Hampshire up near Mt. Washington.

When I'm not doing the seminars, I'll be selling hundreds of the new small bottles of Stain Solver!

If you live in the general area and want to have a meet up, let me know. We can go to dinner on Friday or Saturday night if you want.

More tips next week!

DEAR MARION: While I don't have accurate statistics to support my feelings, I suspect you're in a vast majority of homeowners who have varying degrees of poor drainage issues on their land or near their homes. You're correct in assuming that ponding water is not a good thing for houses.

This standing water next to the building is unacceptable. It can cause many different problems. There are several ways to solve the problem. Photo Credit: Tim Carter

My college degree was in geology. I gravitated to two disciplines within geology: geomorphology and hydrogeology. Geomorph, as we students affectionately called it, is the study of the Earth's surface features. Hydrogeology is the study of ground or subsurface water, or at least that's what we focused on the three years I was a geology student.

If you think about the Earth on a very large scale and take into consideration gravity, you quickly discover that Mother Nature is doing her best to constantly carry all soil, rock, your house, your car, your possessions and you down and into the oceans. She's a very patient woman, but she's also got a split personality as her evil twin is constantly building mountains where two crustal plates crash into one another. This is why the Earth has dry land that we build upon.

What does all this have to do with the water at and around your home? Simple. If you could look at a topographic map of your lot before it was developed, and in many locations these old maps are available, you'd see that your lot was shaped differently than it is now.

Your builder, or possibly the subdivision developer, undoubtedly moved dirt on your lot to prepare it for building your home. This process disturbed the natural slope of your lot as virtually no undisturbed land is perfectly flat. Almost all land has some natural fall to it that's caused by natural erosion. When you do encounter marshy land, it's because of some temporary geomorphological process. Lakes are a great example. You can find marshes next to lakes. Realize that lakes are temporary geological features. Mother Nature is constantly trying to fill lakes in.

Adding soil to the low spots is usually not a good method to fix poor drainage problems. Ponding water on your lot tells me that you don't have low-slope culverts surrounding your house like a moat surrounds a castle. These depressions, or culverts, should have been created by the builder so surface water always flows around your house to the towards the lowest spot of land on your lot.

To provide great drainage around your home, you should always have the ground slope away from your home. The building code used to require that the ground should have 6 inches of fall in the first 10 feet of horizontal run away from your home. That can be confusing to some.

All it means is that within 10 feet of your foundation, the ground should slope at least 6 inches. This change in elevation could happen within a foot, meaning it would be a very visible slope very close to your foundation walls.

The builder should have then created an artificial channel around and away from your home that also has a slope to it. The water flowing away from your foundation would enter this channel and then flow, by gravity, completely around your home. There should never be any ponding in this shallow channel. A slope of at least 1/8 inch per foot is required. More slope is better if you can tolerate it on your lot.

Surface water is but one challenge around your home. You also need to deal with subsurface water that flows through the soil towards your foundation and crawlspace walls. You can capture and divert this subsurface water by digging a narrow trench in the center of the artificial channel around your home.

This channel should be about 2 feet deep and 6 inches wide. The bottom of the trench should be parallel with the top of the artificial channel until it gets around your home. The trench extends past your home towards the lowest point of your lot. Once the trench passes your house, the slope can be reduced so the pipe eventually pops out of the ground.

You install a 1 inch layer of rounded gravel that's the size of large acorns into the bottom of the trench. Perforated drain pipe is laid on this gravel. The entire trench is then filled with the rounded gravel. This system readily collects subsurface water before it attacks your home. Water will flow from the end of the drainpipe where it eventually breaks through the surface of the ground.