March 29, 2017 AsktheBuilder Newsletter
In two weeks, I'll be getting ready to start packing for a quick trip to New Orleans, LA.
I was invited by a very good friend of mine. I'll be there with him and four other guys on a Little-Man-Self-Discovery trip. In other words, just 48 hours of hanging with some good friends.
When I got the invitation I was most thankful and I responded, "Dan, do you mind if I bring my ham radio equipment and get on the air?" I've set a new personal goal to make a contact from each of the 50 US states.
He responded back, "Oh, that would be fantastic. I talked to my brother about it and he wants to see how it's done."
I'm looking forward to some warm WX as we say in Morse. I've still got giant piles of snow around my house here in central New Hampshire.
You need to enter the Snow-Be-Gone Contest NOW before I shut down entries. opens in a new windowCLICK HERE.
Kathy, Kelly and I went to a great local farm this past Sunday to see them boil maple sap to make the real deal - New Hampshire maple syrup. Boy was it good!
Cork Flooring - Often Forgotten
If you're a new subscriber, I'm in the early stages of revising all of the pages on my website. They get new content, links to the products I love and use, links to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors in your city and much more.
You can see all the LATEST REVISED columns by going to my Question & Answer category at AsktheBuilder.com. Once there, just start marching down the list.
When I revise a column, it gets put at the TOP OF THE STACK. Go look now to see how many you've missed!!!!
opens in a new windowCLICK HERE to get to the Q & A category.
About an hour ago, I revised a column I wrote about nine years ago. It's about a flooring you should be aware of.
Cork
opens in a new windowCLICK HERE to see gorgeous photos and to see how durable this flooring is. You'll not believe it.
Stainless Steel Flashing
It's a really long story and you'll hear more about it the day you're able to purchase my opens in a new windowRoofing Ripoff book.
You probably didn't know that you can buy a super-thin sheet of stainless steel that has butyl adhesive on it, did you?
Why would you want this?
Stainless steel is immune to almost all corrosion.
UV light from the sun doesn't harm stainless steel.
It's the PERFECT flashing material for treated lumber ledger boards. Many many remodelers and builders use aluminum.
Aluminum is the WORST material to use because it corrodes from the galvanic reaction between it and the copper in the treated lumber!
It's the PERFECT flashing for under exterior doors and windows.
It's the PERFECT flashing for under all brick ledges where you might have a row lock under or over a window or door.
This material is so thin you can FORM IT INTO ANY SHAPE you need by hand.
NO TOOLS are required other than a regular tin snips to cut it the length you want.
It has a high-quality butyl rubber adhesive on the back so it grips to just about anything.
It's a MIRACLE product.
Guess who's selling it now and can SHIP IT TO YOUR DOORSTEP?
Me. 😉
opens in a new windowCLICK HERE to see all the specs on this amazing material.
Oh, you can order it too at the same time!!!! You should consider getting a 6-inch-wide roll and start to play with it.
There are hundreds of uses for it around your home. You can even use it to cap the top of your deck joists so they don't rot out.
Reclaimed Oak Flooring
Anyone who climbs the steps to my man cave / ham radio shack / office usually comments about my gorgeous oak plank flooring in my cave.
I usually don't lead them on and come clean telling them it's a modern laminate flooring.
But it's so realistic, it even fools people who are oak experts.
Watch the video here to see what I'm talking about. If you don't want to do the cork, you may want to consider this affordable alternative.
opens in a new windowCLICK HERE to see this fooler flooring.
Hybrid Water Heaters
Yesterday, I was spending time managing some of the many comments I get on AsktheBuilder.com.
I was approving and responding to a great one that a woman left at the bottom of my column about Tankless Water Heaters.
If you're thinking of getting a tankless water heater to SAVE MONEY, you MUST READ my past column. opens in a new windowCLICK HERE to see it.
Here's the scoop on the fancy hybrid heaters. All the ones I've seen are just water heaters that have a heat pump that helps heat the water.
Realize to run the heat pump, you're using electricity.
Realize heat pumps are complex machines.
Realize a normal electric water heater is as complex as your toaster.
Complex machines break down and require EXPENSIVE PARTS and service.
Don't be fooled by the claims of amazing energy savings on these hybrid heaters.
REMEMBER, you only START TO SAVE MONEY on something you've bought that saves energy AFTER you've paid yourself back the EXTRA MONEY you spent on the fancy energy-saving device.
How much money a day do you think you spend to heat your hot water? Could it be even $1?
I show you how to calculate it in the tankless water heater column above.
So let's say you save a nickel - 5 cents - each day with the fancy hybrid water heater?
If the heater costs you - just a wild guess - $200 more than a normal electric heater, it takes you 4,000 days to roughly break even.
That's almost eleven years.
GULP!
Don't be fooled by savvy salesmen or wizardry conjured up by sophisticated marketing managers and graphic artists.
Always DO THE MATH.
Stain Solver SALE NEWS
The spring opens in a new windowStain Solver Sale is in full swing.
You can get a 10% discount AND FREE SHIPPING to the lower 48 US states using this promo code:
Spring1710
But the sale will only be for TWO MORE DAYS.
HURRY AND ORDER NOW. The promo code is good for any order over $20.
opens in a new windowCLICK HERE to order Stain Solver.
DIY Room Addition - Are You CRAZY?
I know you're ambitious. I know you want to release that inner warrior builder inside of you.
You're thinking of building your own room addition, aren't you?
We need to have a little talk....
opens in a new windowCLICK HERE and accept my Tough Love.
That's enough for today.
REMEMBER, go order STAIN SOLVER NOW.
Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Do It Right, Not Over!