September 9, 2014 AsktheBuilder Newsletter & Tips

I'm perched at the top of the grand staircase at the opens in a new windowKennett House B & B as I type this. There's a space perfect for a 4-foot round oak table and chairs. Gilja Kusano is the owner / proprietor and it's a stunning property. The house is made from solid granite and the interior chestnut and rose woodwork is magnificent. If you love to stay at B & B's like Kathy and I do, then this is a bucket-list item for sure.

Kathy and I are here on our way to visit Longwood Gardens. She's wanted to go there for years and today is the day! It's a little cloudy early this morning, but the weather forecast is marvelous for the remainder of the day.

Tip of the Week - Fixing a Doorknob

The Hyatt Place hotel Kathy and I stayed at the four previous nights was so-so. While the room looked good when you first checked in, you started to notice little things each day.

One of them was the door knob inside the bathroom. It needed some help. If I had some tools with me, I could have fixed it instead of calling the maintenance man.

opens in a new windowWatch this quick video of mine to get an understanding of how most tubular door knobs work so you can repair yours with two simple screwdrivers.

Product of the Week - Rite in the Rain

For some reason, in the past month I've had a flood of subscribers - you may be one - that have asked me to highlight at least one great product a week. DUH! That's a very good idea.

While Kathy and I have been on our trip, I've been getting up early each day and doing ham radio. While making contacts with other radio operators, I take notes with my very nice waterproof opens in a new windowRite in the Rain notepads.

The name should get you to tilt your head. These notepads are waterproof. Yes, completely waterproof paper that does not melt away and shred like modern notepad paper when it gets perspiration or water on it. You can even WRITE on the paper while it's wet, raining, etc. and the writing is clear and doesn't smudge.

There are all sorts of covers to the notepads, paper layouts, grid patterns, etc. I love the paper pattern that has regular solid horizontal lines, but faint dashed vertical lines that create perfect spacing for letters. This is ideal when translating Morse code - or any writing task for that matter.

opens in a new windowI LOVE all of my Rite in the Rain notepads - and there's one for EVERY person.

These make superb gifts. Order some NOW.

My outdoor radio mentor, Jim Cluett, bought some after seeing mine about three weeks ago. He knows quality and he purchased the olive green notepads with the spiral binding that runs across the top. I have the bright yellow ones as I was looking more for visibility in case I dropped mine.

opens in a new windowCLICK HERE to see all of the different sizes, kits, outdoor pens, etc. You'll be blown away.

The BAD Blacktop Job

While on our trip, I saw a horrible blacktop job. Some people call asphalt paving blacktop or hot top. This job was an overlay on top of an existing blacktop driveway.

The installers were CROOKS. They took advantage of an elderly man who overpaid them for horrible workmanship.

There are criminals, that's what they are because they STEAL, like this in every home improvement vertical. Paving and roofing seem to be the biggest areas followed closely by HVAC, plumbing and painting.

What's the lesson here?

Two things. Is there an elderly person in your life? A parent, an aunt / uncle, neighbor, etc.? Can you offer your help to assist them in making big decisions like this? Can you sniff out the slime bags for them so they don't get screwed? Often the answer you need is at my website in a past column or video you can find FAST with my search feature.

The second part of the lesson is YOU. Are you approaching the age where you might start making bad choices because your brain is starting to shut down? It happens to many. It could happen to you - don't be so smug or proud.

How are you going to prevent BAD decisions? How are you going to prevent getting RIPPED OFF?

Now is the time to find that TRUSTED person in your life and give them Power of Attorney and always call them BEFORE you make any financial decisions.

Just do it. Don't become a victim. The crooks are not going away and they're on the prowl constantly for victims.