Lose Money and Your Marbles Building a House I started writing this syndicated column in October of 1993. My goal back then, and still is, to do whatever possible to save you money and maintain your sanity while navigating a large or small project like building a new home or even a small five-day bathroom […]
DIY Failures - How to Avoid Yours Are you thinking of rolling up your sleeves so you can complete a large DIY project? I’m talking about one that may require hundreds, or thousands, of hours of labor. Before you do, I urge you to think about the size of the elephant you’re trying to eat. […]
Home Improvement Advice - Talk to Tim Carter Author's Note: Be sure to read the scathing email I received from a reader about this column. It's below. I saved a single mom $15,000 a few days ago. She and I were both overjoyed as you might imagine. I can’t begin to describe how fulfilling it […]
Repair Blacktop Driveway Crumbling - Don't Use Cold Patch You may have an asphalt or blacktop driveway as I do. Mine was installed twenty-five years ago and is in good condition. The mix ordered at the asphalt plant was key to its longevity. The stones in the mix are larger than normal. Keep in mind […]
Kitchen Cabinets Installation Guide There are several events in a large building project that I find to be exhilarating. One of them is nailing in place the last rafter in a common-framed roof. Standing at the top of the roof skeleton looking down into the house fills me with a sense of pride and accomplishment. […]
Outdoor Room Ideas - Use Bushes and Walls Several days ago, I was on magical Mt. Desert Island in Downeast Maine. I was visiting my daughter and granddaughter. Seven years have passed since I helped build her quaint three-story home with an attached garage. I was the plumber, electrician, and radiant heat installer. My daughter […]
Grease-Clogged Drain - Prevent With Sink Strainer Last week, I shared my broken boiler saga. Even though I did the repair myself, I was still out of pocket almost $540.00. Had I been forced to hire a professional to do the repair, the total bill would have approached $1,000.00. I’m sure he would have marked […]
Wall-Hung Toilet Plumbing - It's Very Easy I’ve shared in past columns how I’ve been blessed to help my son complete a massive remodeling project. He purchased a new single-story three-bedroom home four years ago. This house had a massive wide-open, full basement beneath all the upstairs living space. He decided to carve this space […]
Chimney Fire Danger - No Flue Liner Each week, I receive quite a few emails from readers of this column. I treasure each one because they provide a window to view the real problems and challenges you face with your home. Some messages are small, some are medium, and others are extra-large. One reader sent […]
Clinker Brick Wall - Stunning and Unique My guess is that most of the bricks you’ve seen in your lifetime have been very uniform in shape. Each brick is rectangular. This is by design in almost all cases. The length of a brick plus one mortar joint in the USA is supposed to equal 8 […]
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