Stop Water Vapor Now QUESTION #1: Hey Tim, I’m flummoxed. I’ve seen videos and read online articles about needing a vapor barrier in the walls of my home and possibly under concrete slabs. My builder says these things are a waste of money. I need your vote of confidence and written words to give me […]
Blasting Ledge - Not DIY - No Way - No How Blasting ledge was done years ago with hand-held star-bit drills and sledgehammers. Two men would drill down about 18 inches, pack the hole with black powder, light a fuse, and run for their lives. Black powder was very dangerous to use and many […]
Deck Beams and Posts QUESTION #1: Tim, I really need your help. My husband is making a mess of a deck extension project. I’m concerned he’s using the wrong-sized lumber and the connections between pieces of lumber don’t appear to be secure to me. Are you able to share deck-construction basics so my kids and […]
Your Pesky Dryer Vent Pipe QUESTION #1: I need your advice, Tim. My clothes dryer stopped getting my clothes dry. The problem was traced to the vent line being squished behind the dryer. I was also told the flexible plastic pipe was inferior. Can you share your magic way of connecting clothes dryers to vent […]
If you're a new subscriber, greetings and salutations! If you've been getting the newsletter for a while, thanks for remaining here. This has been one of the craziest years of my life. All sorts of great things have been happening with my three kids. Just last week, my son got a fantastic new programming job […]
Capturing Radon Secrets DEAR TIM: I’m building a new home and someone at a Christmas party asked me what my builder was going to do about radon. I’ve never heard of radon and thought it was a joke. Is radon an issue and what can be done about it in new construction? The foundation is […]
New subscriber? I'm glad you're here and so are all your new friends who've been here for a while, some for over twenty years! It was an exciting week here at the galactic headquarters of AsktheBuilder.com. I had a new high-technology State Proline XE Combi boiler installed here at my home. It's magic in a […]
State Proline XE Combi Boiler - Small Workhorse The first week of December I removed a clunky cast-iron boiler at my home and replaced it with a sleek and compact State Proline XE Combi boiler. Read the cover story on this in Tim's December 7, 2018 Newsletter. The difference is simply amazing. My State Proline […]
Put Out Grease Fire - Use Lid Not Water Watch the terrifying video above of what happens when you try to put out a kitchen grease fire using water. Why is Water Bad? The water is bad because it immediately goes from the liquid to the vapor (steam) state as the temperature of the burning […]
Why Your House Is Cold Question #1: Tim, I’ve got a forced-air furnace. Several rooms in my house are cold in the winter and are hot and stuffy in the summer when the AC is on. Most of the rooms are comfortable. Why do you think this is the case? What can be done to […]
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