House Settlement Debunked - Lumber Shrinkage Often, the Culprit Roy subscribes to my free newsletter and reached out to me about a month ago for one of my phone consult calls. He needed help engineering a drainage system around his house to stop water from infiltrating his basement. I offer a house-drainage design service. I […]
Water Loss Causes Shrinkage Cracks & More Paula asked me a question about shrinkage cracks affecting her new deck. She sent me three photos showing all sorts of cracks in the handrails, railing posts, and decking. The cracks were in brand-new treated lumber installed in April 2023. The wood has not been sealed since then. […]
Nail Guns Save Time & Money - Use Them Wisely Are you a serious DIYr? If so, you know that the quality and type of tools you use will not only determine when the project gets done, but they’ll also play a major part in quality level of the job. In my opinion, one of […]
Concrete Deck and House Piers - Think of Your Legs Mother Nature is so smart. She taught us to build strong buildings, decks, docks, etc. Just look at your own body, for goodness sake. Your legs and feet do the same thing that concrete piers do in the construction world. Your legs are vertical columns […]
Lochmere Ted Bilodeau Sr Tuesday Golf League Lochmere Country Club in Tilton, New Hampshire, is one of the best golf courses in the state. It's challenging, and the course superintendent does a magnificent job maintaining it. The greens are cut short and quite fast. I've played in the Lochmere Tuesday afternoon golf league for two […]
How to Avoid Arguments With Contractors How many times have you hired contractors in your life? My guess is quite a few. If you had to rate each experience much like you might a meal how many 5-star ratings would you have doled out? While I’m not a betting man, I’d say fewer than five […]
How to Add a Bathroom You may or may not know this, but I’ve been a master plumber for nearly four decades. I used to do all the plumbing in all the houses I built and in the remodeling jobs that had a plumbing component. I want to let you know if you’re thinking of […]
Bad Deck Flashing Causes Rot Ed, my golf league partner, asked me a few days ago if there was a product to fix some wood rot he had discovered at his home. You may be battling wood rot too. In your case it might be interior wall studs or floor joists that get wet from […]
How to Protect Exterior Wood A week ago, my lovely wife and our 2-year-old American Dirus dog were on Mt. Desert Island in Downeast Maine. We rented a tiny cottage just 12 feet from the shoreline of Bass Harbor. If you’re not familiar with this part of the USA, I can assure you it’s a […]
Old House Heating and Air Conditioning - Pure Comfort in Every Room My days have been getting busier and busier, and I'm doing troubleshooting and coaching calls with homeowners just like you. Are you suffering from the heat and humidity like the young man I talked with in Chicago last week? If so, you’ll enjoy […]
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