Room Addition Foundation - Get it Square and Level Are you feeling pinched by the current economy? I know I am. I shop for materials each week at the grocery store giving my lovely wife a break. She did it for the previous 45 years. Gasoline, food, insurance costs, interest rates, etc. are all way […]
Algae and Lichens Grow on Composite Decks and Rails - Easy to Clean You might be one of the countless homeowners frustrated with the annual, or every-other-year, task of cleaning and sealing your wood deck. I’m right there with you as I have to deal with my wood dock and the stairs leading to it. […]
Secret Hiding Places in Your Home are Everywhere I’m in the final stages of writing a book that contains hundreds of hacks that you might want to incorporate into your existing home or a new one you’re building. I got lots of help from many of my newsletter subscribers, who shared some of their best […]
Wood Shrinks and Swells Unequally - Not Like Fine Leather Gloves Wood is a true gift from God. It’s not much different than tomatoes, wheat, or corn in that wood is really a crop. Any farmer that’s lucky enough to have a stand, or bush, of maple trees on his farm will tell you that […]
Exterior Ceramic Tile - Best Way to Install It A fellow amateur radio operator reached out to me several days ago. My vanity call sign was coined after my Ask the Builder business. It’s W3ATB. The W3 stands for www for my AsktheBuilder.com website. This operator knew I’d be able to answer his question. He […]
Water Ponding Against Foundation - It Doesn't Always Cause Wood Rot Two days before writing this column I saved an Ohio homeowner $30,000.00. Fortunately, he stumbled across my website and found out that he could talk to me on the phone. He was suffering from water ponding against his foundation and was considering signing a […]
Bad DIY Videos on YouTube Can Cost You Thousands of Dollars You may think that YouTube is an oasis of helpful home improvement videos. After all, anyone with a smartphone can upload a video in seconds. Each week I scour YouTube for videos I feel may help you save time and money. With each passing […]
Beware Egotistical and Closed-Minded Contractors -Nothing But Bad Happens Just three weeks ago, I shared a true story with you about my failed asphalt shingle roof. If you remember, it had a thirty-year warranty and after just twelve years, it began to experience catastrophic failure. Looking back now, I shared the wrong photograph with you. […]
Low Water Flow in Luxury Shower - Pipe Size is Too Small Each week, I extract quite a few homeowners like you from wretched remodeling or home-building quagmires. I do it with a phone or video call. Feel free to set up a phone call with me here. In almost all cases, the root causes […]
LVP Flooring Installation Tips & Area Rugs By: Tim Carter Several months ago, I shared a story about my first experience with luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring. I installed the LVP in a basement room that experienced water damage caused by a leaking water pipe. The product was affordable, it was easy to install, and […]
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