Dave Keith is working on his home in Syracuse, NY. It's an old one! "I need to know about footers for LALLY COLUMNS. I am fixing an 1870's house, two story, water damage. I will be adding many jack post/lally columns to level up floors and shorten floor joist runs(some 18 foot). Do the footers […]
While you're reading this, I'll be at the train station getting ready for a long day. Moments ago, I was selecting a video for you to watch and I found an older one that made me LAUGH OUT LOUD. What a cornball I was when I taped this one. And to think it played on […]
Quick Column Summary: Problems with new house construction Correcting an off-center window Wood-burning stove exhaust stack not properly installed Checking to see if the contractor is on the run DEAR TIM: I'm having a house built and I've got some problems. It's still in the rough stage with just the rough framing pretty much complete […]
Quick Column Summary: Separating double french doors Doors already have hinge mortise New side jambs are needed DEAR TIM: I bought a prehung double french door because it was so beautiful and the price was great. I want to separate the two doors and use each one at different openings. Is this possible to do […]
Quick Column Summary: white vinegar removes hard water spots soaking and patience is key vinegar can harm marble muriatic acid can be used, but it's POWERFUL There's a good chance you have to deal with hard water stains on many of your surfaces. Municipal water systems don't always deliver nice soft water to your home […]
Chad Ewald, who lives in Stillwater, MN - a place mentioned in Roger Stelljes' Deadly Stillwater book, has paint pigment stains on his brick. Great read by the way! Here's what Chad sent me: "How do I remove paint from brick? The white medallion elements on my home appear to have bled white paint onto the brick […]
Louise Sargent, who lives in Gilford, NH just a few miles from my house, has a problem with peeling paint from her drywall. "Dear Tim, I read your video about priming drywall before painting for even absorption of paint. Is curing drywall the same as using a primer? A few flakes of paint are loosening […]
Last week, I worked as a conductor on the scenic train. I had two different afternoon dinner train trips. One of the trips was with a group of professionals who study or work with people with eating disorders. The attendees were from all over the USA. They were attending a two-day conference just down the […]
DEAR TIM: I just sold some of my old stuff that I no longer wanted nor needed using an online classified website. My intent was to get cash together to add to my hoard of hand and power tools. Can you share some of the coolest tools you're aware of? I'm interested in versatility and […]
Okay, so let's see if you know how to calculate what the payback period is on the EcoDrain product. Don't attempt to do this if you're not versed in semi-complex math problems!!!! Here are the figures I want you to use. Modern shower heads reduce flow to 2.5 gallons per minute. Let's assume three 10-minute […]
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