Water Lines for a House - No Clear Winner I’ve been a master plumber since age 29. I know, it might seem odd to you that a builder is also a plumber. I was attracted to plumbing for several reasons. Designing a plumbing system is a fun and challenging three-dimensional (3D) puzzle. I still draw […]
Gutter Guard Cleaning - You WILL Be Up on Your Roof Do you attend home and garden shows? These events are almost always held in the spring. They’re a great place to see new products for both the interior and exterior of your home. I recall thirty years ago, when the gutter guard industry began […]
Cleaning a Composite Deck - Pressure Washers and Brooms I gave my electric pressure washer a vigorous workout this weekend. I cleaned 1,100 square feet of Trex Transcend composite decking, 100 feet of guardrails, and a 16-foot-long staircase. The project spanned two days. The decking I cleaned was marketed years ago as being maintenance-free. Bah […]
DIY Plumbing Vent and Other Mistakes - Use My Phone Coaching Service I did an in-person inspection consultation several days ago. A man purchased a 50-year-old home next to a ski resort. He and his family are avid snow skiers and were tired of renting expensive condominiums. He wanted my opinion about the condition of […]
DIY Stair Stringer Kit - Build Your Stairs in One Hour You probably give little thought to the stairs you go up or down to reach different levels of your home, deck, or patio. I’ll wager that if I handed you a measuring tape, a framing square, a pencil, and a level, you’d scratch your […]
Why Do Ceramic Tiles Crack? - 100% Installation Errors Ceramic floor tile has a rich legacy as a durable flooring material. You’ve undoubtedly walked across it in countless public buildings. Hotel lobbies, commercial buildings, and even my own previous parish church sported this artificial stone product. The tile in my church was over 100 years […]
Fiber Optic Installation Process - Router Placement Trick I’m guessing you log onto the Internet each day. I travel the information superhighway all day long as part of my business. Fiber optic cables have now been extended throughout my small town in New Hampshire, and I’m ecstatic about their arrival. I remember using a 300-baud […]
Exterior Paint Peeling Repair - Beware of Lead Do you get frustrated when the expensive exterior paint you use peels, flakes, or cracks in just a few years? You’re not alone. I’m about to survey my thousands of newsletter subscribers. I’m willing to bet you a two-step mocha-chip ice cream sundae that a majority of […]
Fast Stairs Videos - Tim Carter Installation These are the five videos I shot while doing the installation of a set of Fast Stairs: Video #1 Video #2 Video #3 Video #4 Video #5
Roof Maxx™ vs. Copper Roof Strips - Copper is Guaranteed to Keep Your Roof in Great Shape I've seen quite a few TV commercials for a product called Roof Maxx™. Have you seen them too? My 30-year asphalt shingles started to fail in just nine years. Fourteen years after they were installed, this is what […]
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