Property Disclosure Form Dangers - You Better Tell the Truth It all started with a chimney of all things. Last week a woman, who lives in a quaint small New Hampshire town just fifty miles north of me, hired me. She wanted me to review a house inspection report. She had put in an offer […]
Multi-Tool - It's a Versatile Must-Have Tool I found myself entranced by a video several weeks ago. Shoyan, a master carpenter who lives in Japan, chronicled the construction of a simple residential house that was a mix of Japanese construction methods and Western amenities. I was in awe of Shoyan’s skills and attention to detail. […]
Oxygen Bleach Recipe You can make your own ultra-powerful oxygen bleach. Many oxygen bleach products sold in stores, online, and in TV commercials can contain vast amounts of filler. The filler reduces the amount of active ingredient in the product. So Powerful it Requires the Oxidizer Label I developed my own special recipe in 2024. […]
Oxygen Bleach is the Best All-Purpose Cleaner Do you struggle and work too hard to get things clean around your home? A plethora of cleaning products assaults you at the grocery store and in TV commercials. I’ve tried many of them, but thirty years ago I was lucky enough to discover the best all-purpose cleaner […]
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 […]
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