Aunt Margaret “Let’s go visit Aunt Margaret,” my Dad said. If I’d had a mirror in front of me, there’s no doubt my eyes and grin were wider than an airplane-hanger door. Margaret was my Dad’s older sister, and she lived with my Uncle Louie in a majestic old home in North Avondale, an original […]
Coast G10 Flashlight - Very Small But Very Handy! I had a chance to test out the Coast G10 LED that sports a cone-shaped inspection beam. I loved it! It's a perfect prize flashlight to give to someone for their purse or pocket. It's about the size of a jumbo Tootsie Roll, so that's not […]
Are you a new subscriber? Thanks for being here. It's my job to surprise you, as often as I can, with dandy home improvement tips and special prizes. A prize is just a gift and it can be something as simple as a past helpful column on my website. Are you a subscriber that remembers […]
DEAR TIM: I’m about to build a new home with both an attached garage and a separate free-standing three-bay garage. The house I grew up in had floor drains in the garage and they were wonderful. My builder has never heard of garage floor drains and insists on sloping the concrete floor so all liquids […]
Garage Floor Drain Ideas - Time Tested Technology The inspiration for this column came from unexpected comments about a brief mention of garage floor drains in my December 1, 2019 AsktheBuilder newsletter and my December 9, 2019 AsktheBuilder newsletter. The house I grew up in had a garage floor drain. The concrete floor was sloped […]
Coast EAL13 Lantern - It's Small But Handy For Sure I've had the opportunity over the years to test many flashlights and lanterns. I even own an official Amtrak lantern used by train crews. I was a conductor on a scenic train in New Hampshire for two summers and had to follow all the FRA […]
Zircon Breaker ID - Works Well I've had the Zircon Breaker ID for a while, but only today had a reason to put it to the test. It got an A++! How Does the Zircon Breaker ID Work? The tool has two parts, a transmitter, and a receiver. The transmitter is the black part you […]
Don’t Sweat Copper, Press It DEAR TIM: I love reading your column in my local paper. Several months ago you wrote about which plumbing pipe might be better for water lines, copper and PEX. You briefly mentioned a new tool that eliminates the need for soldering copper. I’d like to know much more about this […]
Is this your first rodeo with me? Your first newsletter? Saddle up! If you've rode with me before, no matter how long, you know things can get a little dusty. The chow wagon is filled with pecan pie, so we're going to eat good tonight! Firing Up the Noritz Combi Water Heater Boiler This past […]
If you're a new subscriber in the last five days, this is a very unusual edition of my newsletter. Two days from now you'll see a normal one. If you've received more than one issue in the past, then you know this is an out-of-the-ordinary message! Black Friday at Amazon.com Today is historically a massive […]
Subscribe to the FREE Ask the Builder newsletter to receive professional advice for your home. Complete the form below and each week you'll get:
Unsubscribe at any time. We respect your email privacy.