How to Avoid Construction Delays and Arguments - It's So Easy Just before writing this column, I did a phone coaching call with a man who lives in northwest Ohio. He wanted me to tell him if it was possible to build a room addition to his son’s home. The dealbreaker was the addition had […]
Room Addition Plans - They Must Be Great This past week, I did quite a few telephone consult calls. One in particular stands out, and I feel it should be of particular interest to you if you’re planning on building a new home, a large room addition, remodeling a kitchen, or even building a humble […]
A-Frame House Problems - They Can be Aplenty QUESTION #1: I’d like your honest opinion, Tim. A-frame houses have always appealed to me and I think I want to build one. I’ve done scads of research on these unusual homes and I’m convinced it’s the right decision. I want you to be the devil’s advocate […]
Handy Hand Tools QUESTION 1#: Tim, I’m sure you get to see new tools all the time. I’m curious if certain ones become your favorite or if you see vast improvements over older models. I want to create a set of simple hand tools for both my daughter and son who now live in their […]
"Detached garage ideas are like grains of sand on a beach. The most important one is to make your garage wide and deep." Tim Carter | Founder - AsktheBuilder.com Detached Garage Ideas - Bigger is Better Always DEAR TIM: I bought a house with a dilapidated detached garage on it. It needs to be torn […]
Garage Plans 2 Car - BEWARE Common Mistakes! The 2-car garage in the above photo was built about five miles from my home. It's going to be a disaster. Can you see why? Be sure to look down at the simple floor plan I drew up to show you the biggest mistake! It's important to […]
Home plans or blueprints for home construction work are essential to avoid problems with your home project. Avoid budget overruns and costly change orders by giving your contractor quality blueprints to work from. Read on to learn a little known technique to find architects of great repute and how to select the right one.
Detailed blueprints, plans and specifications will help you avoid being sued by a contractor. Keeping a detailed account of work each day, along with photos, will arm you with data should a problem with your contractor arise.
New Home Quality Control I didn’t ask permission from my editor to depart from my normal question and answer format, but I’m sure he’ll agree this is a long overdue column. I’ve been writing this column now for over twenty-three years. Ask the Builder was first published October 2, 1993. It was my original goal […]