DIY Home Building - Be Prepared for Delays and Heartache As I look back on the decades of giving advice to homeowners like you, one thing stands out in my mind. I’ve always tried my best to tell you the truth about how hard or easy some tasks might be. That’s the opposite tact of […]
Wood Rot Prevention - There are Many Ways to Prevent Rot The inspiration for this column came to me this morning as I was greeting people at church. My wife and I are the head ushers at the 10:30 AM mass. In between people dashing through the door to avoid the drops of rain falling […]
Hot Garages and Hot Attics - The Truth About Radiant Heat In just a few weeks my email inbox will begin to overflow. Homeowners just like you will be asking what they can do to cool down their attics, garages, houses, and sheds. After all, the summer solstice is just five weeks away as I […]
This is a small image of my son's basement remodel plan. You can draw this with pencil, paper, and a ruler if you don't have a computer.
Architects Design Flawed Garages Time and Time Again Two weeks ago, on a whim, I recorded a 60-second video that I uploaded instantly to YouTube.com. I wanted to share one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever seen in the common garage. I’m willing to bet you’re a homeowner who suffers from this oversight by architects […]
Room Addition Foundation - Get it Square and Level Are you feeling pinched by the current economy? I know I am. I shop for materials each week at the grocery store giving my lovely wife a break. She did it for the previous 45 years. Gasoline, food, insurance costs, interest rates, etc. are all way […]
Secret Hiding Places in Your Home are Everywhere I’m in the final stages of writing a book that contains hundreds of hacks that you might want to incorporate into your existing home or a new one you’re building. I got lots of help from many of my newsletter subscribers, who shared some of their best […]
Wood Shrinks and Swells Unequally - Not Like Fine Leather Gloves Wood is a true gift from God. It’s not much different than tomatoes, wheat, or corn in that wood is really a crop. Any farmer that’s lucky enough to have a stand, or bush, of maple trees on his farm will tell you that […]
Exterior Ceramic Tile - Best Way to Install It A fellow amateur radio operator reached out to me several days ago. My vanity call sign was coined after my Ask the Builder business. It’s W3ATB. The W3 stands for www for my AsktheBuilder.com website. This operator knew I’d be able to answer his question. He […]
Water Ponding Against Foundation - It Doesn't Always Cause Wood Rot Two days before writing this column I saved an Ohio homeowner $30,000.00. Fortunately, he stumbled across my website and found out that he could talk to me on the phone. He was suffering from water ponding against his foundation and was considering signing a […]
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