Peter Zawisha is getting ready to put in a new asphalt drive and he wants to prevent cracks on the sides of it at his home in Hardyston, NJ. Here's what he told me: "I'm having driveway redone. Should I install 4x4 or 6x6 pressure treated lumber to help keep the asphalt stay tight together? Or […]
Concrete is simply artificial rock. If it's mixed, placed, finished and cured correctly it can last 100 or more years. If your concrete steps, walkways, patios, etc. are crumbling, you may be able to repair them with traditional products and methods or you can choose from some modern materials. Often concrete deterioration is just a […]
Old Man Winter finally got up and went home. This past year, he reminded me of that family relative that still is sitting on my couch at 10 pm on Thanksgiving, not knowing it was time to leave a while ago. With warm temperatures and favorable weather here, it's time to get started on some […]
Ron wants to pour a concrete patio and wonders about proper support so it won't crack. He's doing this work in cold Fonthill, Ontario Canada. Here's what he told me: "We had our basement (block) waterproofed from the outside one year ago and have sandy soil. The area we are looking to do is 10 x […]
Fence Calculator Steve is going to tackle a fence project in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. But he needs to a calculator to tell him how much material he'll need. Here's what he has to say: "Do you know a website or program I can use that will tell me how much material is needed to build […]
Dick Anderson is a motivator who lives in Darlington, WI. He took issue with a past column of mine that discussed the challenges a DIY person faces when building their first log cabin. STOP now and read my past column titled Dream Log Cabin Challenges before you read Dick's comments below. After reading Dick's comments, please […]
Donald Cameron lives across the pond in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He's got an interesting question about periodic gravel driveway maintenance. "Hi Tim, I have a gravel driveway, shared with my immediate neighbour. We have typical traffic - two 4x4s, two saloons, LPG delivery lorry 8 times a year etc. The service piping for LPG gas, septic […]
Nadine has a problem with a sagging roof in Atlanta, Michigan. Here's her full report: "My roof is sagging. I never realized my rafters are 27 and one-half inches on center. The roofing material is is made from metal squares. What can I do to make the roof flat? Look at the photo of the underside […]
DEAR TIM: I'm renovating a basement bath during the winter while I'm slow at work. When I removed the old shower insert, I discovered a large area of crumbling and missing concrete. There's standing water in the ground because of the high ground water table this time of year. I've discovered conflicting information online as […]
Ice Dam Leaks - Grace Ice & Water Shield® Tim Carter shows how he prevents water from leaking into his own home using Grace Ice & Water Shield®. This is a product Tim has used for years. Below is a link to Amazon for one of the Grace Ice & Water Shield® products. This […]
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