Gutter Guard Madness and Leveling Floors Before Tile

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Tim Carter

Gutter Guard Madness

Question #1: Tim, the annual gutter cleaning campaign is about to happen. What’s your feeling about gutter guards? Have you tested any? There are so many different designs, how do you even begin to make a decision? Are they really worth it in the long run? Is there a cheaper alternative? Molly B., Richmond, VA

Do you battle leaves in your gutters like Molly does twice, or three, times a year? I used to. My last house in Cincinnati, OH had over 400 linear feet of gutter on it! It was a nightmare cleaning the gutters out.

Gutter guard products have been on the market for decades. There are probably as many design patents for them as there are power boats on my lake the last weekend of the summer season!

Years ago, I did an exhaustive test of just about every gutter guard design. I discovered that almost all of them fail. The reverse curve designs allow small pieces of debris to be carried into the gutter where it’s impossible to clean out the decaying muck. Small debris of all sorts clog the holes, slits, and knockouts in the other designs. Most gutter guards fail miserably in the spring when the tiny debris drops from the trees like snow in a blizzard.

In those tests, I did discover a design that does work. It’s made with stainless steel micro mesh that’s as fine, or finer, than the weave of women’s pantyhose. Nothing but water gets into gutters protected by these guards.

However, many of these micromesh guards can only be installed by a dealer. The cost-per-foot bids you’ll get will take your breath away. Often the bids are thousands of dollars and some salesmen incorporate lots of high pressure and tricky sales psychology to get you to sign a contract.

If you’re leaning towards going this route, it may pay you to do an analysis to see if it makes sense to just pay a handyman, who’s got Workman’s Compensation coverage, to just clean out your gutters twice a year.

I did a simple math calculation and discovered that if you only plan to live in your home for ten years or less, it makes better financial sense to not install the gutter guards. That may seem like a crazy idea, but if you only have a limited amount of money, you need to protect your capital instead of giving it to a local gutter guard dealer.

I taped several amazing videos of gutter guards that have failed and have pictures of the micro mesh gutter guard that I ended up putting on my house. I have all of this amazing eye candy for you at my website. Go to: gutterguards

Leveling Floors Before Tile

Question #2: Hey Tim, I’m about to tackle a ceramic tile floor project. After doing some research, I’m quite confused about how to prevent cracks in the tile. I already know that my existing floor has some slight humps and low spots. What would you do to ensure the floor tile is crack-free for a long time? Sarah M., Jacksonville, FL

I applaud you if you’re ambitious like Sarah! Better yet, you’ll get a standing ovation from me if you take the time to research the project before you get started. Several hours of each day I do autopsies on homeowner failures that tumble into my email box. The common cause of these snafus is the lack of knowing what to do before starting a project. Most homeowners dive in, start to flail, and just hope things will work out.

Ceramic tile is a great product, but it’s weak if you try to bend it. It will crack. The tile will bend or crack if you step on it where there’s a tiny void space under it. You can eliminate these void spaces by installing the tile on a perfectly flat surface.

Note that flat doesn’t always mean the floor is level. Flat means the surface has no dips or humps in it. You can locate dips or shallow depressions in a floor using a long straightedge and a flashlight. Shine the light at a low angle to see if you see light beams passing under the straightedge.

You can save yourself lots of trouble and time by using amazing self-leveling floor compounds. These are powdered products you mix with water to the consistency of a thin soup. Gravity allows the liquid compound to flow across the floor much like water might in a flood.

When the compounds set up and get hard, they create a perfectly flat surface that happens to be level too. They’re a perfect substrate for ceramic tile. Professionals use these compounds frequently because they don’t want to have to come back to fix cracked tile. The compounds are not hard to work with, but they do require some moderate skill.

I assembled a handful of useful tips, sources of the floor leveling compounds, and some great how-to videos showing how to get your floor flat. Go here to discover all this great free information: floorleveling

Column 1263

Staircase Survey Where You Live DUH!

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Tim Carter

I need to know where you live if you took the Staircase Survey.

It was an Ooopsie By Accident moment! I should have put this question in the original survey.

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Excavator Unloading Precast Concrete Retaining Wall Blocks

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Tim Carter

Tim Carter records an excavator unloading heavy stackable retaining wall blocks.

Etymotic Earplugs and Earphones Review

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Tim Carter

Here are my Etymotic earphones. They fit comfortably and allow you to hear your music as well as what's happening around you. They'll keep you SAFE. CLICK THE PHOTO now to have a pair delivered to your home in days.

Etymotic Earplugs and Earphones - They Keep You Safe

I had the chance to test out a pair of Etymotic earplugs and earphones for the past two months. It's important to realize that I've tried countless earplugs over the years constantly trying to find a pair that minimizes harmful noise but allows me to hear things that could be dangerous.

What are Noise Isolating Earphones?

Noise-isolating earphones are ones that can achieve extremely high, in the range of 35 - 42dB, noise isolation. They reduce most noise to safe levels to preserve your hearing. At the same time, they preserve non-dangerous sounds like speech and regular music sound levels.

For example, it allows construction workers to minimize harmful loud noises like jackhammers, but still hear the warning beeps of an approaching dump truck or another backing vehicle.

Musicians can use these to lower the sound level of amplified sound, but still be able to hear their instrument and how it sounds with the other pieces in the band.

See how clever these earphones and earplugs are?

Can You Hear Background Noise?

Yes, I was able to hear the nearby noise, but at a safe level, while doing my testing.

Can you Carry On a Conversation While Wearing Them?

Yes, you can carry on a normal conversation instead of YELLING like you might with traditional earmuffs.

These are the Etymotic earplugs I used while target shooting. I found they were well suited for that activity. I know for any building noise, they'd work well.

Did You Like Them?

Yes, I found the Etymotic earphones and earplugs to be comfortable and they really reduced harsh noise.

They come in many different styles and types. You'll be stunned by all the models they have. There are different models for different needs.

August 21, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Tim Carter

New subscriber? Welcome to AsktheBuilderland. You can put away your passport now and relax.

Current AsktheBuilderland resident? Please share with the new arrivals, when you bump into them, that I'm not crazy.

Today's newsletter might be one of those where you scratch your head. I say this because it has some indirect tips that might really help you in a bunch of ways. HANG IN THERE with this issue, believe me.

Staircase Survey - Short & Sweet

I can use your input with respect to staircases and handrails. Would you be kind enough to answer just three questions for me?

You can click the photo below or CLICK HERE. What you see in the photo is an over-the-post handrail I installed in the last house I built for my family. Look closely at the painted wood balusters too. See the difference?

Marriage Counseling - Tim Carter Style

Did you know one of my sideline businesses is marriage counseling?

I saved Brett's marriage earlier this week!!!

It's all in episode 19 of my On-Demand Radio Show. Better known as Podcast 19.

CLICK HERE and READ Brett's email first - scroll down - THEN listen to the podcast. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!

Mike's Printer Ink Disaster

A few days ago, Mike reached out to me asking if my Stain Solver certified organic oxygen bleach would remove a printer ink stain from the carpet in his home.

I told him, "Maybe".

I also told him trying Stain Solver is the CHEAPEST alternative he has at this point. His other two alternatives should the stain not come out are:

hire a real carpet pro that can cut out the stain and patch the carpet
install all new carpeting

Here's what the stain looked like the day he reached out. Realize he had NOT YET tried my Stain Solver:

Mike's Printer Ink Stain

You may wonder what the ring around the stain is all about.

That's why I'm sharing this story. It's not about you buying Stain Solver, but if you want to buy some, that's great.

As soon as Mike saw what happened he reacted. He told me he went to his kitchen cabinet and grabbed a few cleaners and got to work.

While that may seem like a great idea, it's not what I would have done.

First and foremost, it's ALWAYS EASY to Monday-morning quarterback. But I've dealt with so many good-intentioned homeowners over the years, I've discovered that it's NOT A GOOD IDEA TO TRY YOUR HAND AT AMATEUR CHEMISTRY.

Mike decided at that moment to mix different chemicals - the ink has its own and who knows what's in the liquids Mike started to apply to the stain.

They can react and make things WORSE.

I would have reached for some paper towels or an old clean white rag and put it on the ink and poured WATER on the rag or paper towels to keep the ink WET.

Most liquids that are staining things have water in them. When the water evaporates it can be darn tough, or impossible, to remove the stain. Think about water-based paint. When wet, you can get rid of it. Once the paint dries, it's almost impossible to reverse the chemistry without using a harsh chemical.

The SECOND thing I would have done would be to go to the ink manufacturer's website to see if, by chance, they had any tips on stain removal.

You may want to do this now BEFORE you get into a damage-control situation. If you have liquids around the house that could stain carpet, upholstered furniture, clothes, etc. go to the manufacturer's website NOW and see if they have advice on removing stains caused by their product.

Or, just buy a 4.5-pound container of Stain Solver to have on hand for emergencies.

My Friend David

I want to tell you a story and how it relates to my good friend David Lawrence. He's the only celebrity I know and am friends with. You can't believe how nice a guy he is. He'd give you the shirt off his back.

My newsletter is all about home improvement, but this story is all about how you can tap into your hidden talents to improve and achieve things you never thought possible.

David H Lawrence XVII

You may recognize David. He's a super talented Hollywood actor that's been in all sorts of shows. Perhaps he's best known for the three seasons he was in the hit series HEROES.

Watch a few of his best takes. CLICK HERE to watch a 90-second compilation.

Here's the full scene from HEROES. I'm pretty certain this is his first appearance in HEROES. CLICK HERE to watch David in the moment. He's darn good.

This short story is about how David and I got where we are and how you can do the same thing.

When I do meet-ups in different cities when I travel to hang out with subscribers like you, I'm often asked, "Tim, how in the world did Ask the Builder get to where it is today?"

It's easy. I reached inside myself and followed a voice that was screaming at me to change careers and do something different.

A few years before I started Ask the Builder, I had the worst experience of my life as a builder. I ended up working for the most loathsome Customer from Hell. She almost sent me over the edge.

I knew that the only way to ensure I'd never go through it again was to NEVER step inside a paying customer's home.

Yes, some of these hellish customers are wolves in sheep's clothing and they don't reveal their true inner self until you're into the job.

Once presented with the Ask the Builder opportunity, I made the most important decision of my life, aside from marrying Kathy.

I took FAILURE off the table.

I reached down deep within myself and decided that I would do everything possible to make Ask the Builder a success so I'd NEVER EVER have to face a customer from Hell again.

It worked for me and it can work for YOU!

Is there something you want to do but you need something or someone to flip the switch inside of you?

David might be the person. In just ten days, he's starting the most remarkable low-cost coaching experience I think I've ever seen.

It could be LIFE-CHANGING for you.

You need to understand I do NOT get one penny from David if you sign up for this coaching. You're not going to believe how low-cost it is.

It's all online, you can participate LIVE or watch his recordings later on your own schedule. It's going to be POWERFUL.

Do yourself a favor. Go watch this short video of David in his own studio. LISTEN to his story and see what you and David have in common. I'll bet you have more than you might realize.

Let me know what you think AFTER you watch David.

CLICK HERE.

That's enough for a Tuesday. Seriously, click that link above and watch David in his studio. Watch the entire video. You'll not regret it.

If you sign up for David's coaching, please let me know. I'll be keenly interested in how you like it.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Ink-Removal Man - www.StainSolver.com
Happiness Waves - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

Super Staircase Survey

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Tim Carter

Please complete this simple three-question survey about staircases and handrails.

You'll be contributing to the intergalactic collection of combined knowledge.

Do Your Due Diligence – Yeah, It’s Hard

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Tim Carter

The woman who used to own this uncompleted new house didn’t do her due diligence. A contractor now owns it and is trying to finish it two years after the foundation hole was dug! (C) Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

This column was inspired by something that happened to my sister last week. She called me for advice because she needed a tree removed from her rear yard and she didn’t know any reliable tree-removal companies.

Perhaps you’ve been in the same situation recently about any number of repairs or projects that you need to be done at your own home. My sister subscribes to my newsletter and she knows that I promote one of the national contractor referral networks. It’s called HomeAdvisor and they claim to connect homeowners like my sister and you with pre-screened, local service professionals.

What follows is all true and much of it you probably don’t want to hear. Based on the number of emails I receive each week, I see a growing and alarming trend of people who are so busy, so stressed, and so discombobulated that all they want is the easy button. They want the mythical magic home improvement fairy to float down out of the sky and place the best contractor in their driveway. That’s a fantasy.

Here’s what happened to my sister and it’s possibly happened to you. She filled out the form at my website to get quotes from the prescreened tree removal companies in Cincinnati, OH. Guess what? There was only one in the network or at least only one that responded.

The company that responded to my sister’s request sent an employee that could only speak a few words of English, the only language my sister speaks. She told me, “He stood 15 feet away from the front door and just kept saying the word ‘tree’.”

Frustrated, my sister closed the door on him and I imagine he drove away. So much for prescreening professionals.

What’s the answer? What are you to do when you need a pro to fix something for you?

Here are some facts to help you find the pros. In almost all cities and towns, there are craftsmen and craftswomen who do have integrity and who take pride in their work. It may be a small number, but they exist.

In most cities and towns, there are a small group of tradespeople that do things the right way and know to buy the best products because failed products on jobs make profits disappear faster than a coin from a close-up magician’s hands.

The best contractors and sub-contractors usually don’t advertise nor do they belong to the contractor networks like HomeAdvisor and Angie’s List. They don’t have to. They get booked out months in advance just from word-of-mouth promotion from their past satisfied customers. This is an often overlooked fact.

The best contractors typically purchase the best products and materials from local businesses, not giant national brands. The best products and materials are not always at the giant home center big box stores. It’s amazing how a multi-million dollar advertising budget can make you think otherwise!

You’ll often find the best products and materials at the traditional lumberyards that still exist in most larger cities and towns. You may also find some at the old-fashioned hardware stores in your neighborhood.

The best contractors use the best products because they don’t want to have to come back and fix something. They don’t want you upset. They want to be working on the next job, not be back at your house redoing work.

Weeks and months before you need the work done, you need to start to find the great contractors. Why? The great contractors have a backlog of work!

You get the list of these great workers when you talk with the general manager of the local lumberyards or the owners or managers of the local hardware stores. You ask them bluntly, “Please be kind enough to share with me the names of the three best contractors that come in here that you would have work on your home.”

In the old days, my sister would have just opened the Yellow Pages or looked in the newspaper classified ads for the names of tree removal companies. Those were the reliable search engines before the Internet.

I instructed her to just type into the current online search engines: tree removal cincinnati to get a list of the companies that cut down tall sick white pine trees. She’s currently getting quotes and making sure they all have current general liability insurance and are in good standing with the State of Ohio Workmen’s Compensation program.

There is no easy button. You need to do the hard work ahead of time if you want to get the best workers in exchange for your hard-earned money. I’m sorry, but that’s the tough love truth.

Column 1262

Solar Attic Fan Tough Love and Plumbing Vent Pipes

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Tim Carter

Solar Attic Fan Tough Love

Question #1: Tim, can you cut through the fog of confusion about solar attic fans? I just want the tough-love truth. Do they really work or are they mostly hype? What does it take to really cool an attic space? My husband really thinks it’s a great idea to buy a solar attic fan, but I don’t want to waste the money if it does little or nothing. Bridgett W., Tampa, FL

You may have the same problem as Bridgett. There are talented and clever salespeople and marketing managers that can cast a spell upon you about new or newer products. Any product that has to do with solar or is touted as environmentally friendly breaks down the purchase barrier with little effort. After all, who doesn’t want free energy or who wants to be an environment hater?

I remember when the solar attic fan craze was hotter than the surface of my roof at noon on a summer’s day. Fan manufacturers sent me ones to test and test I did! The results were just as I expected. The solar attic fans all moved less than 1,000 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) and they did nothing to lower the temperature inside my own attic.

This is a solar panel supplying free electricity to the attic fan under the silver dome on the rear roof. The fan blades spin, but they don't lower the attic temperature at all. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

The infrared rays from the sun are powerful. They can elevate your roof temperature above 160 F. I’m quite sure in certain situations I could get a reading higher than 180 F using my thermal imaging camera.

This heat is transferred to the roof sheathing and then to the roof framing members. In essence, your entire roof structure starts emitting low-level infrared heat just like the embers in a campfire.

For the attic fans to work at peak efficiency, they need to be on a south-facing roof slope if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. If a cloud blocks the sunlight, the fans slow or stop. As the sun gets lower in the sky when attic temperatures are at their greatest, the fans slow down. You need the fans to be operating at full speed late in the day and into the evening to bring air into the attic to cool all the lumber as rapidly as possible.

I tested a solar attic fan that moved 800 CFM of air. I took temperature readings in my attic as the fan operated on a cloudless day and the readings never dropped even though the fan was moving at top speed.

If you want to lower the temperature in your attic a considerable amount, you need to do what chicken farmers do. They move tens of thousands of CFM through the barns where the chickens are living. Some of the high-speed fans have blades larger than 4-feet in diameter!

This topic was first mentioned way back in my July 20, 2009 AsktheBuilder Newsletter.

I’ve got lots of extra solar attic fan data and videos on my website waiting for you. Just go to: Solar Powered Attic Fan

Plumbing Vent Pipes

Question #2: My new home is under construction and I stopped by to check on the progress. The plumber had just finished putting in all the drain pipes. I was surprised to see lots of pipe rising up through the walls and up in the attic. I was upset thinking that my money was being wasted but the builder said the pipes are vent pipes. I had no idea so much piping is behind the plaster in my current home and up in my attic. Are the vent pipes necessary? What do they do? Ted B., Tewksbury, MA

I’ve been a master plumber since age 29 and I can remember seeing the maze of vent pipes in a home for the first time. I had never bothered to think about what that stubby little pipe was connected to that stuck up through the roof of my parents’ home.

Vent pipes supply air into your plumbing system. Each time water drains through the pipes on its way to the sewer or septic tank it pushes air out of the way in the drain pipes. This air needs to be replaced and the best way is to grab it from the atmosphere above your home.

If you didn’t have vent pipes in your home, the water would drain sluggishly and air would get sucked into the system through other fixtures in your home. The water movement from a flushed toilet creates a significant short-lived vacuum in the system that can slurp the water from a vanity or tub trap with no effort. You may have heard this sucking noise in the past and not realized what was happening.

If a trap gets sucked dry, then sewer gas and vermin can enter your home. This is why plumbing vent pipes are so very important.

The plumbing codes in certain places allow mechanical vents at or under certain fixtures so plumbers don’t have to install all the vent pipes. I’m not a fan of these shortcut devices because they have moving parts. Anything with a moving part fails at some point. I routinely get email from people with sewer gas odor in their homes from failed mechanical vents.

There’s no substitute for a traditional vent-pipe system that has at least one full-sized vent pipe. There are no moving parts. I’m just a few months away from installing this old-fashioned time-tested system in my daughter’s new home.

I’ve got great detailed tips and remarkable vent-pipe video I shot showing you all the vent pipes in a new home. Go to: Plumbing Vent Piping Tips

Column 1261

Temperature of Composite Decking

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Tim Carter

Look at the bottom step of the Trex Transcend decking. It's 152.3 F! That's hot enough to cause burns to bare skin in just seconds. (This important column was featured in the August 1, 2021 Newsletter.) Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

"I think the decking can get to over 160 F, or more, the closer you are to the summer solstice. "

Temperature of Composite Decking - Can Cause Burns Fast!

The temperature of composite decking is hotter than you'd ever imagine. I tested my own Trex Transcend composite decking.

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local deck contractors.

What was the Temperature of the Decking?

The temperature of my composite decking was 152.3 F. I measured it just after noon on August 10, 2018 using a FLIR thermal imaging camera attached to my smartphone. It was a cloudless day and the sunlight had been striking the decking for hours.

What is the Highest Temperature Composite Decking can Get?

I think the decking can get to over 160 F, or more, the closer you are to the summer solstice. The summer solstice is always on or about June 21st of each year. This is when the sun is highest in the sky and goes through the least amount of atmosphere.

Does Wood Decking Get as Hot as Composite Decking?

Yes, wood can get as hot. I measured a piece of 3/4-inch oak decking and it was the exact same temperature as the composite decking, 152.3 F!

The wider piece of wood is solid oak 3/4-inch thick. The narrow board is a treated lumber 2x4. They are suspended in the air to ensure the test is accurate because the composite decking below is exposed to air beneath the deck. Setting the pieces of wood directly on the composite decking would yield inaccurate results. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

What is the Temperature of Treated Lumber?

The temperature of the treated lumber 2x4 was 138.2 F. That's just 14 degrees cooler than the composite decking.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local deck contractors.

August 10, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Tim Carter

Howdy stranger. Are you new around these parts? Welcome! Don't pay any attention to the locals who might tell tall tales about me and some of my exploits outside of the realm of home improvement. 😉

Two days ago, I received the most unusual phone call from Bridgett. She's an interior designer from southern California. She was in the center of a giant swirling vortex of mayhem in Houston, Texas.

Even though she's not a builder, she volunteered to take on a remodeling and reconstruction project for some big design magazine that's published on the Left Coast. The topic of the article in the magazine was rebuilding a home after Hurricane Harvey.

Her deadline was just weeks away and the project was far behind schedule. She was asking me to drop what I was doing and come down to work for free to help her out.

I'm serious, that was her request. She did say she'd fly me there and pay for housing and grub.

Early in the conversation, she mentioned the biggest problem is how the entire labor force down there has been sucked into the vortex.

"All the great contractors who are honest and know what they're doing have a two-year backlog of work," she bemoaned. "Everyone that shows up to work I have to fire within hours because they're losers," she went on to complain.

How she thought I'd be able to conjure up great subs who have NO LOYALTY TO ME is beyond comprehension.

What's the message here for you? I've shared this with you at least two other times in the past right here in the newsletter.

If a natural disaster strikes you and your family, you're going to be on your own unless you've built up a very special relationship with a general contractor. You might be lucky and be on her/his short list of preferred customers.

If you don't have a relationship, you're doomed.

You need to discover NOW, on your own, how to at least make your home livable for such time as the great contractors in your town or city get caught up. You might even stockpile emergency materials to help make the most critical repairs. That's the tough love truth.

As you might imagine, I declined Bridgett's proposal. I actually think she thought I'd come down with all my tools and do the work myself.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors for ANY JOB.

Massive Quantities of Revised Columns

Get ready to fill your brains with lots of amazing candy that's going to save you lots of sweet moola and time.

I URGE you to at least open one or two of these because they all contain other amazing photos than what you see below. You'll also discover some fantastic VIDEOS.

You may not have the time right now to consume the content, but what you see may IMPRINT on your brain so you remember I have the solution to your problem when it does happen.

Today is glorious weather up here in central NH. I'll be doing yard work.

This weekend, I'll be working in my garage again purging CRAP.

You might consider doing the same. It's a great feeling, believe me.

Tim Carter

Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Magic Powder Man - www.StainSolver.com
Brain-Altering Wave Man - www.W3ATB.com