New Home Cost Calculator

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Tim Carter

new home under construction in a rural area

A new home cost calculator works well to determine the price of a standard home like this one. You just need to know the accurate costs of several components like foundation, rough lumber, drywall, etc. (C) Copyright 2023 Tim Carter

"The first thing you need to get an accurate price for your new home is a good set of plans and specifications. You need these to be able to get individual cost estimates for the different aspects of your home."

CLICK HERE to download a set of superb plans and blueprints. Your own plans SHOULD HAVE as MANY PAGES as this set showing all the details.

A New Home Cost Calculator Works

You want to build a new home, but you have no idea what it's going to cost. It's important that you get the number right so you don't run out of money or you borrow enough.

Here are your options to calculate the cost of a new home:

get accurate quotes for all labor and material
visit identical new homes on the market and deduct land and realtor cost
use a magic calculator that allows you to enter one number and it figures out the rest
throw a dart at a dartboard filled with possible numbers
guess wildly

Two of the methods are foolish, one's very hard, one's risky, and one will generate a fairly accurate price.

But which is which? The third method is the fastest and can produce an accurate total cost estimate.

WATCH THIS VIDEO:

Is a New Home Cost the Sum Of Its Parts?

Each major part of building a home represents a small part of the total cost. This is basic grade-school mathematics.

New cookie-cutter houses are the easiest ones to calculate. The houses are often similar in size and have the same components. It's important to realize many use the exact same subcontractors who charge the same per house, for the most part, to do what they do.

You can determine what each part of your home costs after you move in once you know the final bill. For example, let's say your new home's total cost, not counting the land, is $485,000. You know the footings and foundation cost $45,000. That means this part of your home was 9.2 percent of the total cost.

The issue is you want to know the total price while you're in the dream phase and it's not easy to get all the individual bids for every aspect of the house.

What is the First Thing I Need to for a New Home Cost Calculator?

The first thing you need to get an accurate price for your new home is a good set of plans and specifications. You need these to be able to get individual cost estimates for the different aspects of your home.

Where Can I Get a New Home Cost Calculator?

I developed a new home cost calculator you can download right now. It could save you THOUSANDS of dollars. You just enter one number and the spreadsheet fills in all the other numbers. Here's a partial screenshot of what it looks like:

This simple tool is only $19.95. You can't go wrong. CLICK HERE to download the tool in just seconds.

It works BEST if you get bids on the mundane aspects of your project like:

electrical work
roofing
siding
lumber package

I would then enter just one of the above numbers in the spreadsheet and allow it to calculate all the others including the total cost. Write down what the total is.

Then do the same process with the other three numbers. Add up the four total-cost numbers and divide the sum by four.

This should give you a fairly accurate total cost number.

What Causes The Cost Number to Be Inaccurate?

Specialty items like extravagant kitchen cabinets, countertops, exquisite lighting fixtures, or anything NOT normal will yield inaccurate total cost numbers. My cost calculator works best on cookie-cutter houses, but it will work well for custom homes if you use it as I say above.

Why Your Asphalt Shingles Are Falling Apart

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Tim Carter

Asphalt Shingle Failure

Question #1: Tim, I’m beside myself. My expensive asphalt shingles that have a 30-year warranty are less than ten years old and starting to curl. I see lots of roofs around me doing the same. I never recall observing this type of defect in all my past houses with asphalt shingles. Did I get a bad batch? What’s going on? Charlie, Raleigh, NC

Do your curled shingles look like the asphalt potato chips up on Charlie’s roof? Guess what, it happened to me. My own 30-year-warranty asphalt shingles started to fall apart in nine years and suffered a catastrophic failure just a few years later.

I was so angry I decided to reach out to the national association that represents most of the asphalt shingle manufacturers. They rebuffed me. I then tried to interview the top three USA shingle manufacturers. Two refused to answer my questions and the third company put so much spin on their answers I got dizzy reading them.

By this time, I was so infuriated I decided to see how widespread the defective shingle problem was. You may have participated in my national survey over two years ago. The results were so shocking I decided to write a short book about why your asphalt shingles are falling apart. The book is titled: Roofing Ripoff.

My research indicated the problem is happening all across the USA. In my opinion, it appears many of the shingle manufacturers are blowing too much air into the liquid asphalt at their factories. You need to blow some air into the asphalt, just enough so the black brew doesn’t drip from your roof on a hot summer day.

But blow too much air into the asphalt and you pre-age the shingles. Imagine opening a fresh pack of shingles only to discover they already have twenty, or more, years of wear built into them. It sounds like you got some of these poor-quality products.

I discovered something that can save you and millions of other homeowners billions of dollars. While doing research for my Roofing Ripoff book, I was the first person in the world to discover that copper ions react with asphalt molecules slowing down the aging process.

It’s been known for centuries that copper prevents algae and moss buildup on roofs and ship hulls, but I was the first to recognize copper can make asphalt shingles last 40, 50 or even more years! How cool is that?

For an existing roof, you just have to put a 12-inch-wide roll of very thin copper on top of the cap shingles that run across the ridge of your roof and any hips. The copper dulls down to an attractive medium nut brown in as little as four months so you don’t even see it.

Apply the copper strip just below the ridge shingles when you're installing a new roof. This allows you to blind nail the copper. Ideally, you want about 10 inches of copper exposed at the top of the roof on each side. Look at the following photo:

I was the first person in the world to identify that copper prevents the oxidation of asphalt molecules on asphalt shingles. See how easy it is to install this copper in a new-roof installation? CLICK the photo or TAP HERE to order the copper strips.

Each time it rains some of the tiny copper ions wash down onto the shingles. The copper bonds to the asphalt and prevents one asphalt molecule from connecting to an adjacent asphalt molecule. If too many asphalt molecules link together like a long freight train, the colored granules fall off and cause the shingles to curl up like a cat taking a nap. The copper ensures your roof will outlast your ownership of your home.

You must use solid copper nails to attach the discrete copper strip to your cap shingles. The copper is the same width as the cap shingles and will not interfere with any ridge ventilation products.

You can read the first three chapters of my Roofing Ripoff book for free. Go to: https://roofingripoff.com

Cleaning a Wood Deck with a Power Washer

Question #2: Tim, can you settle a disagreement between my husband and me? He wants to use a pressure washer to clean our gorgeous wood deck. I’m convinced that the concentrated pressure will harm the wood. He says it’s all about how far you hold the wand away from the wood and the degree of the tip of the tool wand. What say you? Terri, St. Paul, MN

Terri, you’re right. Pressure washers can wreak havoc with the soft fibers of wood, especially the light-colored bands of spring wood you see in all species of wood. Water that just flows over rock under no pressure other than its own weight scours solid granite. Just look at the Grand Canyon. Water spewing from a machine at 2,500 pounds per square inch is just too much.

Your husband does have a point with respect to the distance and tip size. Have him use a 40-degree tip and hold the wand at least 16 inches away. See what happens. Realize the closer the tip gets to the wood the more damage you’ll be doing.

Watch a short video showing the damage pressure washers do to treated lumber. Go to: How to Clean a Deck

Reference: April 25, 2016 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Column 1248

May 13, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Tim Carter

New subscriber? WOOT! Welcome!

Existing subscriber? Smooooch - you know I love, love, love you too!

You may or may not know that my college degree is in geology. It was a fascinating course of study. Geology made me a better builder because I understood how houses interacted with the soil. I also discovered how to keep basements and crawlspaces BONE DRY.

If I could go back in time the only thing I'd change would be to have taken all advanced business classes for any free electives.

The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii is generating lots of attention because it's doing what active volcanoes do. It's making the island bigger and taller.

To put this in perspective, realize ALL of the land in the state of Hawaii above the sea, and below down to the seafloor, was spewed out over time in the form of lava. In other words, the slow eruption of lava is perfectly normal and it's ongoing.

Just think of Kilauea as an upside down giant tube of caulk that every now and then gets squeezed. The lava flows up and out of various vents and fissures.

How would you like to have a better understanding of what's going on? Believe me when I say that it's NOT going to make your head explode.

Here are TWO AMAZING books written for homeowners like you that explain in language you can understand of what's really causing the lava to flow.

It's all plate tectonics and the slowly roiling molten rock in the upper mantle of the Earth.

Rough Hewn Land is SO GOOD I read it twice. Keith Heyer Meldahl, the author, explains exactly how the conveyor belt of plate tectonics works and WHY and HOW it creates volcanoes.

If you want to understand how the Rocky Mountains came to be and how there's going to be ocean-front property in Las Vegas one day, then read this book. I GUARANTEE you'll love it.

Earthquakes are caused by plate tectonics as well. If you want to know about a MASSIVE earthquake and tsunami that's GOING TO HAPPEN out in the Pacific Northwest, then you MUST READ Cascadia's Fault. If you love MYSTERY books then you're going to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book.

Jerry Thompson takes you down the timeline how a few geologists working together over a period of years solved a huge mystery. Who would think that a few Japanese scribes in small towns over 100 years ago would provide the most valuable clue?

DIY Paver Patio

Last year, I installed a new paver patio for Kathy. It took me just four days working by myself. The large format pavers about broke my back, but I'm glad I used them.

What if I told you that you don't need all that crazy expensive gravel under the pavers on your patio? That means you save money and have to do less digging.

Are you a contractor that's balking right now? Perhaps you need to go to Daytona Beach. Watch this video and think about the WEIGHT that's on each tire of the car or truck.

The sand at Daytona Beach, and many others, can easily support the concentrated loads from heavy cars and trucks.

Think about WHY.

You stepping on a patio stone that's resting on compacted sand is going to be LESS weight.

This is why you need to READ MY DIY Paver Patio column and peer at the crazy photos I have there.

I'd LOVE to see the photos of the patio you build or have done yourself. Send them to me!

Cement Backer Board Installation

Have you ever seen ceramic tile in an old home? Do you know why it's still on the wall and SOLID?

It was set in concrete. Yes, the master tile setter mixed up coarse sand and Portland cement and applied it to mesh that was nailed to the studs.

Concrete is waterproof. CLICK HERE to see the modern method of using this SAME MATERIAL.

On Demand Radio Shows

I uploaded my on-demand radio shows #10 and #11 over the past week.

If you're not listening to these shows you're MISSING OUT on some time and money-saving tips.

At the very least go look at the PHOTOS and VIDEOS on the pages so you get an idea of what was discussed as I talked on the phone to homeowners just like you.

Show #10

Show #11

Do you want me to solve your problem over the phone? You just need to take two or three GREAT photos of the problem and magic may happen.

Take the photos then CLICK HERE and fill out the form.

That's enough for a Sunday morning.

Tim Carter

Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Captain Magic Crystal Man - www.StainSolver.com
Purveyor of Adventures - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

Installing Cement Backer Board

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Tim Carter

Installing Cement Backer Board

"But when it comes to tile and what it should be applied to, I feel that cement might be the standard to a large degree. Cured cement is not damaged by water. You can immerse a piece of cement board in water for an indefinite amount of time, and it will never fall apart."

Backer Board Install Is Something You Can Do

Backer board is waterproof
Wall must be flat and in the same plane
Different easy-to-cut products
Leave a gap between pieces and caulk

DEAR TIM: I have a ceramic-tile job coming up and want to use cement backer board. I have never installed this product before, and wonder if it is really worth it.

It seems hard to work with and I'm tempted to just use a water-resistant drywall. Is cement backer board really worth the trouble? What tips can you share to make the job go easier and faster? Jackie L., Pleasant Hill, CA

Is Backer Board Better Than Other Products?

I am not against new technology when it comes to building products. There are countless examples of where a new product is much better than existing products. Plywood and oriented strand board (OSB) are excellent examples of this. Before plywood and OSB, carpenters used to deal with smaller pieces of wood that were not as dimensionally stable as plywood and OSB. Plywood and OSB also makes very good use of wood as a natural resource.

But when it comes to tile and what it should be applied to, I feel that cement might be the standard to a large degree. Cured cement is not damaged by water. You can immerse a piece of cement board in water for an indefinite amount of time, and it will never fall apart.

Cement board is MUCH BETTER than green board. Green board is a gypsum product. It's drywall that has some silicone in the core and a more water-RESISTANT paper. It WILL FALL APART over time.

Is Backer Board The Same As The Cement Mud Of Old?

There are tens of thousands of ceramic-tile installations all over the world that are hundreds of years old that are still in great shape. Almost all of these are installed directly over concrete or some cement-based material. Many older homes still standing in the USA have ceramic tile firmly attached to cement stucco that was applied over wire mesh by true craftsmen.

All that being said, there are indeed other high-performance backer boards for ceramic tile. This past summer I decided to test a newer one in my daughter's bathroom. It has a rough fiberglass face and a waterproof gypsum core. It was easier to cut than cement backer board, but the installation of the product to the wood studs was the same as far as I was concerned.

Does Backer Board Need to Be Flat?

If you want a gorgeous ceramic-tile job, you need to be sure the backer board is in the same plane and the walls are perfectly plumb. In the old days, the tile setters installing the wet cement stucco took the time to get the stucco perfectly plumb and flat, even if the wall studs were crooked, bowed or bent.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST bids from local contractors to install your backer board.

With modern cement backer board, you must get the framed walls perfectly plumb and flat. Since the cement backer board is thin and a uniform thickness, when you attach it to the studs, it simply conforms to the shape of the stud wall. This means twisted, out-of-plumb frame walls will lead to twisted, out-of-plumb ceramic tile. No one wants that.

How Do You Cut Backer Board?

The cement backer board can be cut with a circular saw with an abrasive blade, but that process creates clouds of choking dust, and can cause great damage to the saw motor. You can score the cement backer board with a hand tool that has a carbide tip. You make numerous passes along the cut line, and then apply pressure to the other side of the cement backer board along the scored line. It usually snaps the backer board in two quite nicely along the desired line.

Do You Need A Waterproof Membrane Behind Backer Board?

I also recommend a water-resistant barrier between the backer board and the wall framing. You can put overlapping layers of asphalt felt paper or go with a large sheet of plastic commonly used for a vapor barrier. This layer helps protect the wood framing from wood rot in that rare case where water would soak through the cement backer board.

When installing the cement backer board, I like to leave a 1/8-inch gap between pieces. This gap is then filled with pure silicone caulk before the ceramic tile is installed. I never allow the cement board to rest on top of a bathtub edge. If water gets to the cement board, capillary attraction can cause water to wick up into the cement backer board. I always leave a 1/4-inch gap between the top of the tub and the bottom edge of the backer board.

How Do You Fasten Backer Board To Walls?

The cement backer board can be screwed or nailed to the wood framing. Always follow the instructions printed by the manufacturer. I use hot-dipped ring-shanked nails if I am nailing. Corrosion-resistant screws can also be used. You need to make sure the cement backer board will never fall off the wall at a later date. Inferior fasteners can cause catastrophic failure if they rust.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST bids from local contractors to install your backer board.

Column 661

May 10, 2018 AsktheBuilder Fast Tips Announcement

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Tim Carter

I've got TWO cool things for you this morning and a Stain Solver tip too.

Around 7:30 am this morning, I ended one of my consult calls with Mary. She lives in steamy hot & humid Orlando, FL.

She's got a pesky problem with a flashing detail at the edge of her roof.

As I often do in these phone consults, I find it's easier to make a drawing with my colored markers than try to describe something over the phone.

I told Mary I'd make this drawing and send it to her. It only takes me a few minutes to make these crude drawings. I did the same thing years ago sitting at customers' dining room tables when making a presentation to get a job.

Mary needed a simple flashing - she's going to make it herself - and it needs an all-important hemmed edge to prevent wind-blown rain from getting into her home.

What's a hemmed edge? Look:

Hemmed Edge on Flashing

See that green weird line (sorry if you're color blind)? See how it's got a 180-degree bend at the top?

That's a hemmed edge. The red hashed lines indicate an all-important AIR GAP you must maintain.

Can you see how if rain is blown up under the shingles the hemmed edge acts like a dam and prevents the rain from getting past the flashing?

The black thing is a shingle nail that stops the flashing from going higher up under the shingles.

Hemmed edges are another example of BEST building practices that are transitioning from history to legend to myth.

Upcoming Vinyl Siding Call - Monday

Yesterday, Rick from Maryland purchased one of my consult calls. It's about some new vinyl siding about to be installed on his home. You may ponder:

"Tim, why do I need to care about Rick's silly siding?"

I'm glad you had that thought. I'll tell you why in just a moment.

Rick and I are going to talk on Monday afternoon. But BEFORE the call, I suggested he skim over this FREE vinyl siding installation manual:

Are you aware that MANY ASSOCIATIONS have fantastic FREE installation manuals showing the RIGHT WAY to install building products?

Here's why you should care about Rick's siding:

You should always download these FREE manuals and study them BEFORE you call contractors to do anything for you.

Why?

You can ask the bidding contractors specific questions about important installation details. See if THEY know WHY certain things are done.

If they answer three or four questions correctly, you may have a winner. If the person hems and haws and starts to spout some BS to you, then you might thank them for their time and give them the bum's rush.

For example: How TIGHT do you think the nails should be driven when you install vinyl siding?

Is there a reason for this? What's the reason?

What happens if you don't nail the siding correctly?

It's all in the above manual. And much much more.

You taking the time to skim, or read, the manual ensures you'll get a fantastic job with no issues down the road.

Well, so long as you pick the right contractor who will do the job right. Just put in the contract this wording:

"Contractor agrees to install the siding per the written instructions outlined in the latest edition of the Vinyl Siding Installation Manual published by the Vinyl Siding Institute."

CLICK HERE if you want to get FREE & FAST BIDS from vinyl siding contractors that will give you the correct answers.

Clean ANYTHING-OUTDOORS Video

What are you getting ready to clean outdoors?

Deck? Patio? Siding? Kayaks? Railing? Porch? Tent?

Please CLICK HERE and watch the bottom video on the page.

You'll see me showing how to clean ANYTHING outdoors using my certified organic Stain Solver oxygen bleach.

That's enough for a fast Thursday Tips e-blast.

Do you have ANY QUESTIONS???? Reply and ask them.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Captain Magic Cleaner - www.StainSolver.com
Purveyor of Invisible Audio - www.W3ATB.com
PODCAST MAN: www.askthebuilder.com/podcast/

Do It Right, Not Over!

May 8, 2018 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Tim Carter

New subscriber? Glad you're here!

Seasoned subscriber? - You know I love you too!

Warm WX has finally arrived here in central New Hampshire and that means I'll resume my decluttering project.

Last fall, I started to get rid of stuff that's accumulated in my shed, garage and the attic of my garage. I seem to have inherited a little bit of my Mom's packratitis disease.

Mom had a chronic case that I'm sure made it into one, or more, obscure medical textbooks.

Allow me to share a funny story, well I think it's funny - but Mom may have been a little embarrassed. It's important to realize I was in my mid-teens when this happened and started to get enough life experience that I could challenge Mom's fountain of knowledge.

My room was in the basement of our small house. When I was about ten years old, maybe nine, my Dad and Uncle Raymond transformed our basement garage into a paneled very private and cool bedroom.

I even had my own door to the outside world far away from the ears of my parents. You know those door hinges were well oiled, but I digress.

You got to this sanctuary by going down the stairwell that went from the kitchen down to the basement. There were pegs and hooks on the wall in the staircase. My mom saved the paper shopping bags that had those loop handles and stored them here.

Here's a photo I just took of some modern ones in my own mud room. We now have amazing fabric ones and see-through ones.

Anyway, Mom's collection grew and grew until I was constantly bumping into them as I went up and down the steps. Frequently they fell off the pegs onto the landing at the back door.

One day she was in the kitchen and I was in a rush to get somewhere. I bumped into the bags and about twenty fell to the floor. Exasperated I said, "Mom, why in the heck do you have so many of these STUPID BAGS? You'll never use them all up in your lifetime. You just keep getting more and more!"

Her response was priceless. It's as if she just said it a minute ago. In fact, when Kathy and the kids ask me why I'm saving this or that, I use the EXACT SAME LINE.

With a perfectly straight face she replied, "Timmy, they're not going to make them much longer."

Three years before I would have accepted that statement as if it were gospel. But I was now spreading my wings and discovering more of the outside world. I was connecting more dots on my own.

"WHAT?" I shrieked while shaking my head as I was picking them up and trying to get them to stop from sliding off the round pegs.

"Are you crazy? Some other company will start making them. We'll always be able to get paper bags with handles."

Mom didn't have an answer for that and I'm sure I remember her cheeks turning a slight crimson red as I had exposed her soft underbelly of packratitis. It's a fond memory to be sure!

As you can tell in the above photo, I was right and I probably have a few too many bags with handles of my own.

I also have other things that I've got too much of and I'm selling lots of it not only on Craigslist, but also on the special group pages on Facebook that are titled Garage or Yard Sale.

Believe me, there are lots of these groups in your city or town. Your junk is someone else's gold. You can transform just about anything into cold cash. Just be sure it's clean and take LOTS of photos.

CLICK HERE to see a refrigerator I just listed last night. It will be sold and in someone's house in the next 48 hours for sure.

Trust me, it feels GOOD to get rid of crap you don't need nor use any more. You then have cash to save or use to get things you really want or need now.

Getting Organized - Akro Bins Baby!

I've used Akro Bins for years to keep things organized in my garage and workshop. I was introduced to them thirty-five years ago by one of my customers, Dale Friemoth. He was a great engineer and they used him at his business. I mentioned using these bins back in my September 12, 2017 AsktheBuilder Newsletter.

These multi-colored bins come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They have a slot on the front where you can put in a heavy paper label. Almost all come with a french-cleat lip on the back so you can hang them on pegboard.

They're built to stack on top of one another. You can use colors to your advantage - storing certain types of things in the same color.

I not only stack them on my workbench, but I also have them hanging from my metal Wall Control pegboard. My metal pegboard gets lots of praise from visitors. The metal pegboard comes in all sorts of colors. It's amazing stuff.

The hooks NEVER come out of the metal pegboard like they do on the standard wood pegboard. No more frustration for me!!

Look at the photo below. You can see the Akro bins hanging from the metal pegboard in the lower left corner.

CLICK HERE to read the story about how I discovered the metal pegboard.

There's a GREAT PHOTO in the story showing my workbench and my own Akro bins hanging right where I need them. Some are also stacked on my workbench.

Cast Iron Pipe vs PVC

You may not know this, but I've been a master plumber since age 29. I love, love, love to do plumbing work. To me, it's a 3D puzzle to make all the pipes connect.

Are you building a new home or doing a major remodel? Do you suffer from Niagara Falls in your home now when someone flushes a second-floor toilet and you hear the CRASHING WATER cascading down the PVC pipes in the wall and overhead ceiling?

Did you know you can eliminate that sound by installing cast iron?

CLICK HERE to see how easy it is to do.

Free & Fast Bids From Local Contractors

What jobs do you have planned around your home this spring? I don't care what they are.

How would you like to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local contractors? No obligation.

When I say FAST, I mean it. Don't believe me?

CLICK HERE and try it out. Let me know how long it takes for you to get a phone call or email. You'll be STUNNED!

Shed Ramps - Easy to Build

Do you have an outdoor shed? How would you like to have a ramp to get things in and out with ease?

CLICK HERE and I want you to pay particular attention to the type of DOOR I use to get in and out of my shed.

Did you know you could get one that small??? I'll bet you didn't!!!

Deck & Patio Cleaning DANGER

My syndicated newspaper column that's now appearing in many papers is about the DANGERS of using chlorine bleach to clean things outdoors.

I still see MANY websites and articles saying, "Mix a 50/50 solution of BLEACH and water to clean your deck, patio, siding, blah blah blah."

The bleach they're talking about is chlorine bleach. The stuff in the white jugs you get at the grocery store.

The chemical name for chlorine bleach is sodium hypochlorite.

Chlorine bleach is the WORST THING YOU CAN USE OUTDOORS.

Chlorine bleach is VERY TOXIC to any vegetation, trees, expensive landscaping, etc.

It's FAR BETTER to use oxygen bleach. Oxygen bleach is SAFE for all outside vegetation. The solution adds beneficial oxygen to the soil!

My Stain Solver, to the best of my knowledge, is the only certified organic oxygen bleach out there.

Kathy and I own Stain Solver. We've made it for 23 years.

You may be one of our tens of thousands of REPEAT customers. If you've NOT TRIED IT YET, you're missing out.

CLICK HERE and just try a sample bottle if you're a Doubting Thomas or Thomasina.

Our sample bottle is less than $10 with FREE SHIPPING to any USA state or territory including Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

If you have any issues with it, I'll give you your money back. All I ask is that you follow the directions on the small card I include with the cute sample bottle.

If you want me to autograph your bottle, I will. Just put that note in the COMMENTS section on the checkout page. 😉

That's enough for a Tuesday.

Do you have QUESTIONS about Stain Solver? Do you want to know if it's SAFE to use on something? REPLY to this email and ASK ME.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Uncle Tim's Magic Crystals - www.StainSolver.com
Purveyor of Outdoor Adventures - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

Steel in Concrete and Wobbly Deck Railing Posts

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Tim Carter

Steel in Concrete

Question #1: Tim, my builder is telling me to forget about using reinforcing steel or mesh is my concrete driveway and patio. He says he’ll just add an inch of thickness and that’s good enough. What’s your feeling? Would you go to the effort and expense to install reinforcing steel in outdoor concrete? Carrie, Richwood, KY

Perhaps you’re about to install some new exterior concrete like Carrie. It’s an expensive undertaking and you want it to last. Hopefully, your concrete contractor has more insight than Carrie’s. If not, here’s what you need to know.

Concrete is very strong if you try to compress or squeeze it. But it’s weak if you try to bend or stretch it. When you bend or stretch concrete you’re applying tension to it. In fact, normal concrete only has one-tenth the amount of strength in tension than compression.

Carrie’s contractor may be pouring concrete that has a compressive strength of 4,000 pounds per square inch (PSI). That means it only takes 400 PSI to crack it. Standard reinforcing steel rods have a tensile strength of about 40,000 PSI. You should be able to see immediately it’s a good idea to use steel in concrete slabs!

You can use either 1/2-inch-diameter steel rods in concrete or you can purchase rolls of steel mesh that look like a giant piece of graph paper. The steel in rolls is in a 6-inch by 6-inch grid. In either case, you want the steel to be installed such that the concrete surrounds the steel by at least one or two inches.

Slabs that have concentrated loads and pressure from a certain direction will require the steel to be placed at a specific spot. Structural engineers will specify the exact placement of the steel in these situations.

You don’t need to be concerned about that for most residential work around your home. If you’re pouring a 5-inch-thick slab for a driveway, sidewalk or patio, just be sure there are at least 1.5 inches of concrete that will flow under the steel.

I like to place steel rods at 2 feet on center both directions in my exterior slabs. The benefits are tremendous. Since concrete shrinks 1/16th inch for every ten feet you pour, you know it’s going to crack. The steel keeps these cracks paper thin. Steel also prevents offsetting where one part of the slab raises up higher than the part on the other side of the crack.

You can view lots of close-up photos of steel rod placement before a concrete pour at my website. I also have three action videos there showing you steel mesh being used in a garage floor slab. CLICK HERE.

Wobbly Deck Railing Posts

Question #2: Tim, I’ve got a major problem. A remodeler is building a new deck for my daughter. I visited this past weekend and he had installed some of the deck railing posts by notching out 2 inches of material. He then just lag bolted them to the outer joist. This seems so unsafe to me and the posts feel like you can crack them off with little effort. What’s the best way to install wood deck railing posts? Mary, Billings, MT

The contractor who’s working at Mary’s daughter’s house is probably the cousin of the carpenter who put the railing on my house in New Hampshire. It’s important to realize that I didn’t build my NH house, and in the purchase contract I pointed out the unsafe railing to the owner.

Notching deck posts is a very unsafe practice. When you remove wood, you are removing strength. Lag bolts are perhaps the worst fastener you can use for a deck post. Lag bolts can be over-tightened and lose much of their holding power.

There are many code-approved methods to attach a deck post. Keep in mind the building code requirement for deck railing is a minimum requirement. This means that if you design and build the railing to meet code it’s like getting 70 percent on a test. You just barely pass. You can always build better than the code requires.

I feel the best method of connecting wood deck posts to wood deck undercarriage is to use metal deck tension tie connectors and through bolts. The deck tension tie connectors resemble joist hangers, but they’re installed on the side of the deck joists instead of under them.

Special heavy-duty bolts anchor the connector to the side of the joist and a through bolt passes through the outer deck rim joist, through the deck railing post and finally through the metal tension tie. For the railing post to fail, it must rip the tension tie out of the joist.

If you want to watch a short video showing horrible notched deck posts and the very cool metal deck tension tie you should be using, CLICK HERE.

Column 1247

Concrete Rebar Installation

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Tim Carter

Concrete Rebar

Concrete Rebar Installation Is Easy

Concrete Mesh Videos:

Shed Ramps

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Tim Carter

This shed ramp is made with treated plywood and treated 4x4 supports. It's very strong. IMPORTANT NOTE: See the door at the top of the ramp? That's a traditional overhead garage door, but it's only 6-feet wide! Yes, you can get small garage doors. Swinging shed doors don't seal well and are DANGEROUS on windy days. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

"The shed ramp project is not very difficult, however, it will require some unusual cuts with a circular saw. On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the toughest job, I would rate this project a 2.5."

How To Build A Ramp For a Shed in Hours

DEAR TIM: I'm convinced you know a great deal about shed ramps. I need to know how to build a ramp for a shed because the ground around my shed slopes. It doesn't seem that shed ramp construction would be that difficult, but I don't want to start until I have an outdoor shed ramp plan.

What is the maximum slope you can have on a shed ramp? Do you know how to build a shed ramp with wood? I want the ramp to be safe and very sturdy because my riding lawn mower is quite heavy. Jerry McG., Lees Summit, MO

Quick Start Guide For Building a Shed Ramp:

design so slope is no greater than 3 inches of rise per foot of run
purchase treated lumber plywood and treated 4x4s and 2x4s
attach a treated 2x4 to the shed that 4x4s rest on
use hot-dipped galvanized or stainless-steel screws to fasten plywood to 4x4s

Free & Fast Bids

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

How Steep Can A Shed Ramp Be?

I feel the maximum slope should be no more than 3 inches of vertical rise per horizontal foot of run. My shed ramp has this slope and it rises 24 inches from the ground to the shed floor.

The total length of my ramp is 8 feet. Try to make your ramp as long as possible so the slope is less than 3 inches for every foot of run.

If a ramp is steeper than this, you might also have a problem when the lawn tractor pulls into the shed. My lawn tractor has a belly mower. The belly mower can scrape the top of the ramp and prevent the tractor from entering the shed.

Lawn tractors with snow plows might also have an issue with a steep ramp. The blade may dig into the ramp if you try to drive the lawn tractor up into the shed.

How Do You Prevent A Ramp From Being Slippery?

The best way to keep a ramp from being slippery is to keep it clean and free of slimy algae. You can also install pure rubber mats. You must keep the rubber clean.

Rubber is excellent because it's not slippery when wet.

This is a perfect rubber mat for a shed ramp. It's 3-feet wide and 7-feet long. Place two of them side-by-side. CLICK THE IMAGE NOW to have them delivered to your home in days.

Let's discuss the slope issue. The steepness of the ramp can be a safety issue when you are both on and off the lawn tractor. If the ramp is steep and you have not cleaned it for a year or so, it might develop a slippery algae covering.

When this algae gets wet, it is more slippery than a wet bar of soap. Just walking down the ramp may have you on your posterior faster than you can say "Whooops!". If you try to drive a lawn tractor up a slippery ramp, it is possible for the tractor to slide sideways and tip over the ramp. You can get severely injured if this happens.

Stain Solver is MADE in the USA with USA ingredients that are food-grade quality. CLICK THE IMAGE to order some NOW.

Clean shed ramps with certified organic Stain Solver as soon as you see a hint of green algae or black mildew. Both can be very slippery.

The cost of cleaning the ramp is far less than what the ER bill will be. The last thing you need is a broken wrist or tailbone.

What's the Best Shed Ramp Material?

The best shed ramp materials are treated lumber 4x4's, a treated 2x4 and treated three-quarter-inch-thick plywood. You can find treated plywood at traditional lumber yards. Don't count on a big box store to carry this specialty item.

I spaced the 4x4's two feet on center as they project away from the shed. Since my ramp is 6-feet wide, I needed four 4x4s.

The ends of the 4x4s are notched using a circular saw. This notch allows them to rest on the 2x4 which is through bolted to the end joist of the shed. The notch is only one and one-half inches deep and perhaps an inch high. The two cuts that make up the notch are 90 degrees to one another, but the one cut is not parallel with the end of the 4x4.

The 2x4 is bolted to the side of the shed joist so the top of the 2x4 is 2.5 inches down from the top of the shed floor joists. If the shed floor has three-quarter inch flooring, this will allow the treated plywood of the ramp to line up nearly perfectly with the top of the shed flooring.

Once the small notches are made on the ends of the 4x4s, you can set them on top of the 2x4 and toenail them into the side of the shed joist. Use special hot-dipped galvanized nails that are 3.5 inches long.

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

How Do You Fasten the Plywood To The 4x4s?

After all of the 4x4s have been secured to the 2x4 ledger board, you cut the plywood to length and nail or screw it to the 4x4s. Use hot-dipped galvanized nails or screws for this task, but they only need to be 2.5 inches long. Recess the screw heads. Your lawn-tractor tires and bare-foot children will love you for this.

These are great screws to use for a shed ramp. CLICK THE PHOTO to have them delivered to your home.

Are There Other Shed Ramp Materials?

Shed ramps can also be made from aluminum or other metal. There are any number of companies that make ramps that can be placed permanently or used only when you need access in and out of the shed. Some ramps are slightly wider than the width of the lawn tractor tires. These must be placed very precisely so the tractor does not flip over.

If you build a solid-wood ramp like mine, you can use real rubber mats to make pathways for yourself and the lawn-tractor tires. Real rubber, when wet, is not slippery. Get rubber mats that have some bumps on them that will give you superb traction. Clean the ramp and rubber mats on a regular basis to remove any dirt, algae or moss.

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

Column 671

Gutter Covers

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Tim Carter

"I started to test different products and discovered quickly they all did a great job of keeping leaves out of my gutters. But in the spring, or after two spring seasons, all of the gutter cover products I tested FAILED."

Gutter covers are a huge business. They really came of age back in the 1990s.

Gutter Covers Work - But Most Allow Debris Into Gutters - BEWARE!

I clearly remember seeing these products multiply when I'd attend the different trade shows like the National Hardware Show and the International Builders Show.

Both of these shows have a playpen area that's got smaller booths designed for start-up companies.

If you want to see really new products, that's the best place to go in both shows. All the little guys are there and some have spectacular products such as the metal pegboard I spied at one of the shows back about fifteen years ago. But I digress.

When the gutter covers, or gutter guards as many call them, came about, I was intrigued. My own home had nearly 400 feet of gutter and huge oak, maple and gingko trees surrounded my house. Cleaning gutters was a huge task and it was dangerous.

I started to test different gutter cover products and discovered quickly they all did a great job of keeping leaves out of my gutters. But in the spring, or after two spring seasons, all of the gutter cover products I tested FAILED.

There were two primary designs:

Slots, Grooves, Holes, and Knockouts
Rounded Nose or reverse curve as the industry calls them

Goal: Water In - Everything Else Out

The slots, grooves, holes and knockout-type gutter cover were designed to let water into the gutter through the openings in the gutter cover. Big leaves couldn't pass. But small twigs, pieces of bark, pine needles, tiny leaves, roof shingle granules COULD get into the grooves and slots.

When this happened, some got into the gutter and the larger pieces CLOGGED the slots and grooves causing water to then shoot over the gutter guard onto the ground. That's BAD!

The rounded nose gutter guard works based on water's surface tension. As water flows over the metal roof of the gutter guard it tends to stick to the gutter guard and flows down into the gutter. Large leaves can't get into the slot.

The issue I discovered is, once again, all the small roof debris did get sucked down into the gutter.

Gutter Cover Test FAILURE Results

After a few years, my CLEAN gutters had an inch or two of organic MUCK in them. So much for great gutter covers!

Another reason they failed is that many gutter covers lay very flat over the gutters. This creates a shelf where debris can collect. The best design is to have the gutter cover be sloped and that slope should match the slope or pitch of the roof.

Here's a quick cross-section showing how the gutter guard - in green - is in the same plane as the roofing material. The drawing is not to scale. I used to make drawings like this sitting at customers' kitchen tables. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

The Best Gutter Cover - Micromesh

Finally, I discovered a new product years ago that was made from a remarkable ultra-fine stainless steel mesh. It reminded me of pantyhose fabric. The openings in the mesh were SO SMALL that you could barely get the head of a pin through it.

I thought they'd never allow water through. I KNEW they'd stop all the small debris from entering the gutter but would water flow through the mesh?

YES! They worked! You can discover MORE about the gutter covers I ended up using on my house just below. Click the link next to the STOP sign after the two videos.

Here are two videos that show you my test results.

Well, I have Amazon affiliate links throughout my site showing you great tools and products I own and use. Thousands of my newsletter subscribers BEG ME to tell them about the products I love and they have no issue with me getting a small commission as does a real estate agent, a car salesman or any other person who invests their time to help you make an INFORMED DECISION.

You could spend years and tens of thousands of dollars testing different gutter covers yourself, or you can just accept that I've invested all that time and money for you. That's fair, isn't it?

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Is a New Home Cost the Sum Of Its Parts?

What is the First Thing I Need to for a New Home Cost Calculator?

Where Can I Get a New Home Cost Calculator?

What Causes The Cost Number to Be Inaccurate?

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Upcoming Vinyl Siding Call - Monday

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Getting Organized - Akro Bins Baby!

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Shed Ramps - Easy to Build

Deck & Patio Cleaning DANGER

Steel in Concrete

Wobbly Deck Railing Posts

Concrete Rebar

Concrete Rebar Installation Is Easy

How To Build A Ramp For a Shed in Hours

Quick Start Guide For Building a Shed Ramp:

How Steep Can A Shed Ramp Be?

How Do You Prevent A Ramp From Being Slippery?

What's the Best Shed Ramp Material?

How Do You Fasten the Plywood To The 4x4s?

Are There Other Shed Ramp Materials?

Gutter Covers Work - But Most Allow Debris Into Gutters - BEWARE!

Goal: Water In - Everything Else Out

Gutter Cover Test FAILURE Results

The Best Gutter Cover - Micromesh

Expert Advice For Your Home