April 10, 2016 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Holy Cucumber, the week FLEW past! Does it do the same for you?

I've made enormous progress on the bathroom remodel here. Yesterday I got two of the three new walls up. The third one will go up tomorrow after I spend today in a cramped and dark space above a basement closet.

While doing all the demolition for the basement bathroom, I now have access to the underside of the master bathroom floor, although some of the floor is over an adjacent closet that has a partial dropped ceiling to accommodate master bathroom plumbing drain pipes.

I'll be in this space installing a very cool radiant heating heat transfer plates. Don't worry, I'll be doing a video or two today so you don't have to wonder what these are all about.

Suffice it to say the idiot builder who built the house I'm living in - and I blame the owner too - didn't spend the extra - are you sitting down???? - $50 to make sure the master bathroom tile floor was warm and toasty.

Did I fail to mention the master bathroom of my house faces north? Did I fail to mention that my master bathroom has THREE EXTERIOR walls with FIVE WINDOWS?

Did I fail to mention the master bathroom has two SMALL baseboard radiant heaters that barely keep the room comfortable when the outside temperature drops below 40 F?

After today, the tile floor is going to be luxuriously WARM!!

Here's the BEST PART:

If you have a master bath floor that's COLD like mine and it's over a basement or crawlspace where you have access to the underside of the floor, you can do what I'm doing!

You don't have to have a monster boiler and expensive radiant heating system!

You can install a very small water heater, about 100 feet of PEX piping, a small circulating pump and you'll have a delightful TOASTY WARM floor!

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CLICK HERE NOW to Discover the BEST Exterior House Paint Ingredients. I used this to paint MY HOUSE.
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LAST CALL to See Amazing Doors

This is your last chance for many months to see some of the most amazing doors and door hardware I know of.

CLICK the following links and reply back to me if you're so inclined about what you like most about them.

I LOVE the one door that has the crown molding shelf above the stunning glass converging doors.

I'm convinced Kathy will have me doing this here at our home.

Here are the links:

Amazing Door #1

Amazing Door #2

Amazing Door #3

Amazing Door #4

Install Amazing Door Hardware Video

BIG Ass LED Garage / Shop Light

I've been testing a very powerful garage / shop LED light that may be of interest to you.

Please don't be upset about my crass language. That's the name of it.

  • This light is very powerful and bright.
  • This light is durable.
  • This could be the last garage light you buy.
  • Other things about it will AMAZE you.

Be SURE to leave comments at the bottom of the review page!!

CLICK HERE to read my review of the Big Ass LED Light.

New Bathroom Remodel Videos for You!

How to Remove Cement Board

How to Remove a Shower Pan - PART ONE

How to Remove a Shower Pan - PART TWO

How to FIND Radiant Heat Pipes in a Concrete Slab

Look at this thermal image photo below.

CLICK IT to watch a thermal image video I shot of my basement floor with the FLIR thermal imaging camera!

If you want to BUY one of the fantastic FLIR thermal imaging cameras, CLICK HERE.

That's quite enough for today.

Oh, if you like my ham radio stories, you may like these two recent ones:

Amazing Rumi's Bulgarian Photos

STEM Day at Belmont NH Middle School

I'll be back next week!

Oh, in case you hadn't noticed, NOTHING IS CHANGING in my newsletter.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

DIY Shed AsktheBuilder How to Notch a Post Video

Tim Carter shows why a notched post is better than bolting a beam to a post.

For more DIY Shed building tips and information and to purchase the actual plans for the shed in this video, click the following links:

SHED PLANNING: https://www.askthebuilder.com/how-to-plan-a-shed

SHEDS for STORAGE: https://www.askthebuilder.com/storage-sheds

GARDEN SHEDS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/garden-sheds

SHED RAMPS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/shed-ramps/

ACTUAL SHED PLANS: http://go.askthebuilder.com/plans

DIY Shed AsktheBuilder How to Install Hold Down Anchor Video


Tim Carter explains the parts of a typical hold down anchor and how to connect a wood post to a concrete pier using one.

The hold down anchor prevents uplift. Strong winds can lift a wood shed from a foundation causing it to tumble across a yard or field.

For more DIY Shed building tips and information and the actual plans for the shed in this video, click the following links:

SHED PLANNING: https://www.askthebuilder.com/how-to-plan-a-shed

SHEDS for STORAGE: https://www.askthebuilder.com/storage-sheds

GARDEN SHEDS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/garden-sheds

SHED RAMPS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/shed-ramps/

ACTUAL SHED PLANS: http://go.askthebuilder.com/plans

Big Ass LED Light Review

big ass light

This is the Big Ass LED light. It's small, but it puts out LOTS of light. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

Big Ass LED Light - Small but Bright!

A few months ago, I was approached by the fine folks at Haiku Home. They make fans and they recently started to dip their toes into the LED light marketplace announcing their Big Ass LED Light.

The engineers at Haiku Home came up with a durable, futuristic, and BRIGHT LED light meant for garages, shops and any other place where you need lots of light but not a big electric bill.

What are the Specs of the Big Ass Light?

This 2-foot light fixture made from a one-piece cast aluminum body puts out a brilliant 13,000 lumens while only sipping just 122 watts from your local electric provider. The color temperature of the light is very close to what you'd see at high noon on a clear day.

What is the Color Temperature of the Big Ass Light?

You can expect 5,000 Kelvin out of these lights so you get excellent color rendition with whatever you're working on.

How Much Does it Weigh?

When I first took delivery of the lights, I was astonished at what the lights weighed. I wondered if they incorporated lead weights in them.

I estimate the light weighs 15, or more, pounds. They're beefy and definitely deliver with respect to the THUD factor.

big ass lights

Click the image to purchase this light.

How Do You Hang the Lights?

You hang the lights with two included S-hooks. A standard three-prong plug provides the needed electrons. This means you'll have to adapt a standard lightbox in your ceiling to an outlet that you might find on a wall.

Does the Big Ass Light Have a Motion Sensor?

The light comes equipped with a motion sensor that can be adjusted to suit your needs for how you use your garage or workspace. This is a very handy feature and a twist of the sensor allows you to adjust the length of time you want the light on each time you activate the switch.

You can visit the Haiku Home site for all the details about this amazing light fixture.

How Much Does the Big Ass Light Cost?

My biggest complaint with this wonderful light was its price. At the time I'm writing this review, you have to part with just a few pennies under four hundred dollars for one of these at your local big box store.

For some reason, there's a very wide disparity in price if you go to Amazon.com where the light is listed at an astonishing $599.00 at the time this review was published in early April 2016.

The Big Ass LED Light comes with a corresponding big-ass price tag that many might not be willing to spend.

Garage Series Light

Click here to purchase this light

With that in mind, I decided to ask Clay Moran at Haiku Home some questions.  I was trying to get my head wrapped around why a garage light would be so costly.

Here they are with his thorough responses:

Why are the lights so expensive?  Can you go into detail as to what makes them retail for $500 when you can go to Amazon and get similar light fixtures for far less?

There are several reasons our lights are the priced the way they are. These fixtures are-and I mean this sincerely-not comparable to anything else out there.  They are incredibly bright – brighter than (16) 60-watt bulbs.  Each light is assembled in the U.S. and every light goes through a burn out period before they are shipped to ensure the highest quality.  The benefit of this is we catch any faulty LED bulbs before they are shipped out. Most lighting manufacturers test one fixture for every 100 they sell.  Our lights are made of one solid piece of extruded aluminum, which means you never have to worry about breaking bulbs in your shop. Our lights are so durable, in fact, that you can drive a 4 ton truck over them without a scratch. We know, because we did it - see here.   The expected lifetime on our LED’s blows CFL’s out of the water and means that you should never have to purchase another light. Most companies provide a 1-year warranty, and we provide a full 7-year warranty that includes the driver (power supply).     

 

Are there vast differences in components? If so, what? Please go into great detail about how you might have far superior components vs the other brands.

In addition to the information above, the Amazon link that you sent primarily shows bulbs, while our product is an entire fixture with lighting already installed. Besides hanging or securing as preferred, the only real installation required is plugging our light into an outlet. Further, when installed with the occupancy sensors, our customers have the potential for energy cost savings from eliminating wasted time with the light on.

 

The lights seem unnaturally heavy. Why? Was the weight done for the THUD factor because of the price?

Not at all, as mentioned above,  we want our lights to be the last our customers have to buy, so they are made from one solid piece of extruded aluminum for maximum durability. This comes with some extra weight!

 

Who is your customer? What is the demographic? Very few have the spare cash to spend $500 for a garage or shop light.

We have a huge demographic of customers- most male, 30’s-60’s in age, and especially popular among the wood-working population and for customers who work on cars or other projects in their garage and require bright, long-lasting, durable lighting.  

 

Any other information you can provide to justify the cost would be quite helpful.

An additional feature that adds convenience and ease of use to the lights is the easily removable lumen maintenance trays. These can be removed, cleaned, and replaced in just minutes, which is fantastic for folks with a lot of sawdust, grease, or other grime flying around their shop or garage.

DIY Shed AsktheBuilder How to Install Through Bolts Video

Tim Carter demonstrates how to install through bolts while assembling a wood floor system on wood 6 x 6 posts for a DIY shed.

Through bolts make for a better connection than lag bolts. Lag bolts are unacceptable because if the installer over tightens them, the wood fibers get shredded by the coarse threads and the connection becomes very weak.

Through bolts work much like iron rivets when connecting steel plates. Rivets are time-tested connection and work well.

For more DIY Shed building tips and information and to purchase the actual plans for the shed in this video, click the following links:

SHED PLANNING: https://www.askthebuilder.com/how-to-plan-a-shed

SHEDS for STORAGE: https://www.askthebuilder.com/storage-sheds

GARDEN SHEDS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/garden-sheds

SHED RAMPS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/shed-ramps/

ACTUAL SHED PLANS: http://go.askthebuilder.com/plans

DIY Shed AsktheBuilder How to Build a Wood Frame Floor Part 1 Video

How to Build a Wood Frame Floor Part 1

Tim Carter demonstrates in this DIY Shed series how to build a wood frame floor using treated lumber and 6 x 6 wood posts.

Earlier in this video series and playlist, Carter showed how to build and notch the wood posts.

For more DIY Shed building tips and information and to purchase the actual plans for the shed in this video, click the following links:

SHED PLANNING: https://www.askthebuilder.com/how-to-plan-a-shed

SHEDS for STORAGE: https://www.askthebuilder.com/storage-sheds

GARDEN SHEDS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/garden-sheds

SHED RAMPS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/shed-ramps/

ACTUAL SHED PLANS: http://go.askthebuilder.com/plans

DIY Shed AsktheBuilder How to Check for Cupped Lumber Video

Tim Carter demonstrates how to use the straight edge of a framing square to check to see if a wide piece of lumber is cupped.

Cupped lumber is when there's a hollow spot on one side and a hump on the other side. You don't want a cupped piece of lumber as the outer band board of a floor joist system because it makes it harder to square things up.

For more DIY Shed building tips and information and to purchase the actual plans for the shed in this video, click the following links:

SHED PLANNING: https://www.askthebuilder.com/how-to-plan-a-shed

SHEDS for STORAGE: https://www.askthebuilder.com/storage-sheds

GARDEN SHEDS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/garden-sheds

SHED RAMPS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/shed-ramps/

ACTUAL SHED PLANS: http://go.askthebuilder.com/plans

DIY Shed AsktheBuilder How to Crown Lumber Video

Tim Carter shows how to look down a wide piece of lumber to check for crown. Crown is the hump you'll often see in a piece of lumber.

You always want the crown to be pointing up to the sky. To visualize what crown is, look at most modern bridges. The center of the bridge is always higher than the ends. Modern roads are also crowned. The center of a roadway is higher than the edges so water drains off to the sides of the road.

You want the crown pointing up so when the beam or lumber has a load on it, it tends to flatten out from the weight.

For more DIY Shed building tips and information and to purchase the actual plans for the shed in this video, click the following links:

SHED PLANNING: https://www.askthebuilder.com/how-to-plan-a-shed

SHEDS for STORAGE: https://www.askthebuilder.com/storage-sheds

GARDEN SHEDS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/garden-sheds

SHED RAMPS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/shed-ramps/

ACTUAL SHED PLANS: http://go.askthebuilder.com/plans

DIY Shed AsktheBuilder Wood Floor Beam on Posts Video

Tim Carter shows off the first wood floor support beam in place on top of the four 6 x 6 posts. All the post notches are in contact with the bottom of the beam providing a continuous load path down to the poured concrete piers.

For more DIY Shed building tips and information and to purchase the actual plans for the shed in this video, click the following links:

SHED PLANNING: https://www.askthebuilder.com/how-to-plan-a-shed

SHEDS for STORAGE: https://www.askthebuilder.com/storage-sheds

GARDEN SHEDS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/garden-sheds

SHED RAMPS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/shed-ramps/

ACTUAL SHED PLANS: http://go.askthebuilder.com/plans

DIY Shed AsktheBuilder How to Make a Wood Floor Beam Video

How to Make a Wood Floor Beam

Tim Carter shows step one of how to create a beam for a wood floor system. He talks about how to create a splice. Part two of the process is in the next video in this playlist.

For more DIY Shed building tips and information and to purchase the actual plans for the shed in this video, click the following links:

SHED PLANNING: https://www.askthebuilder.com/how-to-plan-a-shed

SHEDS for STORAGE: https://www.askthebuilder.com/storage-sheds

GARDEN SHEDS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/garden-sheds

SHED RAMPS: https://www.askthebuilder.com/shed-ramps/

ACTUAL SHED PLANS: http://go.askthebuilder.com/plans