Hail Demolishes Roof

Posted on by Tim Carter

Back in 2010, a hailstorm of epic proportions pummeled the roof of Dean Imel's house in Nichols Hill, Oklahoma. Dean exclaimed,

"This was the worst hail storm I'd ever seen," says Imel, who lives in Nichols Hills, Oklahoma. "The ground was completely dry, yet the force of the hail penetrated almost four inches into the soil. Our roof looked like someone had taken a Rototiller to it … the devastation was massive."

While there's no close up photo of the roof before the storm, You can imagine it from the picture taken at the back of the house where the pool is. You can see it would have been a great tile roof.

Look at the size of the hailstones.

Dean decided to never have a problem again. That's why he went for DaVinci Roofscapes® that's made from a polymer. It'll last for decades, looks like real slate and can stand the abuse of hail.

All photos supplied by Dean Imel.

 

If you want to submit pictures and the story behind your project, CLICK HERE to go to the Before & After Submission Page.

April 10, 2012 AsktheBuilder Newsletter & Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

Last week, I had the pleasure of working on the land Kathy and I bought here in New Hampshire about six years ago. My friend Peter let me use his Kubota excavator for two days. An excavator is a machine that has tracks, a small bulldozer blade and the all-powerful toothed bucket that digs ditches.

It's a perfect machine for clawing rocks out of the ground. Here's a secret most people don't know. You can rent tiny versions of these machines to dig small holes and trenches at your own home. This could come in handy planting a large tree or some other project that requires lots of digging.

Here's a link to a very tiny one. Imagine how this could save your back on a job around your home!

The one I was operating was more like this one. It was bigger than this machine, had an enclosed cab and did have the thumb so you could grab onto the rocks.

The point is, just imagine what you can pick up with these great machines: large tree trunks, stumps, granite curbing, rocks, etc.

Just before Christmas last year, I hired a man to come in and clear out all the brush on the sides of the driveway. Hundreds of gorgeous rounded boulders were lying about, and some were partially buried. They ranged in size from a cantaloupe to a large riding lawn mower. The largest rock I dug out and moved was egg-shaped and measured 5 feet by 3 feet. It was a monster.

I moved the rocks to the tree line and used them to build some rustic rock walls. Some of the walls were actually on the property line, but most look like random walls stacked long-ago by one of the original land owners to create a pasture. This summer I've decided to go back for a week and dig out thousands more of these great rocks.

Just under the surface are thousands and thousands of these *eggs* that were tumbled smooth by the motion of the last continental glacier that covered New Hampshire just 12,000 years ago. Heck, it covered all of New England, much of the Midwest and extended all the way back to the North Pole.

These egg-shaped rocks are a prized commodity up here. Wall builders and landscapers covet the rounded boulders. Most of the rounded rocks have long since been used up. The boulders and rocks you do see being used now are angular and have a stark unweathered appearance.

Suffice it to say I had a great time up there working for two days - just me, the machine, diesel fumes and blue sky.

The largest rock I dug up

Here are some photos I took on Easter Sunday morning of the work I accomplished. I decided to go back to the land to see if the Easter Bunny had transformed any of the rocks into dark chocolate. Sadly, I was disappointed. These photos may inspire you to build a simple rock wall in your yard. It's not hard to do.

This week I'll be programming some frequencies into my ham radios. Why? I'm one of the 200 or so ham radio operators providing critical communications for the Boston Marathon on April 16th. That will be one long day. I'll probably have next week's newsletter out a day late so I can give you a full report on any action I witnessed at the marathon.

 

Annual Deck Cleaning Tip

Let's say you want to just clean your deck each spring, and the sealer on the deck is still in good shape. What should you do?

It's easy. Just try regular liquid dish soap and water. I'd mop it on, or apply the soapy solution with a hand pump sprayer. Scrub lightly, and rinse with water. You should be good to go.

Don't use my Stain Solver on your deck if the sealer appears to the naked eye to be in good shape. There's a very good chance some of the top layer of the sealer is sun damaged and barely holding on. My powerful oxygen bleach will remove the sealer creating a blotchy appearance, whereas regular dish soap won't budge the sun-damaged pigmented sealer.

 

Glass and Metal Countertops

Were you one of the winners of the Mega-Millions lottery last week? Did a rich aunt just go back to Heaven leaving you the cash she couldn't take with her? Are you a hedge fund manager? Or, do you love looking at really cool building products that are often way out of your financial reach? I'm like that. There are so many things I'd like to have but just can't afford them.

If you like window or monitor shopping as we now call it, then check out the metal, wood and glass countertops that Craft Art has. You better have a napkin or a bib handy. You may end up drooling.

 

Stain Solver Sale Ends at MIDNIGHT

Just as I thought, the Stain Solver Sale is going down in company history as a monster success. The annual spring sale ended , April 10, 2012, at midnight Eastern Standard Time.

A few of the sizes have sold out and are on backorder. We FULLY expect to ship out all orders by April 19th at the latest. We appreciate your patience!

You better order now if you want some at the sale price. If you want my new Deck Cleaning and Sealing Your Deck eBook at the same time, you want to order the Stain Solver from my AsktheBuilder.com cart.

Stain Solver cleans just about anything. Kathy C., from Pensacola, FL, used it to clean off offensive organic oak blossom stains from her pride and joy. Go read about it.

 

Tip of the Week - Change Your Washing Machine Hoses

Do you have black rubber hoses that feed water to your washing machine? Is your washing machine in some finished space? If so, these rubber hoses WILL burst one day. I urge you to install hoses that are wrapped in stainless-steel fabric. This metallic covering helps to prevent blowouts.

Millions of dollars of damage happen each year from washing machine hoses that burst. Every month I get at least one email from a subscriber talking about an accident.

Imagine the nightmare if you were gone all day when water started flowing in your absence? I know, you feel you're safe because you turn off the water supply to the machine when it's not in use. Remember, the hoses can burst while you're at home doing laundry and in another room where you can't hear the mini Niagara Falls.

 

Would You Review My Cleaning and Sealing Your Deck eBook?

Last week I launched my latest eBook, Cleaning and Sealing Your Deck. Perhaps you were one who purchased it. If you liked the content in the eBook, would you be willing to help me?

Could you please go to the page on Amazon.com and leave a positive review? You can leave a review at Amazon even if you purchased it at my shopping cart. It would be sincerely appreciated.

 

The Mac Virus ALERT Email

You may be one of my subscribers that got freaked out last week when I sent out the blast about the Mac virus. That's one of the benefits of being on my list. I try to watch your back, as you get this newsletter electronically. That means I want your computer healthy. I happen to have good friends who have their ears to the ground and get early warnings of viruses.

I got all sorts of replies, some frantic, most thanking me for being helpful, but the one from Ron B. made me laugh out loud. Ron obviously has a great sense of humor. Here's what he said about my ALERT: "You beat the Drudge Report on getting the news out. Clinton could have used Stain Solver!" Thanks, Ron B.

Here's what I'd like to share about that alert. I send those out as a public service. I'm not Ask the Mac or PC Guy. Nor am I AsktheGeekSquad. I'm AsktheBuilder. That means I can't offer any hand holding when it comes to your computer. All I do is tell you there could be a problem, and try to point you in the right direction should you need help.

I tried, in my blog post, to give you a place to go if you had issues. That's the best I can offer. Please understand that when I do these alerts in the future, it's in the spirit of me trying to help you, not frustrate you.

 

Video of the Week - Plumbing Vent Pipes 101

You may not know this, but I'm a master plumber. I love doing plumbing work. Many people are unaware of the importance of plumbing vent pipes and what purpose they serve. Watch this video to discover something new!

 

Q & A of the Week - Poured Concrete vs. Concrete Block Foundation Walls

DEAR TIM: What is the difference between concrete block and poured concrete foundation walls? Which one is better? The lot I am going to build upon has a seasonably high water table. Which of the wall systems would insure a dry basement? Diane J., Redwood Falls, MN

DEAR DIANE: I think it might have been easier to answer a question such as: Is a glorious sunrise more beautiful than a magnificent sunset? The truth of the matter is that both building materials - concrete block and poured concrete - can yield superior foundation walls so long as they are.....

Click here to read how to build strong foundation walls!

Sincerely,
Tim Carter

Lamp Post Pole Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: The house I grew up in had a lamp post out by the street. I'd like to install one and wonder if it's too hard to do. What are my options when it comes to lamp posts, and how are they set into the ground? Will I need an electrician to provide power to the light post, or is that a DIY job? What happens if the electric cable has to pass under a finished driveway? What other things do I need to be worried about? Shawn D. Akron, OH

DEAR SHAWN: It's really funny, but I grew up in the city and lamp posts in front yards were pretty rare. I never gave it much thought until I moved to a rural area and realized how dark it is at night when you don't have all those municipal streetlights flooding the streets and driveway entrances with light. I've got a lamp post here at my house in the country, and it's a welcome sight driving down my pitch-black road on a cloudy night!

Here's a lamp post pole doing double duty with an attached mailbox. Photo Credit: Tim Carter

The degree of difficulty with respect to installing the actual post depends on the post you'll be using. If you decide to get a solid granite lamp post like I have, you'll need several friends or a small crane to install it. However, if you purchase a common steel or aluminum tube lamp post, it'll be a solo job that you can accomplish with little effort.

As with any digging, that chore can be easy or tough depending on the soil conditions where you live. If your soil is a modest clay, you might have no issues slicing through it if it's moist. A sandy soil is dreamy to dig as it offers little resistance. But you may be cursed with rocky soil, and have all sorts of issues with large rocks at your post location.

Perhaps the biggest issue, and hardest job, is digging the trench from the house to the lamp post if you want a conventional 120-volt power supply that you control from the house. The added benefit if you decide to provide power like this, is that you can have a handy power outlet at the base of the lamp post. This can be very convenient if, for some reason, you need electricity out by the post for something other than a light.

If you don't want to go to all the trouble to run a power line to the post, solar-powered lamp post lights are the way to go. This will be your least expensive option, and if you have friendly soil, you could have a working lamp post up in less than 30 minutes.

If you're not familiar with the National Electric Code, and all the nuances of working with electricity, I suggest you hire an electrician. You may be able to save money by doing the required trenching and drilling of holes to get the electric cable from the switch location to the lamp post. Be sure you're crystal clear on where the trench goes and how deep it must be.

Before you ever put a spade or shovel into the ground for this project be sure to call 811 or go to call811.com or callbeforeyoudig.com to have all underground utilities marked for you. It can take up to three days for a worker to come out and mark where danger lurks.

Digging on your own land or out in the public right of way near the street without knowing where buried utilities are can be expensive and deadly if you make a mistake. What's more, understand that the markings on the ground can be off just a little bit. Always dig slowly and carefully within 2 feet of any painted mark on the soil.

If you need to get a cable under a driveway or a sidewalk, there are any number of ways to do this. Once again, clay and sandy soils can be your friend here while rocky soils will give you fits.

Years ago when I was a young builder, the backhoe operator I used had a clever device he had made. It was a 14-foot long steel tube that had a flared cone tip much like a missile.

He would dig a trench perpendicular to the driveway or sidewalk deep enough so as to not be too close to the underside of the pavement. The tube would be placed in the trench and he would use the backhoe's powerful hydraulics to push the tube through the soil like a needle going through fabric. A simple hole on the other side of the driveway revealed the tip of the tube. The hole that was created was 6 inches in diameter which was plenty to insert a PVC conduit.

You can create your own tunnel under a driveway or sidewalk using a PVC pipe that has one end cut at a 45-degree angle much like the tip of a hypodermic needle. I prefer to use a smaller diameter 2-inch PVC pipe for this job. You use this in the same way as my backhoe operator, but you tap the square end of PVC pipe gently with a sledgehammer so it penetrates the soil about 3 inches.

The sharp end of the PVC pipe cuts into the soil as it's tapped by the hammer. Rotate the pipe to cut the soil. Pull the pipe out of the soil and remove the soil plug from inside the pipe. Repeat this operation until you've created a nice round tunnel under the sidewalk or driveway. This method has never failed me in the nice Midwest clay soils!

You can watch an informative video that shows a video on how to creatively tunnel under a sidewalk or a driveway at www.AsktheBuilder.com. Just click this link "underground wire tunnel video" or type that phrase into the AsktheBuilder.com search engine.

Column 930

Build a Deck for the Shed

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hey Tim,

This was my weekend project before Easter. Building a deck for my shed next to my waterfalls/pond. It took me about 3 1/2 days to complete it by myself.

It is made out of pressure treated lumber 5/4 deck planks, and the framing is 2x6's. I used 12', 16', and 20' deck planks so I wouldn't have any but seams. It has some crazy angles to it, but you have to do what you have to do to make it work.

Now instead of sitting on a rock to watch my fish , I can sit in a chair.

Thanks for looking.

Mike Rignola

All photos by Mike Rignola.

Mike Rignola's Deck for his Shed

The shed before the deck

Mike Rignola's Deck for his Shed

The deck framing during construction

Mike Rignola's Deck for his Shed

The finished deck in front of the shed and next to the pond

 

If you want to submit pictures and the story behind your project, CLICK HERE to go to the Before & After Submission Page.

EB015 Cleaning & Sealing Deck Cover

Apple & Mac Computer Users – Please Read

Posted on by Tim Carter

If you have an Apple or Mac computer, READ this NOW. If you don't, you can just delete this message.

I'm really lucky to be part of a very exclusive and secret group of Internet entrepreneurs. In the group are some very savvy computer users and Apple and Mac experts.

I just got an alert from one member, and he said I could share it.

There's a nasty Trojan virus injection that has infected many Mac computers.

Fortunately, it's EASY to see if your machine is infected.

I created step-by-step instructions showing you what to do at my personal blog.

I hope all is well with your machine.

I'll be reaching out to you with a newsletter next Tuesday. I just got a really cool IRWIN level today that I'll be reviewing for you. There's other news too about glass countertops. 

Mortar For Stone Veneer Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hi, I'm Tim Carter and have you ever wondered how stones get affixed to walls, such as a fireplace surround? How did the stone mason get those to stick and stay on the wall?

One thing they didn't do was to use that liquid-nail stuff in a tube. What really happened is the mason mixed up some sand and Portland cement and then stuck the stones to the wall. But if he was really good, he put in some hydrated lime.

This stone wall is inside the house and it's not subject to much weather. But many places have a stone wall on the outside, where it's stuck to a masonry wall or you want to stick it to a wood frame house that has a stucco finish.

Mortar Recipe for Stone Veneer TipDo you know what? If you want to do that and want it to stand the test of time, you need to mix up a real, special mixture of Portland cement, sand and lime. And there is another special trick.

If you want to know more about that and exactly how to do it, click on the image to find out how. If you want to put stone on a wall, all you have to do is mix up sand, Portland cement, lime and water.

April 3, 2012 AsktheBuilder Newsletter & Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

Yesterday, I had lunch with a great couple, Mike and Kathy, who live in Cincinnati, OH. They were up here in New Hampshire looking at land and houses. They're thinking of moving up here.

Fortunately, they had some really good weather, and they saw at least one house that is of great interest to them. They wondered about the snow, wildlife and a few other things, including the much-maligned black flies. Well, they deserve all that malignity as far as I'm concerned.

I suggested to Mike and Kathy that they construct a free-standing, screened-in porch in the backyard of the house. I did this years ago for a client who had magnificent plantings in her yard.

The screened-in structure was only away from the house about 15 feet, so it was not a journey to get to it. But the effect of sitting in this space surrounded by plants, flowers and other things was magical. Keep that in mind if a screened-in porch is in your future.

 

Stain Solver Sale!

Stain Solver Oxygen BleachIf you're a long-time subscriber to this newsletter, you know that spring means Stain Solver. If you're a new subscriber, Stain Solver is, perhaps, the most powerful and the purest oxygen bleach made completely in the USA, with USA ingredients. I know for a fact that many other oxygen-bleach products have raw materials sourced in China: Land of the Tainted Dog Food, Lead Paint in Toys, etc.

Most people who purchase Stain Solver during the annual spring sale use it to clean decks, wood and vinyl fences and boat docks. But there are hundreds of other uses for the product. If it's water washable, you can almost always clean it with Stain Solver.

Just today, I was on the phone with Kathy in Pensacola, FL. She wanted to know if she could use it to clean red spots that were on her 2002 Honda car. The spots were caused by trees in her yard. I said absolutely yes, so long as she followed some special instructions that I had emailed her.

The sale is only going to last for one week. We'll have the sale end on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at midnight Eastern Standard Time. We're extending the sale because Easter is this coming Sunday.

Here's what you need to know. I fully expect to sell out. We did sell out of all inventory during the New Year sale in January, of all months! So I'm terrified the demand will be so strong we'll sell out again.

We stocked up the warehouse AND we have a huge manufacturing run starting next Monday. But even then, I expect to sell out of certain sizes.

If you need your Stain Solver soon, then I BEG you to order now. Not tomorrow, not this weekend, and most certainly not next week when I remind you. If you order NOW, I'm almost positive you'll have it shipped immediately.

The sale is 10% off the two small sizes (SS02, SS05) and 15% off the three bigger sizes (SS09, SS18, SS50). Of course, we now offer Stain Solver with Free Shipping to the lower 48. That's a significant savings on the bigger sizes.

 

Cleaning and Sealing Your Deck eBook

The AsktheBuilder team burned the midnight oil to get another thing ready for the Spring Stain Solver Sale - my latest eBook.

Cleaning & Sealing Your Deck eBookMy guess is you feel you know everything about this topic, after all, how hard is it to clean and seal a deck? Well, you can make a boatload of mistakes.

Too many people come to me each year asking for help after they've ruined their decks while cleaning them. Many more are frustrated because the expensive sealer they applied peeled. Others wonder why their deck turns gray in such a short time.

I cover all of this and much, much more. Before I wrote this book, I did some research. I could not find any other book like it - no authoritative book about the process of cleaning and sealing. I did find a small chapter about the topic in another book, however, no book that was devoted entirely to the topic.

Wait till you see everything that's in the eBook. One of the best parts, in my opinion, is Chapter 10 - Homeowner Questions. These are real questions. Some are unbelievable. Wait till you see them. I guarantee you that you will discover at least one new thing about deck cleaning and sealing. I know for a fact I'll debunk at least one myth.

One of the best parts is that buying the eBook gives you secret access to a massive test I'm starting in a month. In May of this year, I'm beginning a side-by-side test of many brands of deck sealers on both cedar and treated lumber. Tests like this are done all the time by the manufacturers of the sealers, but they NEVER give the public access to the results.

You can buy this eBook at two places:

  • AsktheBuilder.com shopping cart
  • Amazon.com (link is below)

Go here to purchase the new eBook from my cart. It's only $4.

You get a 20% discount over the price of the eBook at the Amazon Kindle store for this next week if you buy it from my cart. My version is a standard PDF file that everyone can usually open on their computer.

If you purchase this eBook from me, and I truly hope you do, would you do me a favor? If you feel it's worthy of a great review, can you go to Amazon.com and leave one for me? It will really help me sell the ebook to the world. Thank you so much. Here's the link to it on Amazon.com.

 

Crown Molding in 60 Minutes or Less!

Back in 1999, I published my first eBook. It was everything you wanted to know about crown molding. It sold really well, but now it's time to update it with new photos and really shrink the size of the book. Why, you ask?

I discovered that 90-percent of the buyers just wanted to discover how to put the molding up in a regular room with inside corners and maybe an outside corner. So that's all this new book is going to cover. Nothing more.

I will discuss using a compound cut miter saw, I'll discuss using a coping saw, and then I'll tell you how I cut crown molding perfectly every time NOT using these two tools.

Would you help me? What are your questions about crown molding with regards to just standard inside and outside cuts?

Please don't ask questions about vaulted ceilings, crown on cabinets, crown going up staircases, etc. I cover all that in my existing eBook. Here's my existing Crown Molding eBook that covers just about every situation. But don't buy it if you want the new one.

Please reply to this email and if you would change the Subject Line to: Crown Molding, that would be great. Just ask me anything you want about regular inside and outside corners, nailing questions, splices, caulking, uneven ceilings, etc. Thanks in advance!

 

Video of the Week - Blacktop Crack Repair

Last week, I got countless emails thanking me for my Tip of the Week. It was about disguising a blacktop crack repair. Would you like to watch a video of me doing it? I thought so! Enjoy!

 

Tip of the Week - High-Performance House Paint

Are you going to be painting the outside of your house this spring? Do you want to use a house paint that really lasts and lasts? You want one that contains as much urethane resin as possible.

I've been using urethane house paints for over ten years and the results are spectacular. Sherwin Williams has made one called Duration for years. You may be able to discover other brands with urethane. Be sure the surface is squeaky clean before you apply the paint. Read the label!

 

Thanks For the Replies!

Last week I asked you to Reply to the Newsletter Email. You know the old saying, be careful what you ask for! Oh my, you were most generous and I was flooded with replies, most of them humbling. Thanks so much for your kind words.

But, and you knew this was coming, right? There's always that self-centered person or two that has to speak up. I thought you'd enjoy the one response I decided to share:

"Hey, send me some new interior designs which are not familiar to the market."

My reply was, "Sure, do you want me to come over and repaint your house while I'm at it?"

Remember, you can always reply to this newsletter and comment, say Hi or complain. Depending on my workload, I may or may not be able to respond.

 

Yelp!

Do you use Yelp? It's a great website that helps you discover the best and worst businesses of just about any type near you. I use it all the time.

It's great when you're out of town - say on business or vacation - and you need to locate a restaurant, a specialty store, a great motel, etc. I'm sure there are other websites like this. I have the Yelp app on my smartphone so I can have the functionality with me all the time.

I added a review of my own last week for a great small business here in New Hampshire. Read it and tell me what you think.

 

Q & A of the Week - Flagstone Patio on Crushed Stone

DEAR TIM: I intend to install a flagstone patio in the very near future and have been told I can place it on compacted crushed limestone that contains screenings. What are screenings and will this method work? The person giving the advice said the crushed limestone beneath the flagstones would eventually harden like concrete. What steps should I take to install the limestone in this fashion? I want to know if this will work as I don't want to have to tear everything out and start over. Tim G., Geneva, IL

DEAR TIM: Flagstone is one of the most popular patio materials I know of. The reasons are many. It is extremely durable, it looks magnificent and is naturally slip-resistant. It is also heavy so I can see why you only want to install each ......

Click Here to continue to read this flagstone column.

Wall Removal Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter
floor trusses

Wall Removal Tips | If you use full-span floor trusses like you see above, your wall removal job will be simple. All walls below the trusses are NOT load-bearing. You’re looking at magnificent floor trusses. These are spanning 28 feet, but you can go greater distances with ease. There’s no need for a bearing wall or beam under them to support the weight of the floor above. (C) Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I’m bound and determined to remove a wall between my kitchen and dining room to make the space more open. My husband says it can’t be done saying there are too many things in the wall, and that it could be a bearing wall. I’m frustrated. Money is not an object as I recently came into a sizeable inheritance. What are the real obstacles when removing a wall, and is it possible to achieve my goal of an open space? Can you share any tips to help me? Beth G., Charleston, SC

DEAR BETH: I’m sorry for your loss, but happy for your gain. The good news is that you can have that open space you desire. The cost to get there is directly related to how complex the job turns out to be. Believe it or not, this job could be as low as a 2 on the AsktheBuilder.com difficulty scale, or it could pin the meter at a 10. You often don’t know until you do some detective work.

What's Hidden Inside Walls?

Let’s start by describing some of the things that are hidden behind the drywall, plaster or paneling that’s covering your walls. For starters, there’s a very high likelihood you have electric cables in the wall. Very few walls have no electric cabling in them. These cables are not hard to relocate.

Inside the Wall.

These are just a few of the surprises you’ll discover behind drywall, plaster or paneling when you go to remove a wall. Photo Credit: Tim Carter

You could have cable TV cables, doorbell wires, heating ducts, cold-air return ducts, radiant heating pipes, steam pipes, plumbing drain or water supply lines, central vacuum piping, clothes dryer exhaust piping, pluming vent pipes, support columns, huge beams, etc., inside of the walls. That’s a partial list of challenges.

Can You Relocate Pipes and Wires?

The good news is that almost all of these can be relocated, but there’s always an expense involved. Some things are much harder to move and relocate than others. Massive beams and support columns hidden in a bearing wall can be logistical and engineering nightmares. Rerouting a large plumbing drain line in a wall can be a daunting project for a plumber. It's not uncommon to have to move pipes in a wall.

Who Should I Contact for Wall Removal?

The first thing I’d do is to contact a seasoned remodeling contractor, builder, or carpenter.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local remodeling contractors who know how to remove walls.

They often know how buildings are constructed and can easily spot clues that tell you what’s in the wall in question. This discovery expedition is much easier if your home has an attic, basement or crawl space that allows you to see both the top and bottom of the wall in question.

What Can You See On Top of a Wall?

For example, if you have access to the top and bottom of the wall, you may clearly see plumbing drain lines exiting the floor or plumbing vent pipes exiting the top of the wall in the attic. You may clearly see heating pipes or ducts that penetrate the bottom of the wall in the basement or crawlspace.

How Do You Locate Hidden Beams and Columns?

Hidden beams and support columns are tougher to spot. In the last house I built, there was a wall between our family room and breakfast room that had a door way and a pass through opening. You’d think that would be easy to remove that wall. The truth be told, there was a massive support column in that wall, and the roof load on top of it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, to relocate.

My situation is very rare, and for most houses you can almost always open up the wall in question. You may have to install a small corner vertical chase or fatten up a nearby wall to handle the things that will need to be relocated, but almost always it’s possible.

Should I Use a Small Camera?

If you can’t get a contractor to come out, you may be able to rent a great tool that can help you. I have a wonderful digital viewer that allows you to poke a small hole in a wall and insert a small flexible shaft that has a camera attached to it. On the tool’s screen, I can see what the camera is seeing inside the wall. The tip of the tool has a LED light to illuminate the dark cavity.

Using this tool and making numerous small holes that can be patched, you can quickly see electric cables, plumbing pipes, ducts, etc., inside the wall. However, this camera will not be able to easily tell you if you’re looking at structural columns and beams. It’s smart to use one of these diagnostic camera tools to see what you’re up against.

Is Lead Paint a Hazard?

When you do go to remove the wall, understand that if the house was built prior to 1967 there’s a good chance you’ll be dealing with lead paint. Unfortunately, the EPA enacted insane regulations in the recent past that stipulate harsh penalties to contractors that don’t follow the safety measures.

These regulations have added thousands of dollars to the average cost of doing simple demolition in houses. While there is a risk with lead paint dust, there are measures that can be taken to deal with this dust that are less expensive than what the EPA mandates.

Is it Hard to Locate Lead Paint Remediation Contractors?

What’s more, you may find it very hard to even find a contractor that’s willing to do the job because of the regulations.

Many contractors have decided, after consulting with their liability insurance companies and their attorneys, that it’s not worth it to bid on jobs like this. The EPA regulations had an unintended consequence of creating a horrible lopsided supply and demand situation. Fewer contractors to do demolition work means much higher costs. Thanks so much, Uncle Sam.

You can watch an informative video that shows a video on wall removal right here. Just type “wall removal video” into the AsktheBuilder.com search engine.

Column 929

Refinishing The Old Deck

Posted on by Tim Carter

Time again to refinish the old deck (35 years) in preparation for a family gathering. Used Stain Solver to clean up everything and Defy (Saver Systems) to finish it up.

Good for another four years!

John Refinishing The Old Deck

NOTE FROM TIM CARTER - Founder of AsktheBuilder.com - posted October, 2016: I no longer would apply Defy deck sealer to any exterior wood that I own at my own home.

Photo Credit: John Cervenak

John Cervenak's Deck

After Cleaning

John Cervenak's Deck

After Staining

 

If you want to submit pictures and the story behind your project, CLICK HERE to go to the Before & After Submission Page.

Deck Refinishing Nightmare

Posted on by Tim Carter

I rebuilt my cedar deck and made the mistake of using a Big Box store's Premium Semi Transparent Stain. Looked great the first season, but after a single winter, it began peeling. I attempted to save it by touching it up but after winter #2. The finish was beyond saving, and I had to bite the bullet and sand it off. I used Sikens to refinish and it came out great.

Moral of the story - use a real oil stain, not a film type product.

Jack Miller

Photo Credit: Jack Miller

Jack Miller's Deck

Before Sanding

Jack Miller's Deck

Sanding Completed

Jack Miller's Deck

After Restaining

 

If you want to submit pictures and the story behind your project, CLICK HERE to go to the Before & After Submission Page.