Storm and Hail Damage

Posted on by Tim Carter

The following pictures are from Trudy whose town was hit during the recent storms. I have requested that she provides After pictures once these buildings are repaired. But for now, we only have the Before images.

"Hi Tim,

Here is a start of some hail damage pictures. These pictures are of my nephew's garage. The one with the tarp is his double-wide trailer. Probably a good third of our town has this much damage. We live about a mile from him.

I kept nagging my husband to look for damage on our house, but he said we wouldn't have enough to turn in to insurance.

I finally got the contractor and adjuster both here. We are getting a new roof on our house, house garage and separate back garage. All new gutters and downspouts both places. An upstairs window. The vinyl under the gutters and down a little of the side of the house (fascia and soffit).

Our back garage has vinyl siding, and it has to have a new back and two lights replaced. My gazing ball and solar light were damaged, as well as crawlspace vent covers, etc. But if you drove by, you would think we had no damage.

Oh, we have a one and ½ story and the sides of the dormers are being replaced as they are vinyl.

It knocked out many windshields and/or back windows. My son's girlfriend's car had $8,500 damage. My sister-in-law's van was totaled."

Trudy Bledsoe

Hail Damage
Click on thumbnails below for a larger image.

 

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

March 20, 2012 AsktheBuilder Newsletter & Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in this issue?

Latest News
Friendly Reminder
Senco F-18 Review
Before & After
Where's My Answer?
Phone Fraud		 Tip of the Week
Stain Solver Sale
Video of the Week
Blog Post
Q & A of the Week

Oh do I have spring fever! As I write this, it's a bluebird day - not a cloud in the sky, the temperature is climbing to 75 F, and the snow is almost gone. If you stand in the sun, it's almost so hot you can't have on a long-sleeved shirt. It's great weather to take a walk.

I was working just a few days ago on the lumber takeoff for a large shed / mini barn I'm going to build as soon as the weather breaks. This project is going to spawn quite a few new eBooks, all of which will have numerous videos in them.

My plan is that each eBook will just showcase, in great detail, each aspect of building the structure. You can purchase a la carte just what you need to know.

 

Friendly Reminder

In this newsletter, you'll see several links back to my website. When you're there, I ask you to do one thing for me. Please help me by clicking the Social Media button in the upper left corner of every page you visit.

 

Senco F-18 Nail Gun Review

I posted my first tool review at the website. Tool Reviews is a primary navigation category, and I'm quite sure it's going to be very popular.

Have you ever used a nail gun? If not, you may want to after you read this review.

 

Before and After

The new AsktheBuilder.com website design launched last week. One of the primary navigation buttons at the top of every page is Before & After.

I encourage you to share some nice photos of any projects that you want others to see. With the wicked Spring weather just around the corner, it could be before photos of your house or property followed by after photos of storm damage. Trudy sent me some hail damage photos taken near her home that were frightening.

You submit your photos and story using this form at the website.

 

Where's My Answer Tim???

Each time I send a newsletter out, I get at least one curt reply from a subscriber. They're all the same.

The person wants to know, "Why haven't you answered MY question?"

Well, let's do the electronic autopsy now.

Are you positive your question made it to me? Did you check your Spam folder for my reply? Is it possible you somehow accidentally deleted it? Is it possible that your ISP or mail handler failed to deliver my answer to you?

I take pride in answering incoming questions. It's done primarily by Ellen. She's worked for me for, gosh, what is it Ellen, sixteen years? Ellen is my Numero Uno Customer Service rep, and she deals with all the incoming questions. Those she can't answer she sends to me. Ellen answers most questions within days of receiving them.

To the best of my knowledge, I'm the *only* home improvement website that answers real questions. Most of my peers don't have a Contact Form where you can ask a question.

Bottom Line: Please don't be so quick to blame me if you don't get an answer. The trouble could be in your set. :->>>

Please be aware I have a product that allows you and I to talk on the phone if you have an urgent problem where a mistake could cost you hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars. You can invoke my 15-Minute Phone Consult.

 

Phone Fraud

I saw this story at the USA Today website about caller ID fraud. It's not directly related to home improvement, but a thief could steal the money you were going to spend on tools or a new kitchen.

 

Tip of the Week - Fence Cleaning

"Hi Tim, I was reading up on Stain Solver for cleaning my wooden fence. Is scrubbing with a brush mandatory? It's a pretty good amount of fencing (corner lot) and the thought of scrubbing (vs. power washing) gives me pause. I agree that pressure washing (unless very careful) can be terribly damaging. I used one on my last home's fence, and wood was FLYING everywhere. Regards," Chris.

Here's the thing about cleaning. Let's say you hang your dirty clothes on an outdoor clothes line and then spray them with a great solution of soap and water. I mean spray them for an hour or two using a hand pump sprayer, then rinse them and allow them to air dry.

Will they be clean? Of course not, it's the mechanical agitation of the clothes being tumbled or moved by the machine agitator that cleans them. The soap just helps lift and transport the dirt away.

The same is true with washing a car. You've used a spray cleaner at one of those self-clean car washes, but there's always a thin film of dirt left.

You have to mechanically agitate the fence to deep clean it. Just get a helper. Switch tasks. One person is in the lead with the hand pump sprayer applying my Stain Solver making sure it doesn't evaporate. The second person follows behind with a scrub brush on a pole. The scrubber is also responsible for rinsing the fence.

It's not hard. Just switch jobs every fifteen minutes. Work on an overcast day if possible. On a sunny or windy day, the Stain Solver solution may evaporate too quickly.

 

Stain Solver Sale

Since Chris mentioned it, and my new Deck Cleaning and Sealing eBook will be complete very soon, I want to tell you the annual Spring Stain Solver Sale is just around the corner. It's going to happen the first two weeks of April, so be opening each newsletter to make sure you do not miss it.

 

Video of the Week - Control Joint Video

Are you going to be pouring new concrete soon? It could be a driveway, patio, sidewalk, even a basement floor. You must understand what happens to concrete as it transforms from the plastic state to the solid state. Massive internal tension forces actively try to rip it apart. Watch this video to get a feeling of what you have to do to prevent jagged random cracks.

 

Blog Post - Future of FREE High-Quality Content

I promised you a blog post about what I feel the future holds for free high-quality content on the Internet.

I'm deep in the bowels of the Internet on a daily basis as my business depends on it. This causes me to have a drastically different view of things than you probably have.

Suffice it to say I see a huge change ahead. Read this blog post and please comment at the bottom of it. Tell me how you really feel and keep in mind how the content business operated BEFORE the Internet existed as you now know it.

 

Q & A of the Week - Roof Flashing Leaks

DEAR TIM: My house was recently re-shingled. However, leaks are present near a chimney and where a lower roof meets a second story wall. I was able to get up on the roof and look around. The metal work around the chimney and along the wall was not replaced. It is old and rusty. However, I discovered fresh silicone caulk in and around this metal work. Was the caulk installed incorrectly? J. W.

DEAR J. W.: YES! The caulk was installed incorrectly. It should have never been used in the first place! Caulk is not a substitute for roof metal work or flashing. Roofing shingles are a fantastic product. Many of them are...

Click Here to continue to read about Roof Flashing Leaks.

Don't forget - Do it Right, not Over,
Tim Carter

Shed Door Latch Tip #2

Posted on by Tim Carter

Keith Mealy Shed Latch

Keith Mealy Shed Latch

Keith Mealy Shed Latch

Keith Mealy of Cincinnati offers his shed door latch solution.

"I have what I think is a more elegant solution. Two screws and a 6" piece of 1x2.

The latch sits under the edge of the gambrel roof along the side of the shed. When the door is fully opened, it latches. When it's time to close the door, grab the top of the door and flick the latch up with your thumb."

Keith Mealy

Closet Organization Remodeling Project

Posted on by Tim Carter

Joy Davis, who lives in Iowa, tackled this closet remodeling project.

"I was going to reorganize a wall in my entry closet but the more I thought about it the more I decided to do.

So I ended up painting all the walls, pulling up the linoleum in the front part of the closet and taking up the carpet in the back closet (the back closet was the original entry closet but we added another closet on the front of it years ago), building new shelves and putting in a regular closet pole instead of just hooks.

I put new shelves in a little cubby on the right (which had been a big jumbled pile and you could never find anything).

I am a very rank amateur at building so I used plastic totes for drawers in the cubby. Also I bought some plastic CD/DVD holders in which to store nail and screw boxes.

I added hooks and hangers for brooms and such to get them off the floor. And some wire baskets, by the door, to organize and store hats and gloves. I got them at Wal-Mart. They were called stackable baskets and were for fruit and such. I hung them on cup hooks, so they are removable. It had been a real mess before, using the old box on the floor to store the hats and gloves. Everything was always spilling out. I also added a lower set of hooks for grandchildren's coats.

In the process of cleaning the closet for the remodel, I found some linoleum tiles that I forgot I had. There was enough to do the entire closet!

I spent less than $80 on the project. I used reclaimed boards and leftover boards where I could and I either painted or re-stained them. Unfortunately, I took my before picture after I had cleaned and started on the project instead of when it was a total mess where you could hardly walk through it."

Joy Davis

Joy Davis' Closet Before
Joy Davis' Closet Before
Joy Davis' Closet Floor
Joy Davis' Closet Floor
Joy Davis' Closet After
Joy Davis' Closet After

 

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

Ridge Board Length for a Hip Roof

Posted on by Tim Carter

David Ellis of Illinois asked "how do you figure the length of the ridge board in a hip roof garage?"

David, the ridge board for a common hip roof is easy to calculate. You measure the length and width of the structure to and from the actual building line.

The building line is the point from which you start to calculate the run of your common rafters to the centerline of the roof.

I also assume you'll be using a 2x material for the ridge board.

Subtract the shorter wall length from the longer wall length< and add 1.5 inches for the length of the ridge beam or board.

Example: Let's say I'm building a shed that measures 10 feet by 16 feet. These are the measurements of the walls once covered with my sheathing and create the actual rectangle of the roof line.

16' - 10' = 6 feet

6 feet plus 1.5 inches = 73.5 inches for the ridge board

You have to add the 1.5 inches because that accounts for the king rafters that connect to each end of the ridge board just like the common rafters that touch the sides of the ridge board.

Tim Carter

Floor Joist Best Practices

Posted on by Tim Carter
floor joist exterior wall

These floor joists are resting on an exterior bearing wall, while on the other end they sit in metal joist hangers nailed to a wood beam. Photo Credit: Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: This year I'm going to build a room addition because moving to a bigger home is just out of the question. I've never done rough framing for a subfloor and wonder all about the floor joists. I've got countless questions about them, and wonder if you can offer a quick tutorial on the top things one should know about selecting and installing wood floor joists. My guess is that you've handled quite a few and can shed some light on how I can have floors in my room addition that perform really well. Bob S., Rochester, NY

DEAR BOB: Something tells me that entire books have been written on the subject of floor joists. It's going to be impossible for me, in this tiny space, to give the topic the attention it truly deserves.

I think the best place to start is to understand that each floor joist is actually a beam in and of itself. A beam is a structural member that spans an opening and is supported at each end. When you place any number of these beams parallel with one another and then cover them with some other surface, you end up with a floor that you can walk on.

Any structural engineer will tell you that each specific beam, or floor joist, can only support a certain amount of weight based on its composition, size, its overall length between the points where each end rests, the spacing between each floor joist, etc.

It gets even more complex. There are scientific span tables that are referenced in the building code that tell you the minimum standards that the floor joist in your room addition must meet. These span tables tell you the maximum span a floor joist can achieve depending on the anticipated load on the joist.

Not all floor joist lumber has the same strength and even wood of the same species, but of a different grade, will have different strength characteristics. And you thought this was going to be easy.

Your building inspector will hopefully assist you in conjunction with the manager of your local lumber yard in picking the correct material for your job. Be aware that lumber yards have a far greater inventory of floor joists than the home centers or big box stores. Absolutely visit a real lumber yard to get some advice on strong and affordable floor joist lumber.

The common spacing between floor joists is 16 inches on center. Look inside old homes or warehouses and you'll often see funny cross bracing between the floor joists. This is often referred to as bridging. These pieces of lumber help to transfer the load of one joist to the joists on either side of it.

If you decide to install bridging, be sure the pieces don't touch one another. This can lead to floor squeaks as the bridging rubs against one another when someone walks above on the floor. The building code in your area may not require you to install bridging.

When you go to install a floor joist, you need to pay attention to its crown. Have you ever looked at large bridges from a distance? Almost every bridge has a hump in it with the center of the bridge being higher than the ends of the bridge. This is a crown. You need to make sure the hump in each floor joist is pointing to the sky.

Joists that have severe crowns need to be set aside or some of the crown needs to be trimmed off so the floor remains fairly flat once covered with plywood or oriented strand board. If you purchase engineered floor joists that resemble steel I-beams, these have no crown in them.

Floor joists are usually set on top of a special piece of lumber on top of a foundation. This plate needs to last a long time and isolate the floor joists from damage.

Wood destroying insects and wood fungi can destroy the wood in houses. The insects frequently start feasting on wood that's in direct contact with the masonry foundations. It's a building code requirement to use treated lumber where wood contacts masonry.

This treated lumber resists wood rot as it's immune to damage from moisture. Termites and carpenter ants find the chemicals in the wood none to tasty and often decide to find other more palatable wood. The first piece of lumber commonly attached to the top of a house foundation is often called a sill plate. This treated lumber is bolted to the foundation and the floor joists typically rest on it.

You can watch an informative video that shows a treated lumber sill plate and how it rests on a foundation. Just click here“sill plate video”.

Column 927

Deck Construction Correction Tip

Posted on by Tim Carter
Alan Peck's Deck

Alan Peck's Deck

"Hi Tim,

Every year, I have about 1000 sq. ft. of deck to clean and maintain. Pine needles are my largest problem. The only tool I have found to work is a variable set square that has a handle part and a blade that can folded back into the handle or locked at any angle. I just use it set straight as a scrapper that I can run down the decking gaps.

Cleaning & Sealing Deck eBook CoverOn the issue of gaps that are two narrow, mostly because the deck was set down badly, what would you think of my running a power saw down the gap? Of course I'd have to ensure the blade depth did not cut into any of the cross beams.

The deck is in good condition considering it is about 25 years old now. The surface is 2x6 pressure treated. I've been contemplating widening the narrow gaps for a few years now, but am wondering if that would damage the pressure treating. Am I right in thinking that the chemicals from pressure treatment are long gone?

Thank you,"

Alan Peck

 

Alan,

You can absolutely widen the gap with a circular saw. Set the depth just 1/16th inch more than the thickness of the deck boards.

Your challenge will be to cut in the center of the groove. If you take your time, you should do fine.

Cutting the boards will not affect the chemical composition at all. I'd venture to say the boards still have quite a bit of chemical treatment in them.

Tim Carter

Shed Door Latch Tip

Posted on by Tim Carter

 

Subscriber Terry Hretsina forwarded his tip of keeping the shed doors open when going in and out.

"Hi Tim,

Being a subscriber, I thought I would pass this little helpful hint to you in case some of your subscribers are looking for ways to keep a shed door open for a short time.

What I did is put a piece of 2x6 (cut a short length) and screwed a hinge on the door frame and on the piece of wood.

Picture 1: When I open the door wide, I flip the piece of wood inside the space of the shed door and then snug the door gently so it stays. If there is no wind, it stays open.

Picture 2: For you to go in and out of the shed. If you want to keep it open, you can always attach a 'hasp and staple' type of hatch to the wood or just use a 'hatch and staple' latch by itself."

Terry

Senco F-18 Finish Nailer Review

Posted on by Tim Carter
Senco F-18 Nailer

Senco F-18 Nailer

I’ve installed tens of thousands of finish nails in my career, many by hand, but most using finish nailers. The first finish nailer I used was a pneumatic Senco nail gun that I purchased back in the late 1980’s. I still wish I had that tool, as it would have been a great photo for this review to show it up against the stylish and radical F-18 nailer from Senco that I just finished testing.

The bottom line is they both performed flawlessly, albeit the new F-18 has only been used in a testing environment, not on a rough and tumble job site. But if it’s made anything like my old Senco gun, it’s going to perform like a champ in a new house job or a remodeling environment. (Click here to read my review of the Senco F-15 Finish Nailer.)

Out of the box, you get the F-18 tool, one 18-volt lithium-ion battery, the battery charger and the handsome soft-sided carrying case. The soft case has some very nice external pockets to carry boxes of nails or other supplies. It also sported a handy zippered pocket.

Here’s the magic of this nailer. In the past, you would need a compressor and hoses to operate a nail gun. Decades ago, Paslode freed us from this spaghetti, but you had to buy small canisters of propane to power their guns. Senco, and other manufacturers, are now using electricity and compressed air to drive nails. It’s caveman simple when you think about it.

The Senco website lists these top selling features that should get your attention:

  • Patented Reflex-Shot design
  • Robust aluminum drive cylinder
  • Rugged aluminum magazine
  • Eco-Friendly energy - 18v Li-ion battery
  • Selectable drive switch
  • Nose mounted LED light
  • Adjustable & reversible belt hook
  • Thumbwheel depth of drive Innovative
  • EZ-Clear feature
  • Includes case and charger 2-year limited warranty

Here’s what I liked about the tool:

  • Aggressive design that exudes power and strength
  • Comfortable grip
  • Lightweight
  • No compressor
  • No hoses
  • No gas cartridges
  • Dry-fire prevention sensor
  • Sequential or Contact Firing Mode
  • Power Meter on the Battery

Here’s what had me scratching my head wondering what the engineers and tool designers were thinking:

Why doesn’t the nose-mounted LED light shine exactly where the nose of the tool will be placed? Come on Senco, I can see how to put two more LEDs one on each of the sides of the sloping nose to get light right where I need it.

Why is it so noisy? And my hearing is shot after all these years.

Why are the detents on the mode switch so subtle? They need to be more aggressive.

Why, for goodness sake, doesn’t the tool come with a starter kit with an assortment of nails for instant productivity? Gift buyers won’t necessarily know to get nails when they buy the gun.

Why is the gearing on the depth-of-drive-adjustment so fine? It takes lots of turns to get the nail to go deeper into the wood.

The bottom line is that this is a great finish nailer. It’s going to do lots of work for you and without any downtime if it’s like my old gun. I’d be proud to show it off and use it at one of my job sites.

My rating for this tool is 4 hammers out of a possible 5.

Turning Attic Space into Bedrooms

Posted on by Tim Carter

Matt Glewwe and his wife converted an unused, uninsulated attic space into bedrooms for the children. Matt included a special feature for the kids.

"Tim,

Not sure if you are still looking for photos, but if you are, here are a few shots (before, during and after) of a project my wife and I did on our 1939 Cape Cod in St. Paul, MN.

Beyond the knee wall on our 1-1/2 story house, there was just uninsulated and unfinished space that had been used for storage. When we were expecting our first child, we thought these spaces would be fantastic as little rooms for kids to sleep in, play in or just spend time in. We now have four children and they all love these little rooms.

We insulated, sheet-rocked, put in lights and added a small window. There were actually two rooms like this (one on each end of the house) and then there is a tighter spot that connected the two rooms. My wife wanted to just cover it up, but I insisted that we create a tunnel between the two rooms. This is the highlight for our children as well as their friends when they come over to play!

I am sure that actual material cost was less than $500, but there was quite a bit of time invested in doing all of our own labor, including sheet-rocking and mudding spaces that most people would not want to go into!

My wife and I both have Master Degrees in Architecture, from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. We own a small residential design firm, and would love it if you could link to our website if you use this project on your website. Could you please let us know if you use this?

www.gsqrd.com

Thank you,"

Matt Glewwe

Well, Matt, I used your photos and the project looks great. Had to be fun working on the tunnel!!

Before remodeling

Working on the Tunnel

 

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