Change Order Process Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hi, I'm Tim Carter and I'm here on a frosty winter morning in New Hampshire. It is about 2 degrees below zero. I want to show you something but not sure how well this will come out.

I want talk a little bit about change orders and more importantly, making your mind up before you start a project to avoid mistakes. Here's what happened at this construction site.

I'm standing in the entrance hall of this home and off to the right is a little closet area. On the other side is another small closet. But here's the problem. It looks wide open now without the drywall but after the drywall is hung, it will be a little tight. But it gets worse.

The wall's not up yet but in this tiny little area, it would be a powder room. As you can see, it is already cramped even without the walls up. The small space in the back was going to be a laundry room. It may look big now, but once the washer and dryer are in place, you won't even be able to move around.

Over in this area, is an interior hallway leading to the garage. The back corner would be a dog bath. The problem is this whole area is way too crowded. It was a mistake on the plan that they didn't take care of before hand.

Now you know it's not happened? All these walls have to come down. The new plans are being drawn up right now. It is going to be expensive and be a little bit of a heartache but fortunately he was caught before all mechanics were in.

The problem is it is going to add some money to the job. So change your should be avoided. You really want to think through the plans carefully before you start construction. But if you do have to change something, you want to do it is as early in the process as possible before all the electric, all the plumbing, and all the drywall are installed.

Repair Concrete Foundation

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I'm thinking of buying a home that has significant cracks in the concrete foundation. Family members are urging me to run away from this house. I'm thinking it's a deal and the cracks can be repaired. How would you assess the situation and what are some of my repair options? Are there any unintended consequences that will come up later should I decide to purchase this home? I need some clarity to help me make the right choice. Peggy P., Rochester, NY

DEAR PEGGY: Cracks in a concrete foundation can be signs of serious structural issues. It's paramount that you take your time and call in as many experts as needed to help you assess the situation.

Some foundation repair jobs require one to start over. It's absolutely possible a completely new foundation wall has to be poured. Photo Credit: Tim Carter

I grew up in the Midwest in Cincinnati, Ohio. You might think that's in the middle of the heartland and that foundations problems would be few and far between. Truth be told, I've seen concrete foundation failures that would have you shaking your head in disbelief.

The local geology created conditions that kept many a foundation repair company with quite a backlog of work. Unstable clay soils on hillsides and very plastic glacial lake clays wreaked havoc with builders, remodelers and homeowners that had no clue that danger lurked just beneath the grass.

I tell you this because it's very possible the cracks in this house you're looking at could be a flashing beacon that serious soil problems could negate the feeble attempts you make at repairing the cracks you see.

On the flip side, I've been inside hundreds of basements that have hairline cracks that radiate from the corners of basement windows that are just harmless concrete shrinkage cracks.

You need to bring in at least one expert and possibly two before you purchase this home. The first person I would hire would be a residential structural engineer that specializes in foundation work. Be sure to screen these individuals asking them to provide you with at least five past homeowners they have consulted with. Not all structural engineers inspect residential homes and some don't focus that much on concrete foundations.

When the structural engineer visits the house and looks at all the visible evidence, he may suggest that you bring in a soils engineer or a local geologist that knows the area and is well aware of cantankerous soils that don't play well with houses.

The fees you pay these individuals for an assessment will be a small percentage of what you might spend to remedy serious foundation problems. The two-hour charge you pay the structural engineer could be the best money you spend in your life.

If you’re interested in learning more about the cost of foundation repair I have an article here.

If the engineer tells you that he's not overly concerned with the cracks and what caused them, he may discuss with you repair methods that he's had great success. Ask him about epoxy injections in foundation cracks. Some concrete epoxies mimic welding steel. The actual epoxy is stronger than the concrete, and if you get it to bond correctly it can often make a permanent repair.

Some concrete foundation repairs can be a matter of installing piers under the existing footings and foundations. These piers are often just concrete legs that extend through bad soil down to strong soil or bedrock.

There are all sorts of other foundation repair methods that employ steel plates and rods that straighten bowed foundation walls. Cables, interior vertical steel i-beams, and a host of other time-tested repair methods may also be suggested by the structural engineer.

Foundation cracks, especially serious ones, that are repaired are often hard to disguise. They're like a facial scar that telegraphs a message to a future buyer of the house that something bad happened. It's a stigma that could make it harder to sell your home as a buyer may not believe the foundation is stable.

A secondary issue is what does the foundation cracking tell you about the original builder? I can think of a boatload of questions like:

  • Did the builder take a shortcut and not use enough steel in the foundation?
  • Was the builder aware of poor soil and didn't care?
  • Did the builder take other shortcuts in other parts of the house?

You can watch numerous foundation videos that show foundations, footers, and how to avoid cracks in them. Just type "foundation and footer video" into the AsktheBuilder.com search engine.

Column 920

Thaw Ground Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hi, I'm Tim Carter and it's a frosty winter morning. It is -2 degrees F here in New Hampshire. Since it is cold, we are going to talk a little bit about heat. What do you think is inside this trailer?

This is very unique and you don't see many of them. This is actually a ground heater. Inside this trailer is an oil furnace complete with oil tank. The trailer includes a lot of piping and a reservoir of glycol. Here's why.

Out the back of the trailer, runs all these hoses. These hoses are laid all over the ground inside this structure. Then the ground is covered with concrete insulated blankets. When the furnace is fired up, a hot solution of glycol flows underneath the insulated blankets and thaws the ground. So in a couple days, even in the middle of this cold winter, they will be able to pour a concrete slab.

So a ground heater is a fantastic machine to allow you to pour concrete in the dead of winter.

Roof Cupola Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Build Cupola With Bare Hands

You can build a cupola. It's not easy, but it can be done.

It's important to realize you'll need long-lasting wood that can withstand the elements.

Angles must be cut to create the roof. Ventilation louvers are a big challenge.

Related Links

Cutting Crown Molding - You'll Need It Under the Cupola Overhang

Roof Framing Basics - Hip Roofs Are a Cupola Must

build cupolas

Here's a great build cupola book for a beginner. CLICK THE IMAGE NOW to have this book delivered to your doorstep.

Hi, I'm Tim Carter and it's a really frosty, winter day on the job site. It was about -2F when we were driving here. Do you know what this is next to me? Do you think it is a little shed? Or a dog house for a big, big dog? Guess what, it is not.

This is a cupola. This is a structure that you sometimes see on a garage or a roof top of the house. Two things about this cupola.

Free & Fast Bids

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local cabinetry carpenters in case you discover it's too much for you to do.

First, it is taller that I am. I am about 5'8" and this is about 6 1/2 feet tall. It is also about 7 feet long and about 6 foot wide. This is big and you might think it is out of scale for the house. However, the architect did it right. When this is lifted up by a crane and set on top of the roof, it will be the perfect size for the house. A lot of people don't size the cupola properly when putting one on the house or garage. Typically, they are too small.

It is all about scale. Another advantage with this one is the carpenters were able to build on the ground and then lift it into place. Thus they don't have to build it up on the roof were is more dangerous.

It is really a smart thing to do to build them on the ground and then lift them into place. Just make sure they are the right size.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local cabinetry carpenters in case you discover it's too much for you to do.

Full Page Magazine Ads vs Online Product Placement Videos

Posted on by Tim Carter

Please watch this video BEFORE reading the blog post below.

Let's try to imagine being a media buyer for a moment or two. Better yet, consider that you've been making media buys for years, so you've purchased your fair share of full-page magazine ads.

What is the real dynamic of buying a full-page ad from a magazine publisher? As the media buyer, you know the demographics of the magazine, you control the message in the ad, and you know the one-time fee the publisher charges. Right?

Next up are the expectations. As the media buyer, you're probably trying to drive sales of the product in the ad, you're trying to get out a branding message, or possibly you're attempting to do both. I get that and I didn't even go to school for ad buying.

Here are the promises made to you by the magazine publisher:

  • He guarantees you he'll cash the check you give him for the ad
  • He guarantees you he'll print XXX,xxx copies of the magazine
  • He guarantees you he'll distribute those copies to the subscribers and news stands

That's it. That's where the guarantees end. Here's what the publisher will NOT guarantee:

  • How many people even open the magazine
  • How many people even see your ad
  • How many people act on your ad

Sure, you can put in a promo code or other tracking code to try to measure the response. I get that.

ad views chart

 

But it gets worse. That magazine ad you purchased, well, it ends up in the recycling bin sometimes in just a few weeks and most definitely after a few months. Your ad is old news. It's a flash in the pan.

Don't get me wrong. Full-page magazine ads work, but they come with baggage. Lots of it.

After the magazine is printed, the impact of the full page ad you purchased goes down like a rock dropped from a plane. Just look at the graph at the left showing a hypothetical open rate on a popular building magazine I get - Fine Homebuilding.

I say hypothetical because I know the publisher has no idea when people open the magazine. I do know from my own reading habits that sometimes it's a month before I get to open an issue.

In other words, you better get a heck of a response for that ad, because the next magazine issue is coming out in 30 days and your ad is not going to be seen unless you pay AGAIN for another one to appear. That's really important to understand. You have to keep PAYING the publisher to print your ad.

And what did you pay for that full-page ad? Full-page magazine ads can start at $15,000 and go up to $115,000 in my vertical - home building and remodeling market. Gulp! That's a lot of money to spend:

  • HOPING that you get some sort of response
  • Hoping that some subscribers see your ad
  • Hoping that they act on your ad
  • Wishing you could really measure what happened with your ad

Try an Online Video Instead

Let's try something different and take that same money you spent on the full-page magazine ad but invest it in several online videos about the product(s) you featured in the ad.

Video Screen Shot.jpg

If you invest that money with me, you can get multiple HD videos made about your product. Did that sink in? Multiple videos made that last forever instead of a one-time magazine ad that ends up in a plastic bin then in the back of a garbage truck.

The videos can be made in just a few days after the product-placement buy and then be immediately uploaded to any number of online video sites such as YouTube or Blinx. Often you can enable a feature that allows the videos to be embedded on any number of other websites.

Here's the best part. You only pay ONCE for the videos. Remember, with a magazine ad, you have to keep paying for your ad to appear. Not with online video baby. Once you pay and the video is produced, it's up online FOREVER.

Look at the video to the right. See how many times it's been viewed? Over 350,000 times and counting! Go to YouTube right now to see the updated counter.

What's each impression worth from a branding standpoint? Would you say ten cents? I'd say that's fair. If we agree on ten cents, that means in the four years since this video was produced, Ridgid's received over $35,000 worth of exposure. What if I told you they could have had that video taped and loaded for $4,000? Yep, that's a pretty good return on investment.

Can you see why the print industry is suffering? Don't be too compassionate. They had their day in the sun. Actually they had decades and decades in the sun.

Time = More and More Branding

Time is an enemy of magazines and print in general, but it's a friend to online video. Unlike the full-page magazine ad where the number of views goes down over time, and by time I mean days, the number of impressions for an online video goes UP over time. And by video time, I mean forever, as the video will be online for as long as the servers are spinning.

There's no recycle bin for online video. It's like the Energizer Bunny - it just keeps going and going and going.

Video Views chart

 

Keep this in mind. Each day people are actively searching for the topics covered in the videos. What a cool concept! Search engines! Most people are unaware that the #2 search engine in the world is YouTube. Go figure!

And then there's the benefit of social media! Oh my gosh! People get to COMMENT on the video. You can't do that with a magazine ad.

The video can be spread far and wide across the Internet on multiple websites by using simple sharing/embedding HTML code. Woo Hoo!

Another great benefit of online video is that you can add notes right on the video after it's loaded. This means you can talk about changes to the product, new features, etc. This is accomplished by inserting annotations to the video.

You can add LINKS to the video description that take people to a place where they can buy the product.

Isn't it wonderful?

I think it's pretty clear, don't you. If you were a media buyer, you'd give a serious look at investing your money in a video, because its value goes UP over time, while a full-page ad in a magazine goes DOWN over time.

When will you be investing in online videos?

Soon, I hope. Go look at my media kit now to get started.

January 24, 2012 AsktheBuilder Newsletter And Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Newsletter?

Latest News
Tip of the Week
The NH Meet Up
Video of the Week - New Roof Sheathing
New Home Becomes Bath Remodel Coaching
Reuse - Recycle Guide
Tool Review - Drill Sergeant
Product Review - GloPlate
Q & A - Building In Bad Weather

I enjoyed a gorgeous New England weekend here on Loch Winnisquam. Crisp and cold, but the temperature is going to rise over the next few days. The snow has been sculpted by the wind out on the lake and it's gorgeous.

This morning my ego got a little bruised by a subscriber. It's a long story, but she wished that Mike Holmes would come build her home. Ouch! I totally understand the power of TV, and that's why Mike is so big in people's minds.

Suddenly I realized that you may know very little about my background, and that it was my fault this subscriber didn't want to kick Mike to the curb and have me come to save her from the anxiety of building.

For the record, I don't build houses any longer - but that didn't stop the bruise. :->

Here's a quite long autobiography for you to read if you're so inclined. Believe me, I'm about to shorten it significantly. If you want all the details of my early life, you better read it now.

Suffice it to say, I'll go head-to-head against Mike any day. I'm sure he's a heck of a nice guy. I've never run into him at one of the big shows.

 

Tip of the Week

Bob Davenport ordered some Stain Solver over the weekend and in the note area he said:

Years ago, my wife Patricia Windsor-Earp, asked you how to remove wall anchors. You said no woman had ever asked that question, and you wanted her to ask it on your radio show, so your listeners could hear your reply: "Never try to remove them, push them through the wall, spackle the spot, and move on.

So there you have it. When it comes to plastic wall anchors, you'll most probably do more damage trying to pull them out than by tapping them in. Be sure to blow any dust from the hole before you patch to get a nice secure patch.

 

The New Hampshire Meet Up

I was blessed to have the company of four delightful subscribers at the Route 104 Diner in Meredith, NH this past Friday. I was joined by Eunice, Julie, Gary and Emile.

NH Meet UpI'm always at a disadvantage at these events because I have no clue what anyone looks like, whereas, you know what I look like. When the RSVPs started coming in, and I saw Emile, in my mind I pictured a younger woman with a unique spelling of Emily.

HAHAHAHA, the joke was on me. Emile got stuck in traffic because of an accident and walked in about seven minutes late. He was no young woman, but he is one fascinating individual who's got a ton of hands-on remodeling experience.

We talked about a range of topics and as I always do, I asked what I could do to make the newsletter better. New product reviews was the first thing mentioned by Gary.

I told Gary, it was his lucky day as you will be seeing many new tool and product reviews in coming issues!

I so enjoy these meet ups. Please always open each newsletter and scan it to see if I'm coming to your town. If I do a driving road trip, I'll post the route because who knows, maybe you live near where I'll be driving.

 

Video of the Week - New Roof Sheathing

Who would ever think there'd be a major advancement in roof sheathing. After all, you just nail on sheets of OSB, right? Wait till you see this new material.

After watching the video could you please do me two huge favors ? Can you click the Like button if you indeed like the video? You'll see a thumbs up Like button just below the video and to the left.

I also need you to please leave a comment. What I'd love for you to comment on is something about how you like new product videos, how the videos help you make purchasing decisions, or how you trust the information, etc.

Honest comments like that can really go a long way to ensure I keep investing the time to create the videos. Thanks!

 

New Home Becomes Bath Remodel Coaching

I got back lots of very valuable data about the proposed New Home Coaching Course. It's going to happen.

The most interesting feedback was about Live-Streaming TV Coaching on bath and kitchen remodeling! That should come as no surprise as many are remodeling instead of building new homes.

I've decided to do the Bath Remodel Coaching Course first. It's going to be really cool. There will only be room in the course for 25 students. I'll have more details very soon.

There will be a cost for this Coaching Course. It will be affordable. It will come with a Money-Back Guarantee.

If you want to be in the first class that WILL start within weeks, you MUST go here to get in line. I'll be sending you more details very soon. I will mention it again here in the newsletter, but only those who sign up will get in the first class.

The class will feature:

  • You watch via live streaming TV
  • Three 90-minute broadcasts
  • Live Chat during the broadcast
  • Broadcasts will be saved - watch when you want
  • You Submit Questions Before Class
  • Much, Much More

Reuse - Recycle Guide

Oh my, some great reuse tips came in since last week! Bob has a great use for pants hangers, Sharon's got a cool use for old tires, Rose really has a fantastic use for shoe boxes, Stephen knows what to do with scrap pieces of 4-inch PVC pipe, etc.

Get the point? I need you to send in a tip or two, preferably with a nice color photo, of anything around your home that you reuse for some other purpose than what it was originally intended. Click here to submit a tip with photo.

When I get 50 of them, I'm going to assemble them into a nice document, and because you helped create it, you will get it for FREE.

But, we're not stopping at 50 reuse tips! We're going to just continue to create more of these guides. So please start sharing!

 

Tool Review - Drill Sergeant

I received a tool accessory several weeks ago. It's a driver bit, drill bit, screw, etc., holder that employs Velcro (TM) to keep your drill and driver accessories on-board the drill or the driver.

It's called the Drill Sergeant.

One part of the Velcro strip attaches to your tool using a self-adhesive strip. Think of a hairband on top of a woman's head if you will.

The only trouble is, I couldn't find one of my drills or drivers that it would work on. The shape of the plastic casing, transmission shift levers, air cooling ports for the motors, etc., all were in the way of where the manufacturer shows you to apply the Velcro strip.

In one photo it shows attaching it to the side of the cordless battery. That may work on old models, but not on the cordless tools I have.

The bottom line is that this is a great tool accessory, you just have to make sure it's going to work on your power tool.

 

Product Review - GloPlate

GloPlateThis technology has been around for years, but this is a pretty slick implementation. It's a light-switch cover that has two glow-in-the-dark strips on either side of the toggle on-off switch.

I can see how it could come in handy up here in New Hampshire. I have to tell you that when the moon rises late or sets early, or there is dense cloud cover, it is as DARK as molasses up here. I've been like a pinball bouncing off furniture on more than one occasion while getting up to answer Nature's call.

 

Q and A - Building in BAD Weather

DEAR TIM: I want to start construction on a home, but just about everyone wants me to wait for months because bad weather is just around the corner. Can you build a home in the rainy season or in the middle of winter without causing problems to the structure? What are some tricks one can employ to make headway each week so that the house can get done sooner rather than later? Does rainwater hurt all the lumber as the house is being constructed? Jason S., Cutbank, MT

DEAR JASON: All of your questions are great. You're going to love the answers too. To continue reading this column, just Click Here.
Don't forget - Do it Right, not Over,

Cupola Roof

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I'm going to build a cupola on top of my garage. The roof is not too steep, so I think I can manage to do this safely. I've got all sorts of questions about cupola designs and general questions. What is the best cupola roof to have? I've seen hip roofs as well as fancy sloped hip designs. Can you do just a standard gable roof on a cupola? What other tips can you share about installing a cupola? Bradley G, Lexington, KY

DEAR BRADLEY: Congratulations on this exciting upcoming project. Cupolas add a touch of class to a structure. Drive around New England where I live and you'll see quite a few on barns, stables, garages and even houses. You have perhaps two of the most viewed cupolas in the world just west of you in Louisville, KY at the Churchill Downs race track.

You may think this is a strange dog house or a playhouse. It's actually a cupola for a garage! It's over 6 feet tall and built on the ground. Photo Credit: Tim Carter


The first thing you need to do is draw up a very accurate scale drawing of your garage. All you really need is a front elevation and maybe one side elevation. The next step is to draw the cupola as an overlay using translucent paper that allows you to see through to the garage elevations. You need to get the scale of the cupola correct.

To help you get the scale right, try to locate some historical photos of buildings that have cupolas on them. Look for photos that are taken straight on so you can do your best to determine the proportions of the cupola to the main structure. If you make the cupola too small or too large, it's going to look horrible.

The next step is to decide whether you want the cupola to be decorative or functional. Many old cupolas were designed to ventilate the structures they adorned. The latest cupola I saw is going to be a magnificent lantern that's going to saturate a garage with all sorts of natural light.

This cupola is going to have a window on each face to allow natural light to stream into the garage below. It's going to be perhaps one of the most decorative skylights I've seen in my career.

If you just want your cupola to be decorative, that means you don't have to cut a massive hole in your existing roof. You can frame the cupola on top of your existing roof, but be sure you have solid blocking under the outside walls of the cupola. This blocking will transfer the load of the cupola to the roof trusses or to the roof rafters.

Most cupolas I've seen have a hip roof. These are pretty easy to frame. The most decorative cupolas I've seen have four gable roofs that meet in the center creating four unique valleys. This roof structure can be made by creating a simple gable roof on one axis of the cupola and then creating two gables roofs that overlay on top of the standard gable roof.

Be sure to get up to speed on flashing the gable to the existing roof of the garage. This is not that hard, but the sill flashings need to be soldered at the lower four corners of the cupola. Don't rely on caulk to seal flashing. I prefer to use 40-pound tin-coated steel for my flashings. It's easy to bend and solders like a dream.

Cupolas are very exposed to the weather. If you're going to use regular wood to frame it and clad the exterior, I'd highly recommend that you pre-paint all the finish wood before you cut it. Any cut ends need to have paint applied to them before they're nailed into place. This will really help extend the life of the cupola.

Many cupolas have decorative weathervanes that enhance the look of the tiny house. These weather vanes need both vertical and horizontal support. You'd be shocked at how the wind can cause these to bend if they're not supported.

Think about how you can include a piece of treated lumber inside the cupola that spans over two of the exterior walls of the cupola. I suggest treated lumber in case the hole around the weathervane leaks and water drips down the shaft of the weathervane. You don't want this piece of wood rotting over time.

I'd drill a hole part way into this treated piece of lumber that accepts the vertical shaft of the weathervane. Make the hole diameter in the wood just one-eighth inch larger than the diameter of the shaft so the weathervane is always plumb.

Many weathervanes have steel center support shafts. It's vitally important these are painted well before installing them. I'd recommend a great metal primer and at least two coats of metal finish paint before the vane is dropped down into the cupola.

Be sure the entire shaft is painted, even the length that's not exposed to the weather. You don't want rust seeping through the bottom of the cupola staining the roofing materials.

Perform periodic inspections of the cupola to ensure it's standing up to the weather. Don't underestimate the beating it will take from Mother Nature.

You can discover a cupola design video that discusses the scale and size of cupolas. Just type "roof cupola video" into the AsktheBuilder.com search engine.

Column 919

Zip System Roof Sheathing Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Zip System Roof Sheathing

Hi, I'm Tim Carter and it's a frosty, winter morning in New Hampshire. It is two below zero. That's why I have the hat and gloves on. I want to talk about a really neat product that I wish was available when I was building homes everyday. It is called Zip Sheathing.

You can see the brown colored sheathing on the roof. Down below you can see some green sheathing. These two coverings are basically a plastic covering. It is impregnated on regular OSB (oriented strand board). When you use these products, in conjunction with a special tape, this does two things.

First, water can't get through the plastic coating. The special tape seals the seams. So it helps create a water barrier for the structure and an air infiltration barrier. On this particular example, all the seams are taped. On this cupola, the zip sheathing is ready for the shingles. And down here on the outside corners, they've taped those corners also. You want to make sure that all seams are properly taped.

The zip sheathing is a good product. It saves having to wrap the house. Consider using it on your next job.

Fascia Board Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hi, I'm Tim Carter and I'm here on a job site on a frosty, winter morning in New Hampshire. It as -2 degrees F as we arrived on the site. Today, I want to talk about a little about fascia boards and some of the improvements with fascia material.

This is what I am talking about. This is an example of the fascia on a house. It can be the trim boards that you see where the shingles overhang. The fascia board is sometimes painted. The fascia can be in various locations and depths on the house.

Years ago, it used to be just regular solid lumber. That could lead to problems with the wood splitting, rotting or whatever. Some of the fascia boards in the past have become plastic.

There is a new one. It is called MiraTEC. It is a composite lumber product. It is wood fibers that are impregnated with a resin. It has a smooth side if that is the style you want. However, the back side is wood-textured. In this example, the homeowner wanted the smooth face showing.

Here's the advantage of this material. It has been tested by a builder up in New Hampshire and they haven't had any problems with it for six years. If it gets wet, it doesn't swell nor expand, like PVC does. You might want to consider this new fascia board on the outside of your new home or if you need to replace your existing fascia.

January 18, 2012 AsktheBuilder Newsletter And Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Newsletter?

Latest News
New AsktheBuilder.com Design
Near-Zero Videos
Reuse-Recycle Guide
Super Stain Solver Sale
New Hampshire Meet Up
A New Product


I have no idea what it's like to be addicted to a controlled substance, but I can tell you if it's like the desire I have lately for kettle popcorn, oh my.Ice on the LakeThe big lake here at my house finally iced over three nights ago. Several days ago, the wind finally calmed, and it was 3 F when I awoke.

Looking out, I saw the lake had flash frozen once the wind stopped agitating the water. All I saw was a giant piece of glass (ice) on the lake. It's windy here today, and the ice is so thin that lots of the ice could disappear. You can see some open water in the center of the photo.

Thanks to you if you voted for Veronica in the YouTube competition. She's going to be featured on the home page of YouTube on January 27th! Congratulations Veronica!

 

New AsktheBuilder.com Design

We're in the final process of a radical new website design at AsktheBuilder.com. Here's a very tiny sneak peek for you. You're going to be amazed - I hope!

Tim New Navigation Bar

 

Near-Zero Videos

This past Sunday, I taped about six new video in 3 F weather. It was COLD. I'm editing those videos tomorrow and will have them to you next week. You're going to discover something about cupolas that will blow your mind. Just wait and see!

 

The Reuse-Recycle Guide

Oh, I'm already getting submissions for the next cool guide I'm doing with your help! Remember Bob who started the wet-dry vac guide? Well, he sent in a photo of a mayo jar. Wait till you see what he did!

Mayo JarHere's the plan. Think of things you buy, use and rather than throw away, you reuse it for some other purpose. It can be a container, it can be a tire, a tool, anything. That's the point, it can be anything you repurpose at your home.

I want to facilitate sharing your ideas to help others.

It will really help if you to take a photo of the thing being reused and send that in with a brief story about any tips on reusing it.

Once the guide is finished, because you're a subscriber to my newsletter, you get it for FREE!

Submit your tip and photo at this page of my website to send in your tip and photo.

 

 

The SUPER Stain Solver Sale

It's time for a Super Sale. I can't use the word Bowl in the phrase because the NFL trademarked it.

Can you believe for all these years I've never taped a video with me showing you how it works? Well, I did a few years ago showing how to use it on floor tile grout, but not a video with me using it on TOUGH stains.

Stain Solver 2-pounderSo two days ago, we taped a pretty funny video. Please, please watch the video.

Anyway, the sale ends on Monday at midnight - that's just days away. You can get 15% off the smaller sizes, 20% off the two larger sizes and Free Shipping on all sizes.

If you're a new subscriber, you'll be getting some reminder emails from me over the next few days. We all tend to procrastinate, and I'm here to tell you that many subscribers THANK ME for reminding them the sale is about to end.

But it gets better. I'm giving away to five people a year's supply of Stain Solver (50 pounds). To win, you must send in great Before and After photos. If you upload a video to the Stain Solver Facebook page, that gets you extra points in the judging.

If your video shows before and after results, you get even MORE points in the judging. If you can't do a video, send in great photos. Why? Maybe no one will send in a video! That means you could win!

This photo/video contest ends on January 29th, so you have time to ORDER Stain Solver now, get it, use it and send in your videos/photos.

I'll have more details next Tuesday about where to upload the photos and videos. You just need to order so you can enter.

One of the five winners will then be selected for the Grand Prize. That's a free half-hour phone consult with me. We can talk about anything you want.

These Stain Solver sales don't happen often. Order NOW!

 

New Hampshire Meet Up

I'm having lunch with some fellow Granite Staters this Friday, January 20th at Noon. If you want to join us, come to the Route 104 Diner on Route 104 at exit 23 off I-93. The diner is about 3 miles east of I-93. It will be a great time. I'll take photos this time and possibly a video if the guests will permit it.

 

A New Product - I Need Your Help

I need your help on developing a new product. I roughed this out with a good buddy of mine.

Tentatively, we're calling it the New House Coaching Program. It's for you if you're thinking of building a new home and are terrified of making a mistake that could cost you thousands and thousands of dollars. Believe me, it happens every week. People can lose lots of money by making one or two mistakes.

The preliminary idea is a six-week course with one 90-minute phone call per week. Only 20 people would be in each class. We'd have a specific topic for the first hour each week, and the last 30 minutes are random topics.

If you could not make a call, no problems. The call would be recorded and I would send you a link to it.

The magic is the other 19 people in the class might ask hundreds of questions that you'd NEVER think to ask. It becomes a wisdom of the crowd sort of thing.

You would send in your questions to me via email BEFORE the call so I can sort through them.

Here's my question to you: If you had a magic wand, what would you do? What kind of personal coaching would you want? What would be the perfect product to help you navigate the treacherous waters of new home construction? What would put you at ease?

Please respond back to me with your ideas on how to best develop this new product. Thanks!

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

Tim Carter
Founder - AsktheBuilder.com