House Timber Frame Roof Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hi, I'm Tim Carter and I'm at a new construction site in New Hampshire. I want to show you something really exciting. Timber frame roof assembly and its components of the system. Look at this beautiful ceiling.

So here's what the timber frame is. In your house, you may have a regular truss system. Here we have a giant Douglas for rafter beam on both sides. The trouble from a structural standpoint is when you have a roof like this and you get a snow load on top, the roof wants to kick out at the bottom, spreading wider. Actually wanting to collapse and flatten the roof.

To hold those two beams together, there is a major structural component called a collar tie. This is connected to the rafter beams on both ends so it can't pull apart.

The other important component of the timber frame is is a member called a purlin. Typically in some construction, roofing is attached directly to the purlin. But on this job to make a more interesting look, the architect decided to use pieces of Douglas fir 2x4's and connect the roofing to that.

So that is a simple timber frame roofing system in a residential home. These are the components that make up a beautiful finished ceiling.

Cold Roof System Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hi, I'm Tim Carter and I'm at a residential construction site in New Hampshire. It is the middle of winter and extremely cold. I want to talk a little bit about cold roofs.

This house is being built with the structural insulated panel method. What does that mean? First, the structural insulated panel is like an Oreo cookie. It is OSB on the top, a foam core insulation layer, and another layer of OSB on the bottom. The trouble with these panels years ago was water vapor rotting. Inside all houses is a lot of water vapor. The water vapor travels right through the house into the attic, and it needs to get out of the house. If it condenses on the roofing wood, it will cause rot. In the structural insulation panel, the water vapor goes up through the bottom layer of OSB, up through the insulation and condenses on the colder top OSB layer.

But if we do a cold roof assembly, we can prevent the top layer of OSB from getting condensations and rotting out. Here's how it's done. The carpenters are going to take pieces of 1x3 plywood or other scrapping, and they're going to nail it vertically up and down the roof, 16 inches on center. This will result in a channel running up and down the entire roof. Then the 5/8 inch OSB roofing material, which has a plastic coating on it, will be nailed across these pieces of plywood.

This will create an air channel with the air entering the roof assembly from the soffit below and travel up each of the separate channels created by the parallel pieces of scrapping. The moving air captures the water vapor and transports it to the ridge vent and out of the attic. That's how you do a cold roof system. This keeps your structural insulated panels from rotting.

What Is SIP?

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hi, I'm Tim Carter and I'm here in New Hampshire at a frosty, residential construction site. It is winter and I want to show you this timber framed construction and you have to think about what happens with it.

This is a beautiful timber roof structure. We have Douglas fir for both the big rafters and the collar ties, which keep the roof from spreading apart. The underside of the roofing is all Eastern white pine. It's already been pre-finished. It is in beautiful shape but here's the problem.

Think about this. Here's a piece of the material that is being used for the roof structure. But look at the problem. Look how thin this piece is. So two things. If we were to nail shingles onto the top of this, you would see the nails come through. What's more, what about the insulation, since this is the inside of the roof.

On this particular job site, they are using a structural insulated panel. Or SIP for short. It is make like a sandwich. First there is a half-inch piece of OSB board, then 6 inches of closed cell foam insulation, rated at R39. Then another piece of half-inch OSB board on top to complete the panel. The way this is attached is using giant screws. The screws go all way through the SIP panels into the rafters.

Using these panels will give the house plenty of insulation from the cold. It's that simple. That's how you use structural insulated panels on a roof.

Interior Wall Framing

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I'm doing some remodeling work and I have to construct some interior wood walls. I've not done this before and don't want to make mistakes. It doesn't see too hard, actually it appears to be cave-man simple. Can you share tips on how you might do this? Can I frame the wall on the floor and tilt it up, or should I just build it in place? Randall R., Staten Island, NY

DEAR RANDALL: I'm chuckling right now because all too often people jump into a remodeling project or any job around the home thinking ‚"can't be that hard to do", and quickly get in over their heads. As simple as wall framing is, there are plenty of things you can do wrong.

This is an interior wall that's load bearing. See how the floor joists above rest on the wall? Photo Credit: Tim Carter

This is an interior wall that's load bearing. See how the floor joists above rest on the wall? Photo Credit: Tim Carter

The first thing I need to say is that it's absolutely impossible for me to tell you everything I know about this topic in this space. Sorry about that. I'll try to hit the high spots and hope that all turns out well.

The basics stipulate that the wall needs to be plumb and in the same plane. You can start this by chalking a line on the subfloor where you want one side of the wall to be. Snapping a crisp chalk line creates a straight line.

The top and bottom plate of the wall should be perfectly straight lumber if you can get it. It's absolutely possible to persuade a crowned top or bottom plate into a straight line, but avoiding this is preferred.

My guess is the walls you're building, since they're new, are not load bearing. If this is the case, it means you don't need structural headers above any doorways or pass-through openings in the wall.

You still should attempt to stack the wall studs on top of any floor joists below the wall that run parallel with the wall studs. Plumbers, HVAC men, and electricians will appreciate this. Stacking framing lumber is a best practice that should always be followed when possible.

The spacing of the wall studs is usually 16 inches on center. However, if you do decide to stack the new wall studs on top of floor joists below, your spacing will mimic that of the floor joists. The 16-inch spacing prevents waste of finished wall materials since the length of drywall and paneling is almost always a multiple of 16 inches.

The wall studs need to be crowned in the same direction. A crown is a hump in the stud when you look down the length of the stud along the narrow 1.5-inch face. If you don't do this and have some crowned studs facing one side and the others facing the other side, the wall will look twisted once covered with drywall or paneling.

The wall studs at door openings should be absolutely straight with no crowns or bows. Using perfectly straight studs at door openings will pay enormous dividends when you go to hang the door in the opening at a later date.

When you attempt to plumb the wall, don't make the infamous rookie mistake of placing a 4-foot level on the face of the wall stud. If the stud has a crown, and most do, the reading will not be accurate. You plumb a wall by placing a perfectly straight straightedge from the top plate to the bottom plate. This is the method one uses if the wall is framed on the floor and tilted up into position.

This straightedge is placed between wall studs so it only is touching the plates. You need to have the bottom plate nailed into position before you start to plumb the wall. Check the wall for plumb every 4 feet and nail the top plate securely once the wall is plumb at each position.

You can frame the wall in place or build it flat on the floor and tilt it up into position. Walls built with 2x6‘s are harder to tilt up because they create a longer diagonal than a 2x4 wall.

If you decide to frame the wall one stud at a time with the top and bottom plate in position, be sure the top and bottom plates are in the same plane before you start. You can use an old-fashioned plumb bob to achieve this goal. Fancy laser levels that do shoot a plumb line are nice, but they can be expensive.

Framing the wall on the floor instead of in position also makes it easier to connect the wall studs to the plates. When the wall is flat on the floor, you can hammer in two 16d sinker nails through the plates up into the ends of the studs. This makes for a better connection rather than toenailing the studs as you will be forced to do if you build the wall in position.

You can watch a several videos about framing. Just type Framing Video in the AsktheBuilder.com search engine.

Column 915

Wet-Dry Vac Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter
welt dry vacuum

This is a great wet dry vac. You can see MANY different ones here.

Wet Dry Vac Secret Tips

The tips in this guide were supplied by hundreds of subscribers to my FREE AsktheBuilder.com newsletter. I'm grateful to them for their willingness to share what they've discovered.

The inspiration for this guide came from a very good friend and neighbor, Bob Broadhurst. Bob emailed me one day commenting on how he had used his wet-dry vac to unclog a tub drain.

That got me to thinking about all the other useful and crazy things you can do with these machines. You're about to discover these machines can be used for quite a bit, but first read about how one could have saved my bacon.

I know my mother wishes that wet-dry vacs had been invented when that pillow fight of mine moved outdoors that summer night. My neighborhood friends and I created quite a mess on our neighbor's, Ms. Zint, front lawn in the middle of that humid night.

Ms. Zint, whose twin sister was the Wicked Witch of the West, glared at all of us as we tried picking up thousands of feathers by hand and with a rake. It didn't take long to see that wasn't working so my mom sent me to get our standard upright vacuum. Oh was my mother embarrassed and angry.

I BEG you to read through the entire list and tell me if one of the last ones isn't the best tip of all. I hope she wasn't downwind of the hose!

Sincerely,

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

INTERIOR

PLUMBING USES:

Unclog Tub Drains - Remove Hair

Bob Broadhurst - Near NYC, Fred Casper - Juliette, GA

Remove Water From Toilets and Toilet Tanks for Repair Purposes or Winterizing

Jim from CT, Richard Grossman, Dustin Summers, Rosemary Hughes, Mike Baron - Jonestown, PA, Doug Behnke - Delaware, OH, Frank Job, Thomas Webb - Cincinnati, OH, Greg - Kalamazoo, MI, Richard Cowan, Randall Johnson - Raleigh, NC, Paul Vawter - Columbus, OH, Billy - West Coast, Paul Jones - Swedesboro, NJ

Remove Grit, Dirt Muck From Sump Pit

Ines Illgen

Drain Water Lines BEFORE Soldering Using Vac Suction

Very Satisfied Newsletter Reader, George Husted - Muir, MI, Paul Vawter - Columbus, OH, Tony Veltri - Lakeland, TN

Clean Drain Line from Dishwasher to Sink

Kevin - Indianapolis, IN

Remove Water or Salt Pellets from Water Softener

Rafael Goyco - San Antonio, TX

Clean Sediment from Water Heater

Bob Casey, George Axtell - Hannibal, NY

Suck Hot Water Gone Cold While Thawing Frozen Septic Line

Mike Schweitzer - Stone Lake, WI

Blow Out Overflow Drain in Bath Sinks

Tim Tuohey - White Lake, MI

Blow Out Water Lines to Winterize a Summer Home

Quentin Day - Peterborough, Ontario CA

Locating Sewer Gas Smell

Anonymous

ELECTRICAL USES:

Pull String Through Conduit - Attach String to Small Cotton Ball

Jim - CT, Todd Fratzel - Newport, NH, Purcell McCue - VA, Barry - Tiverton, RI, Doug Dobbs, Mike Hancock - Rochelle, GA, Richard Cowan, Paul Edworthy - Toronto, Ontario, Bob Lyons - Avon, OH

Aid in Changing Light Bulbs

Roger Hamel

 

HVAC USES:

Unclog AC Drip Tray Drain Line

David Richie

Clean Out Dryer Vent Line

Mike, Bob Casey, Judy McQueen, Jerry Gershner - Ossining, NY, Tommy Starnes - Hampton, VA, Claude Mellish - Painted Post, NY

Suck AC Condensation Line - Prevents Clogs

Charles Picard, Marilyn Barker-Ayer - New Port Richey, FL, Tommy Starnes - Hampton, VA, Archie Paul - Wellington, FL

Blow Out Dryer Lint - Be Sure Dryer is Empty - Close Dryer Door

Patricia Lee - Tullahoma, TN, Ann Suja - Zionsville, IN, Butch Stearnes - Pekin, IL

PAINTING USES:

Remove Spilled Paint From Carpet

Amy R., Wichita, KS, Jonathan Spicker - Blue Ash, OH

CARPET CLEANER:

Use any cleaner and then VAC up liquid. Carpet is NEW!

Joanie Thole - Residence Unknown

MISCELLANEOUS USES:

Drain an Aquarium

Aki

Remove COLD Ashes from Fireplace Ash Dump

Kevin - Indianapolis, IN

Clean Up Water From Washing Machine Drain Hose Mistake

Bobby - Kansas

Remove Air from Clothes Packing Bags

Niki Moore - Houston, TX

Defrost a Freezer - I use it all the time, but I use a hair dryer to heat the ice. The ice melts so fast, a wet/ dry vac can pull the water off the floor of the freezer. I can defrost 3 inches of ice in 15 minutes. Dry the freezer and get it running again in that time.

Richard Friese - Mundelein, IL, Moshe Miller - Brooklyn, NY

Pick Up Items in Tight Places - Cover Hose with Panty Hose

William Roller, Randall Johnson - Raleigh, NC, James Turnham - Brooklyn Park, MN

Massage Scalp After Haircut - Clean Hair from Floor

Greg - PA

Blow Air Into a Water Bed to Straighten Out Baffles and Liner After a Move

Ann Suja - Zionsville, IN

Pull Silver Speaker Center Circle Back Into Place

Garry Blight - Yarram, Australia

Emergency Dentist Suction Pump - Saved Patients from Drowning!

Dan Jenkins DDS - Riverside, CA

Suck Up Flood Water from Basement

Greg Weglarz

Clean Refrigerator Coils - Blowing and Sucking

Craig - Hartford, CT

Retrieve Sock From Behind Clothes Dryer

Michael Laws - Summerville, SC

Blow Off Scroll Saw Projects

Tony Campise - Groves, TX

Vacuum Expensive HEPA Filters

Use Vac Handle Tubes as Long Filler Devices for watering Christmas Tree

George Babcock - Fair Oaks, CA

Appliance Repair - Use to remove water from washing machine or dishwasher hoses

Garry - Bristol, VT

EXTERIOR

LANDSCAPING USES:

Suck Up Acorns

Jeffrey Fordell - Canton, MI, Mike Smith - Benbrook, TX,

Suck up Sweet Gum Balls and Pecans

Ben Wetherill, Steve Marcus - Charlotte, NC

Suck up Beechnuts

Barb

Suck Up Olives

Jeffrey Barker - Orange, CA

Blow Out Garden Hose Before Winter

Ken Murray of Cornwall, Ontario, Canada

Suck Leaves From Outdoor Pond

Brian from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Remove Water From Outdoor Pond

Al Forte - Odessa, TX

Blow Out Lawn Sprinkler System

Brian from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Creating Mulch - Use to Grind Dry Leaves

Anonymous Monkey Shines

Remove Seeds from Plants including Buckwheat

Ines Illgen, Bob Moorman - Troy AL

Remove Stones from Grass Put There by Snow Plowing and Blowing

Darryl Reid

Substitute / Stand-in Blower for Leaves / Grass Clippings / Dust

Mike Hart, Barbara Belkoff, Asa - Portland, OR, Rance - Fredericksburg, VA, T. Ball - Northwest, PA, Richard Cowan, Larry Hall - Birdsboro, PA, Judy McQueen, Delora, Steve - Albuquerque, NM

Remove Occupy Paul's Drains Critter Encampments in Downspout Drain Lines

Paul - Hebron, CT

Blow Out Water from Pond Recirculation Lines

Greg Ruble - Waukee, IA

Suck Up Dirt Around Broken Sprinkler Lines During Repair - Dirt Clogs Head

Daniel Yankovich - Phoenix, AZ

 

POOL and HOT TUB USES:

Blow Up Kids Pool Toys and Air Mattresses

Scott - Lynnwood, WA, Jeff Campbell - Framingham, MA, Dave - MN, Brenda Hernandez - Frederick, MD

Remove Air From Pool and Lake Toys for Winter Storage

Dave - MN

Blow Up Pool Freeze-Compression Pillow Under Pool Cover

Jeff Campbell - Framingham, MA

Blow Out Pool Filter Lines

John Adams, Mike Hart, Rick Morse, Jean-Marc Pelletier

Drain Hot Tub

Aki, Steve Tobin - Roswell, GA

Blow Out Pool and Hot Tub Filters

Steve Tobin - Roswell, GA

Remove Water from TOP of Pool Cover

Carl Iaccarino - Guilford, CT

Remove Sand From Pool Filter

Wayne Graff

INSECT and ANIMAL USES:

Remove Hornets, Yellow Jackets, Wasps from Nests

Pete Capitain - North Babylon, NY, George Blakey, Mark Wagner, Matt Anderson, Kevin Alberts - Ada, MI, Richard Havanec - Derby, CT, Ken Rupkalvis - San Antonio, TX, Barry Stewart - Chilliwack, BC, Canada, Ed Frost - Bent Mountain, VA, Paul - Hebron, CT

Suck Up Stink Bugs

Ferenc Ayer - Vienna, VA

Suck up Flies in Abandoned House

John Leek - Chestertown, MD

Suck Up Mice in Complicated Box Equipped with Microswitch, Relay and Peanut Butter

Matt - Jersey City, NJ

Doggie Blow Dryer After Bath - Be Sure No Dust in Canister - Muffle to Protect Ears

Kent LaVake - Stillwater, MN

Vacuum Hair Directly From Dog

Anonymous - Cincinnati, OH, Judy McQueen

Remove Box Elder Beetles From Vinyl Siding

Karen Vogler - Staten Island, NY

Clean a Horse - Blow Dust - Best When Too Cold to Wash

Jack Chaneyworth - Waco, TX

 

EXCAVATION USES:

Electric Excavator - Suck Dirt and Rocks From Narrow Holes or Trenches

Jim Stark - North Las Vegas, NV, Dan Davies - Atascadero, CA, Tom Warmoth - Roscoe, IL, Mike Haucke - Seattle, WA, Bruce Krouse - Gilbert, PA

Fence Post Removal - Remove Dirt from Sides of Post

Andrew - Perch, Australia

Remove Sleeping Bats from Inside Home

Cary Wager - Galva, IL

Suck #57 Stone From Damaged Retaining Wall Prior to Repair

George Lambertson - Birmingham, AL

 

GUTTERS and DOWNSPOUTS:

Blow Leaves From Gutters

Bob Noe - Annadale, VA, Stephanie Laskey, Lockport, NY, Russell Taylor / Shawn Cofield - Nanaimo, BC Canada

 

DRAINAGE USES:

Blow or Suck Leaves in Outdoor Drain Lines

Bob Noe - Annadale, VA

 

AUTOMOTIVE USES:

Remove Tractor Transmission Oil

Chris Lang of Lonoke, Arkansas

Blow / Suck Out Debris in Car Heating Vents - Solves Noisy Fan

Joseph Le Vangie - Batavia, OH

 

BOATING USES:

Suck Water from Seadoo Jetski

Tim Tuohey - White Lake, MI

Blow Out RV Water Supply Lines

Randy Turner - Little Rock, AR

Drying Off a Motorcycle

Neil Seifert

 

MISCELLANEOUS USES:

Accelerate the Burning of Charcoal for Cooking in a Rush

Will - Peachtree City, GA

Suck Liquid Cow Manure From Huge Dairy Barn Junction Boxes

Ron Munro - Armstrong, BC, Canada

Connect Hose to Exhaust Port - Shoot Small OJ Cans Harmlessly at Kids

Name Withheld to protect Guilty

Blow Dead Husband and Dog's Ashes into Lake from Favorite Overlook

Anne - Withheld last name and city/state

MAINTENANCE TIP:

Steve Sherwood wrote:

Between our house and the church I pastor, we have three vacuums that use small cone shaped filters, all of which are expensive to replace. I took a 24" piece of 3 PVC pipe and capped one end. I cut a hole for my shop vac hose about half way up the side of the pipe. I turn the vac on and drop the filters into the open end of the pipe. This gets a lot of the excess dirt out of the cone shaped filters, extending their usefulness, and a good deal of that dirt stays in the bottom of the pipe cap which saves wear and tear on my shop vac filter.

 

YouTube Leads

Posted on by Tim Carter

Get the Free AsktheBuilder Newsletter HERE!

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December 22, 2011 AsktheBuilder Newsletter And Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Newsletter?

Latest News
Wet-Dry Vac Guide
Facebook News

This could be the shortest AsktheBuilder.com newsletter in history. Why? Most are in a dither about Christmas!It's just days away. We celebrate Christmas here at the Carter family. You may celebrate a different holiday and call it by a different name, but the sentiment is most likely the same.

Peace on Earth - Goodwill to Men - and Women of course!

I've got very big news to announce in a couple of weeks. The best part is it involves you. I'll be needing your help to make the new initiative work well.

I'm also in a great mood. Why? The Winter Solstice, which happened about twelve hours ago, is one of my favorite days of the year. The days begin to get longer - at least for all of us Up Over!

The Long-Awaited Wet-Dry Vac Guide

I want to thank you if you were one of the many that co-operated and sent in a useful idea as to how to get the most from a wet-dry vac.

I've assembled the tips in a lackluster document. Oh how I could use Meghan's design talent or that of someone else. I draw stick people.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the tips. Feel free to forward the file to anyone you want once you download it.

Click here to download the wet-dry vac tips. It is in a PDF Adobe file.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours!

Facebook Fan Page

AsktheBuilder on Facebook
Are you a Facebook user? If so, you'll probably love my AsktheBuilder Facebook Fan page! I try to do things there each week that don't appear in this newsletter. I'm also on Twitter if you do that.

Pegboard and Hooks

Posted on by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: One of my New Year projects is to organize my garage and workshop. My tools are scattered everywhere and I waste time looking for them. My dad used pegboard for his tool organization, but the simplistic hooks never seemed to fit the tools properly. I want as near a custom solution as possible. Surely you've come across some great pegboard as well as pegboard hangers and hooks that work well. Talk to me about the workbench that should be up against the pegboard if you can. Help me Tim, you're my only hope! Lisanne L., Denver, CO

DEAR LISANNE: Oh can I speak to wasted time looking for things. That used to be the bane of my existence until I just knuckled down one weekend and designed a series of storage shelves and pegboard that completely solved my problems.

This is my favorite pegboard and hook system. The pegboard is metal and the hooks will NEVER come out when you take a tool from the wall. Photo Credit: Tim Carter

This is my favorite pegboard and hook system. The pegboard is metal and the hooks will NEVER come out when you take a tool from the wall. Photo Credit: Tim Carter

My dad also had the traditional pressed wood-fiber pegboard. In fact, I believe it's still pretty popular. But I was also disappointed with the hangers and accessories that go with the wood system. Often they would come off the wall as I removed the tool. Talk about frustrating! And if you use a tool often, the friction caused by moving the hook enlarges the hole in the wood panel.

Several years ago, while at an industry trade show, I saw a new inventor who had suffered like so many and solved the pegboard problem. I actually walked by his tiny booth, but stopped dead in my tracks and did a 180-degree turn and went back to see what he had. Oh, am I ever glad I did that!

This genius developed a system of metal panels that allowed you to use your traditional round pegboard hooks and accessories if you wanted, or you could upgrade to his nearly unlimited assortment of metal hooks and hangers that fit into narrow slots on the metal pegboard.

You may not think this is a game changer, but it is. The most compelling aspect of this system is the way the metal hooks and hangers slide up and then down into the slots. The metal hooks and hangers lock into the metal board and absolutely will not come out when you reach for your tool.

You can easily remove the hooks and hangers if you wish to re-arrange how your system looks. But realize that in normal day-to-day use, the pegboard hooks that fit in the slots will not come out.

Here's the best part. I don't care what tool or thing you have that you want up on your pegboard, the metal pegboard system I use has a hook, hanger, shelf, bracket, parts bin, etc. to hold absolutely anything you can dream of putting up on your pegboard.

Here are some examples of what I can put on my pegboard with ease using the special hooks and the metal board system. I can hang any cordless drill or tool. A special shelf holds spray cans of paint or adhesive with a extra vertical surface on the front of this shelf to hang small tools. A handy shelf that has a dowel rod for a roll of paper towels is on my wall system.

How about a bracket that hold plastic parts bins? Yes, I've got it. U-shaped brackets for ratchets and wood chisels are right there on my pegboard. Horizontal u-shaped brackets for hammers, baseball bats, shovels, flashlights, etc. can be found on my system. Special brackets for screwdrivers are also on my pegboard.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you the metal panels, hooks, hangers, shelves, etc. come in an assortment of bright colors. You can mix and match. If you want the tough industrial look, you can go with galvanized metal panels. Suffice it to say I pretty much guarantee you'll fall in love with this system like I have. In fact, I'm willing to bet you a dinner for two at my favorite chili parlor you'll love it.

The biggest mistake you can make with a workbench that sits in front of a pegboard system is making the workbench too deep. You'll be tempted to make it at least 24 inches deep, but I'm here to tell you that's a mistake. You'll have a very hard time reaching over the workbench to get to tools that you need.

I prefer a workbench that's no more than 20-inches deep when it's in front of pegboard. I want convenience when reaching for a tool.

If I need more space to work on, I use a stand-alone table in the workshop. What's more, the work bench height and work table heights are not always the same. You may discover, depending on your height, that you want a workbench that's at least 36-inches tall. If you're a short person, you may discover that a 32-inch height is absolutely perfect.

Test this by just temporarily supporting a piece of plywood and try to work on things as you would on a work bench. If you discover that you're standing on your tip toes or lifting up a shoulder to do something, the work surface is too high.

You can watch a great video about the metal pegboard system I use at my AsktheBuilder.com website.

Column 914

December 14, 2011 AsktheBuilder Newsletter And Tips

Posted on by Tim Carter

What's in This Newsletter?

Latest News
Teaching Moment From Marjie
Buying Building Products Survey
LIVE TV for AsktheBuilder.com!
Lot Of New Videos
Facebook News

We're bearing down on Christmas. It's now less than two weeks away. If you're looking for some great tools for that special someone, you should look at my Christmas Gift Guide. I link directly to it at the end of a VERY COOL survey about online shopping. Please give me 90 seconds of your time and take the survey. You'll see it below.A close friend of mine is in distress right now. It's a very long story, but it's about  a battle going on between he and his siblings over their mother's estate.

This friend of mine deals with attorneys all the time in his business, so I asked him what advice he would give to others so they can AVOID all the heartache and stress he's experiencing. His answer was so obvious I shouldn't have even had to ask it.

He said, "Tell your subscribers if they have a will they should spell out exactly what happens to all property. They should NOT assume that their children get along and will divide things peacefully. If you want the china to go to daughter #2, then say so in the will. If you want certain guns to go to certain children or friends, say so. If you leave it up to the kids to divide property, it can get ugly."

Think about dealing with this on a personal level after the New Year. Don't hope things will work out after you're gone. Don't drive a wedge in your family after you've been sent back to Heaven.

Oh, the Wet-Dry Vac Guide! I PROMISE I'll have that for you next week. Each day some great new tips come in, so I'll finish it today. In fact, I'll send you the link to it tomorrow. It'll be a VERY short email. Watch for it.

 

Teaching Moment From Marjie

If you're offended in the LEAST with a small common curse word, stop reading now. One of my subscribers exclaimed it last week.

Marjie Darling wrote to me after the last newsletter went out:

"Damitall Tim!!! When I got bought gutter guards, the distributor told me it'd help prevent the ice dams.

Then when I got the dangerous ice dams that finally slid down and ruined my porch roof, I went online and was rebuked by so many that I was almost convinced that it was MY fault.....

.... THANK YOU for finally validating my experiences. (I had a simple line in my last newsletter that said regular gutter guards actually accelerate the growth of ice dams. I was talking about in the last newsletter a Heated Gutter Guard that melts snow and ice.)"

Marjie, you could have avoided all that pain if you had just come to AsktheBuilder.com BEFORE you signed the contract. If you would have typed:  gutter guards ice dams     into my search engine, you would have discovered my past column about Ice Dams and Gutter Guards.

Please, please, please, take the time and do research at AsktheBuilder.com before you sign a contract or BUY a product.

 

Buying Building Products Survey

I'm curious about how you shop. Unless you live under a rock, you know more and more people are buying things online. The more I know about how you do things, the BETTER job I can do in this newsletter to satisfy you.

Would you please take just 90 seconds and complete a quick survey for me? I sincerely appreciate it.

Once you complete it, I link you to my Christmas Gift Guide. You'll LOVE seeing all the great tools in it that I use just about each week. Wait till you see the very cool flashlight and the decorator sledge hammer. It's so fancy, you'll keep it in your living room.

LIVE TV for AsktheBuilder.com!

After the New Year, I'm going to start to do LIVE streaming video. I've not decided on the format, because I want you to help design the show.

I'll be in a little indoor studio, not at a job site while doing the LIVE show. I'm building the set right now and I chose to use a product that you should use in your home - Wall Control!

Wall Control makes, perhaps, the coolest metal pegboard in the world. I love this product. They were kind enough to donate the product for the set. If you want in your workshop, garage, garden shed, etc. what I have, just go to the Wall Control website. I do NOT get a commission from Wall Control for anything you buy from them. It was in my last home and I have it here in New Hampshire in my garage.

Doing live TV on an indoor set limits what I can do to a large degree. In other words, I can't show you how to build a house in a little studio. I can't show you how to lay brick or finish concrete either.

Just imagine me being at your house and sitting at your dining room table with you. What do you think I could demonstrate there at your table that would be of great interest to you? Please reply but change the Subject Line to: LIVE TV.

What simple projects would you like to see me explain? Or, would you just want me to answer YOUR questions live like I used to do on my live radio show for twelve years? Maybe you want to see new products.

Tell me what you want to see me do on LIVE TV. The shows will be recorded so you can watch them later if you miss the LIVE event.

 

Lots of New Videos

Oh my do I have some videos for you to watch! I was at a new home construction site over the weekend and tried to capture some of the great things I saw.

I often forget that much of what is second nature to me fascinates you! This is why I'm going to try to tape more and more videos like this.

Here are the latest videos:

Garage Design Video

Basement Insulation Tips Video

Door Framing Tip Video

Lally Column Video

Prefab Frame Walls Video

Framing a Door Video

One last thing, PLEASE consider taking my Shopping Survey before you go.

 

Facebook Fan Page

AsktheBuilder on Facebook
Are you a Facebook user? If so, you'll probably love my AsktheBuilder Facebook Fan page! I try to do things there each week that don't appear in this newsletter. I'm also on Twitter if you do that.

Window Header Insulation Video

Posted on by Tim Carter

Hi, I'm Tim Carter and I am at a new residential construction site in New Hampshire. It's cold. It's winter time. But that's what I want to talk about - insulation.

Above this window opening is the header and it has a blue piece of insulation in place. In the old days, there would just be a wooden header over the windows to carry the wood. This will keep the weight from above pushing down on the window or door.

When there is just solid wood in the header, it provides very little insulation. Wood is a conductor and doesn't insulate. This head is constructed with two blocks of 2x6s and one piece of foam insulation on the inside to keep it nice and warm.

This insulation has an R value of 10 and is closed-cell rigid foam. A really good product. So when you are building or remodeling, be sure you have a nice insulated header over your windows and doors.