Do It Yourself Building Challenges

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: My husband and I are determined to build our new home. Because the economy is so bad and money is tight, we plan to do this job ourselves. We're convinced we can do this as we've done lots of tough DIY jobs in our past homes. Is it realistic to assume we can complete this project? What are the challenges? What are the pitfalls? Can you help us achieve our dream? Sandi H., Kennewick, WA

DEAR SANDI: My oldest daughter has a nickname for me: dream crusher. I have a habit of being far too pragmatic when she passes an idea by me. I tend to tell the truth and point out all the obstacles so that she can decide if she wants to move forward. So far she has made me proud charging ahead climbing over the barriers and bursting through any obstructions.

This unfinished house has sat for over three years with no activity. The owners ran into any number of difficulties. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

The reality of building a new home from scratch with you doing much of the work or even subcontracting out some aspects is one filled with hourly challenges. You can't imagine how complex it is to build a new home making sure you follow all the best practices much less the minimum standards represented by the building code.

I don't have any statistics as to how many DIY home-building projects end up a total success, but my gut tells me it's in the single digits. To get an idea of what you're up against, break down the entire job into modules and start to add up the total hours required. This is just one way to get a dose of reality. You'll quickly discover the total time required in man/woman hours to build a home will approach ten thousand hours, if not more.

In all my years of watching do-it-yourselfers attempt to build a home, what I've discovered is they want to get to the glory work as fast as possible. They throw up the shell of the house and make it somewhat waterproof so they can get to work inside. If you happen to be plagued with attention deficit disorder, you'll pay dearly for jumping ahead and not finishing critical weatherproofing details outside.

There are countless challenges. Some of the most significant ones that come to mind are: financing issues, incomplete plans and specifications, poor budgeting, lack of needed tools, poor grasp of scheduling, subcontractors that don't show up, price inflation issues because of the extended building schedule, and delays in obtaining materials because of shortages and just-in-time manufacturing issues.

To help you achieve your dream, I suggest that you spend lots of time up front long before you do one thing at the lot. You need to break the job down into each separate task, there are hundreds of them, and get accurate pricing information for each thing you need. Far too many DIYr's just put in an allowance or guess only to discover the real materials cost far more.

You can use a detailed checklist that helps you determine what you need. There are some incomplete free ones you may discover online, but there are highly detailed ones that are priced below $20. You can make sure you get the right pricing by doing the actual selection of everything you want in the home before you start. Price out things like towel bars, mirrors, shower doors, window treatments, etc. Think of everything you have in your existing home that you'll need to have when you move in.

Once you have the pricing information for everything that's required, get multiple bids for things where you'll need a subcontractor. Be sure to write out exactly what you want the sub to do and what materials he needs to supply. Include a section in the bid where the sub spells out what he'll not be doing. That's very important. Be sure to add a cost for what he'll not be doing.

Finally, try to estimate the hours it will take you to do the tasks you'll attempt. Whatever number you come up with for each task, multiply it by 1.5 or 2, especially for all the finish work. At the end of the project you'll be tired and not as productive, unless you employ artificial stimulation.

I believe you'll discover the number of hours of work will be staggering. At this point, you need to plug those hours into your calendar to see when you can work. Keep in mind that building a new home is a full-time occupation for actual builders and subcontractors.

If you think you'll get the same results doing the work on weekends, after your day job responsibilities and accrued vacation time, you need to pinch yourself. It will take you years to complete the house doing it this way. Also, don't forget about weather considerations and the diminished daylight in winter months. Bad weather can put regular builders weeks behind. It may cause you to lose months of time.

Running out of money and energy are the two biggest issues the average DIY'r will face when trying to build their own home. Many construction loans have expiration dates where they have to be converted to permanent financing. If borrowing rates increase and you pass the expiration date, you could be faced with overpowering monthly payments.

As the project end approaches, it can take many hours to finish the last 15 percent of the job. Finish work, done properly, takes lots of time. Interior painting is a great example. On existing houses, you may repaint a bedroom in one day. In new work, that same room could take three days with all the needed spackling, caulking, sanding and priming. Typically you don't need to do all those things in an existing room.

Column 892

July 12, 2011 AsktheBuilder Tips And Newsletter

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Tim Carter

What's in This Newsletter?

Latest News
Update on Liens and Affidavits
Another Chinese Product Problem
Please Use the AsktheBuilder Search Engine
PR, Ad or Building Products Person
Installing Ceramic Tile Trim
Checklist Sale
Stain Solver Shipping

This past Saturday I was once again up on Mt. Washington. But this time it was different. I was stationed just above the 6,000 foot elevation marker and just below the oil tanks if you know where that is. The mountain is only 6,288 feet tall.

The wind was howling with sustained speeds above 35 mph, and occasional gusts that had to be close to 50 mph. The visibility was never more than 150 feet, and most of the time, it was 30 feet. Air temp was in the upper 40's F.

I was there with my ham radio monitoring the progress of bicycle riders in the Newton's Revenge race. Riders with those thin spandex colorful pants and shirts were pedaling up that mountain. They had to be freezing. Yes, I know that they were sweating and working, but still it had to be cold for them.

No riders were hurt or crashed, but of all the ham operators, I did have the most action of the day. Two hikers came towards me like ghosts out of the mist. They told me about two other hikers in severe distress down farther on the Huntington Ravine Trail. It has the steepest and highest headwall.

Mary at net control - fancy term for the lady running the communications for the race - at the base of the mountain connected me with the Park Service that dispatched a rescue team. It's a great feeling to be able to use that small handheld radio to help people!

Update on Liens and Affidavits

I got several replies last week about my consult where I suggested that you request affidavits when paying a contractor.

First, a few thought that no contractor would ever give out affidavits. CORRECT! The Loser contractors and slime bags won't. You don't want to deal with them. The pros out there will not hesitate to provide you with affidavits. That's a fact.

Secondly, I got a great email from Justin Giles III Esq. He went into fantastic detail in a follow up email with me, but here is what his first email said:

"In Tennessee, and many other states, subs and suppliers do not have lien rights on residential projects absent direct contractual privity with the homeowner. If someone asks you this question in the future, make sure you refer them to a construction lawyer in their jurisdiction. You do not want homeowners paying subs and suppliers when they are not obligated to do so."

The bottom line is that you should absolutely contact a real estate attorney in your state and get up to speed on your stat's lien laws and what you can do to protect yourself in this complicated area. A simple one-hour consult can absolutely get you the information you need. You may also find it online, but even then I'd check with a real attorney.

Another Chinese Product Problem

Let's see here's my list so far: lead paint in kids toys, tainted dog food, toxic drywall, what else did I miss? Now we can add log splitters to the list.

My buddy Steve from Southern California sent me an alert from the Consumer Product Safety Commission about a log splitter that can malfunction causing laceration or amputation hazards.

Please Use the AsktheBuilder Search Engine

You may be one of the folks that hits the Reply button after you get this newsletter. I know, you have a burning question.

Last week about ten subscribers did that instead of just going back to my AsktheBuilder.com website. In each case, the answer they needed was right there.

Do me a HUGE favor. Please don't hit the Reply button. Just go to the website and spend some time there reading past columns and watching videos about your problem. The best part is that you'll often have your answer in minutes. You don't have to hope your email makes it to me and I'm able to answer it.

PR, Ad or Building Products Person?

Do you work in the public relations or advertising business? Or, do you work for a manufacturer that produces building products or tools?

If so, I need you click the Reply button! But do this. Change the Subject Line to: Tim's White Paper and in the body tell me you want a copy of my latest project.

I'm planning on completing, in the next few days, a white paper that gives you a look at the rapidly changing publishing industry with respect to websites and blogs. You'll be amazed at some of the data and case studies that will be shown in the treatise.

If you're trying to reach consumers with your message, I suggest you read this white paper.

Also, if you have any contacts with organizers of PR or Ad Conferences, I'd love to talk with them about creating a panel discussion about this topic at the next gathering.

Installing Ceramic Tile Trim

Merrilyn Mattson from Loveland, CO wrote to me:

"I just laid ceramic tile in a bathroom and I want to put ceramic trim around the edges on the wall. Do I line the trim with the floor tiles, or do I stagger them?"

Great question! If you have the luxury of seeing tile jobs installed by master tile setters about 70 or even 100 years ago, you'd see that they don't stagger them.

Now, that assumes the tile was laid parallel with the walls and the base or trim tile is the exact same dimension as the floor tile. If you lay the floor tile at a diagonal, you can't line up the grout joints.

Checklist Sale

It's summer! Your AC unit may give up the ghost. Do you want to make sure you get the right one? You want a pro to install it?

Are you going to build a room addition because you can't get financing on a home purchase?

I'm having a monster sale on these two checklists for you. Usually they're $17 each. For the next five days they are only $7 bucks each. That's nearly a 60% discount. It's an Instant Download product. You get it minutes from now.

Wait till you see the Secret Videos in each one that shows you how easy it is to discover the professional contractor in your city or town.

This sale ENDS on Sunday July 17, 2011 at midnight. Don't procrastinate. Order them now to save sweet moola.

Here's the AC Checklist link

Here's the Room Addition link

Stain Solver Shipping

The Stain Solver Summer Sale that just ended was a huge success. It doesn't surprise me. Jaki emailed me about how the product SAVED her a boatload of money because it cleaned some old curtains that would have been expensive to replace. But I digress.

I got several comments about the Shipping Costs.

Perhaps this can help you understand why they are so high. Fuel costs, increasing government regulations and all sorts of other stuff are causing ALL shipping rates to bump up higher.

I already do whatever I can to negotiate the best rate with UPS. I'm as frustrated as you are about it. We have options you know. If you want lower shipping rates for all your online purchases, all you have to do is get involved to get energy prices down and fewer regulations. It's that easy.

P2000 Insulation Customer Story

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Tim Carter

Do a little research online and you'll discover there are both pros and cons about the foam-board insulation product P2000.

Most of those that are saying great things about it, have a dog in the fight. They are selling the product or somehow stand to make a financial gain.

If you investigate those that detract from it, you'll probably discover they sell a competing product.

But here's a story sent to me from Ken Harman, a Canadian homeowner, to tell you how he came to discover it, and how he used it in his new home in Altona, Manitoba, Canada.

Before you jump out of your chair to go buy some P2000, note that there are missing facts in Ken's story. If I was able to interview him, here are a few questions I would ask?

How much extra money did you spend to buy the P2000 over conventional insulation?
How much extra money did it cost you to build in the manner you did using all the extra lumber?
How big is the house? How many square feet are you heating?
Are there similar sized houses in your area built the conventional way, and if so, what are they spending per heating season to heat?

What I'm trying to get to is what is the payback period for the P2000? Is it 3, 5 or 15 years?

I'm not against saving energy, but you have to make sure it really does save money. Never ever forget this axiom about Energy Savings:

You don't start to save your first penny of energy savings until such time as every extra dollar, plus interest, you spent on the energy improvement has been paid back by the lower fuel bills.

Once you get to that point, then you start to save. The magical question is: How long does it take to get there, and how long will you live in the house AFTER that point in time?

Here's Ken's story:

"Hi there!

I was looking at one of Tim's articles concerning various insulations, and I was in total agreement with several of the writers in regards Fibreglass insulation, and how the industry has been put into a box, as it were. Thinking it is the best and only way to go. If it is all you have in the attic, without anything else on top, like cellulose, the wind going through the attic will suck the heat right out of it.

I just built a new house 4 years ago, but before I even started, I went to a Home Builders show in Winnipeg, and looked at all the new things out there to see if there might be something better on the market than "the same old, same old". One thing I saw demonstrated was something called P2000 rigid insulation, in 4x8 sheets x either 5/8" or 1" thickness. Also, it is available in rolls 3 ft. wide by 3/8". It is polystyrene with a reflective coating on both sides, or you can get it with a white sort of fibre glass mesh on one side and an aluminum reflective coating on the other. It can be installed either on the inside of the house, or the outside, depending on the application. The 1" has an R rating of 27.5 per inch, and the 5/8" has an R factor of 19.5. The 3/8" has a rating of 11. I understand this insulation is used by NASA in their Space programs.

Now I know this sounds impossible when compared to how the Industry rates insulation, but rigid insulation should not be rated the same way loose insulation is, according to what I have read. Nor has the Industry given much recognition to the importance of a reflective insulation, especially when it is sandwiching a polystyrene insulator between it.

So after I saw the demo, and read up on it quite a bit, with all the testimonials, I decided to give it a try. My builder also decided to take on the distributorship in this area. I built 4" 2x4 walls to start with, and put R12 Pink insulation in. Then I put 5/8" P2000 across the 2x4's on the inside. Next I cut 2x6s in half lengthwise, giving me 2-5/8" boards which we screwed horizontally across the P2000 every 16" from floor to ceiling. I needed no vapor barrier because the P 2000 is it's own vapor barrier. I then put all my wiring of the outer walls into that 2-5/8" space, without having to put a vapor barrier around each box. This is a real "plus" for the electrician! Then we put on the wallboard. This gave a 2-5/8" air space on my outside walls.

We also put 1" P2000 over the whole ceiling before the partitions went in. All the joints of the P2000 were taped with self-sticking aluminum tape. Each sheet of P2000 has tape already on one side. You just pull off the protective covering from the tape and press the self-sticking tape down onto the next sheet. All corners and open edges of the P2000 were taped with the aluminum tape, so in the end, everything was perfectly air tight. I put no more insulation of any kind in the attic. All I have for ceiling insulation is the 1" P2000. The ceiling was then strapped with 1x4s every 16", and Gyproc sheets installed. (Actually, the ceiling was done first before the walls.)

I used interlocking Styrofoam forms for the poured cement basement walls, and underneath the basement floor I laid the 3/8" rolls of P2000 before laying down the rebar. I then put in piping for my underfloor heating, which later got tied in with my Geothermal ground loops. My total heating is with Geothermal.

I have gone through 4 winters now this way, with only 1" of P2000 in my ceiling. My attic remains totally dry throughout the winter, with no signs of hoar frost at all. An engineer from P2000 came out and took pictures with an infra-red camera, and was totally amazed at the results. The most heat loss he could find between inside and outside readings was 1 degree. The temperature outside at the time was -18 with a wind-chill of over -30. On a conventional house, even with 6" walls, an Infra red camera will pick out every stud, and every outlet box on the outside wall. Mine showed nothing ! He offered to buy my house!

I have a separate old Hydro watt meter that I put my Geothermal heating through, and the most I was spending per month throughout the winter was between $80 and $90 . I pay more now that I have my basement floor heat hooked up. But for a Manitoba winter, where the temperature can go down to -40, this house is so warm and comfortable that everybody comments on it whenever they visit. I also installed a whole house air exchanger, which really helps.

My local building inspector thought I was crazy in the head when he came to inspect, and the Manitoba Hydro people wouldn't give me any more than a 3.5 R value for my 1" of P2000, even though it has passed numerous approval tests by well-recognized Laboratories. My feeling is that if this insulation was to be approved by the Canadian Housing Standards people, and begun to be used, the present method of insulation would be in jeopardy. So there are a lot of "politics" involved.

I calculate that my outside walls have an R value of roughly 32. Theoretically, my ceiling is only about 28, but again, what really does the R factor mean? It was only a standard devised by the Fibre glass people for the use of the Housing industry, and it was based on the use of their type of insulation. (Also, this insulation, with the reflective surface on both sides, is also more fire-retardant than fibreglass.)

So that's my story. I would like to see it become an Industry standard, for I am totally satisfied with how it has performed for me. If you want anymore information, you have my e-mail address.

Thank you."
Ken Harman

Site Excavation Suggestions

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: My husband and I are getting ready to build a new home. We are worried about all the digging that will happen at the site. What should we be concerned with? How do we know that the hole will be correct in both size and depth? What happens if the excavator runs into water? I’m filled with anxiety that there will be problems. Will my house lot look like a wasteland for years because of the heavy machinery? Amber D., Plano, TX

DEAR AMBER: I can understand your apprehension. Backhoes, excavators, track loaders with toothed buckets are not too far removed from prehistoric dinosaurs. The giant yellow machines can tear into soil and some animals shred flesh with their talons and sharp teeth. A giant gash in your lot where trees and bushes used to be can absolutely shake you to your core.

A smaller backhoe like this can be used to dig small basement and cellar holes but don’t use them for big holes. These machines are really made for digging trenches. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

The good news is that with a little water, sunshine and a great landscaper at the end of the project, your lot, with the new home, will look fantastic. Don't be too concerned now, just try to look at other completed homes that have finished landscaping and imagine that's where you'll be soon enough.

That being said, your excavator can make some mistakes. In my opinion, the worst one would be digging the hole too deep. All too often I see houses where the top of the foundation is just inches away from the ground or grade level around the home.

The building code has strict guidelines for how high the foundation must protrude above the ground and how much slope there needs to be to the ground falling away from the house. Do the math and you'll often discover that the top of the foundation should be at least 14 inches above the highest point within 10 feet of the house line.

Keep in mind that you need to have the ground slope away from the house on every side of the house. Where a house is built into a hillside, you have to create a drainage swale on the uphill side of the house. This usually means constructing some sort of retaining wall above the house to create this drainage feature.

I always took precise measurements with my builder's transit and drew a picture showing how deep the basement hole should be. I didn't guess. I was there constantly monitoring the depth of the hole.

You also need to be concerned about reaching good soil. Some lots are comprised of fill dirt and others even have buried vegetation. I'll never forget acting as a consultant in a lawsuit about a home that was built directly on top of an old stream bed that the developer bulldozed trees into and then covered with soil. The house eventually started to crack in half as the vegetation rotted and the soil dropped.

A good builder and excavation contractor can almost immediately spot fill dirt. If you have access to old topographic maps of your area, you can often see the old valleys that got filled in by developers.

If you do run into the water table and your lot has a slope to it, you can dig a trench leading from the hole in the ground until the trench daylights. The ground water will drain naturally through this trench. A pipe can be installed in the trench and connected to a foundation drain system around the house so this water permanently has a pathway to the surface.

If you have a nice wooded lot and want to preserve the trees, you need to make sure the construction equipment doesn't drive over the soil under the trees as well as a decent distance away from the trees. This may mean creating just one pathway for ingress and egress to the basement hole. It's well worth the money to hire a certified arborist that will develop a plan to protect the trees. In almost all cases, you have to erect sturdy fencing to keep all construction traffic away from the trees.

Rock can be an issue in many parts of the nation. In the worst cases, you have to blast through the rock to create the needed hole for the job. This can be very expensive.

You also want to be aware of future settlement issues. It's important to only dig about 3 feet away from the edge of the outer foundation wall. This usually gives the workers plenty of room.

Be aware of where sidewalks, driveways, patios, etc. will be when the home is finished. You don't want the basement hole to be any bigger than it needs to be in these areas. When the foundation is backfilled the soil either needs to be compacted, or you fill these areas against the foundation with a granular fill material that will not settle.

Be sure that the excavator skims off all the fertile and rich topsoil as he starts to dig. Stockpile this material on the job site someplace where it can be easily accessed at the end of the job. You can use it in your landscaping and realize a decent savings by doing so.

Column 891

July 5, 2011 AsktheBuilder Tips And Newsletter

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Tim Carter

What's in This Newsletter?

Latest News
Bad, Bad Contractor(s)
Los Angeles and Montreal Meet Up
Flooded Patio and Mold
Peeling Liquid Ceramic Siding
Remove Floor Grout Project Guide

Two weekends have past since the last newsletter. Just nine days ago I was standing above the tree line on the fabled Mt. Washington here in New Hampshire.It was surreal. I was a ham radio operator volunteering to work as a part of the public service team at a car race at the famed Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. Read all about my Climb to the Clouds Auto Race story.

I was just 10 feet away from David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRX STI as he roared up the mountain. Watch this video I shot of him making his record-breaking run as the last car up the hill for the day!

If you're a subscriber that's been on the list for longer than 72 hours or so, then you know how I spent this past weekend. I was cleaning up the mess I made with my Deadwood Debacle fiasco.

As luck would have it, once again I made lemonade out of lemons. I now have well over 2,000 new close friends. Perhaps you're one of them, as I read your gracious email reply, but there were just too many to reply to personally. Please forgive me for not doing that.

Oh, and yes I deserved all those, "Hey Tim, what about your motto 'Do it Right, Not Over'? Yes, hand me that fork so I can eat this piece of humble pie.

Finally, I'm hard at work on exciting new DIY Project Guides for you. I just finished the photos for the fourth one. My daughter Meghan completed for me last week a fancy new template to drop them into so that the Guides are easy to follow and look good.

A new friend of mine is also doing the same thing, and I have his new Project Guide available now in my Store. You'll see that below.

Bad, Bad Contractor(s)

Last week I had a consult call. A consult call is where I call you and answer questions about your problems. They last 15 minutes. It's an item in my shopping cart.

Anyway, my client had a very unfortunate situation with a contractor that was doing a big job. To make a very long story short, the contractor got way ahead of the homeowner on the payments.

What does this mean? It's simple. The contractor got more money from the homeowner than he deserved for work that was complete and satisfactory at the time of payment.

But it got worse. this homeowner thought the suppliers and subcontractors on the job were getting paid. Some were not. Guess what? This homeowner may be on the hook for that assuming the lien rights for the suppliers and subs have not yet expired.

Here's the solution. First, I cover all of this in very great detail in all my Project Checklists. I show you there, first of all, how to find a pro that won't screw you.

But here's the bottom line. When you use my project checklists, you know going in, because I make the contractor provide the information, how much money is going to go to each supplier and each sub. You need to know that BEFORE the job starts.

When it's time to make a payment, you MUST get notarized affidavits from each sub and supplier and then you make out the check to them, not the contractor. The contractor should only get money for the work he's done himself, and any profit and overhead. The homeowner trusted the contractor to pay the suppliers and subs. The contractor made off with the money.

You have to really protect yourself in today's business world. Once again, I cover this in great detail in all my Project Checklists.

Los Angeles and Montreal Meet Up

I'll be in LA next Tuesday and Wednesday (July 12 - 13, 2011). Would you like to meet up again? If so, email me ASAP with LA Meet Up in the subject line. I propose we meet again in downtown Montrose and have an ice cream or a beer.

I met a new friend over the weekend and out of it was born my first Canadian Meet Up. Would you like to get together in Montreal on September 10, 2011? If so, send me an email with Montreal Meet Up in the subject line. Good thing I just got my passport! Now I'll be able to get back home.

Flooded Patio and Mold

Jennifer, from Maryland, wrote to me:

"My brick patio has been flooding when it rains since April. I was finally able to get someone out to fix it in June. The property manager really delayed the process. My question to you is about how long do you think it will be before the ground isn't saturated. Will it be safe for my four year old son to play in that area?"

Jennifer, there are two issues. I hope the repair included installing one of my Linear French Drains. Be sure that any roof water is not being dumped on the ground near the patio. That water should be piped far away from the structure.

The soil type and amount of rainfall you get really controls the amount of saturation you have. A sandy soil will drain much faster than a heavy clay soil.

If there's no standing water on the patio, it should be totally safe for your little tyke. If there is mold on the brick, you can wash it with my Stain Solver. It will make the brick look like new and remove the mold.

Peeling Liquid Ceramic Siding

Pam, from Knoxville, TN wrote:

"We had liquid ceramic siding applied to our cedar siding in 2003. It has been peeling for several years and the company that did the work is no longer in business (surprise). We would like to REMOVE the liquid ceramic paint from the cedar but are afraid of completely ruining it by scraping or using chemicals not meant for this type of product. Also, our home was built in 1984 and the cedar used was not of very good quality.

We used all of our savings to have this done and have not been able to replace the money yet, so we cannot afford regular siding. Is there anything you can suggest for us to do as our home is becoming a real eye-sore in our neighborhood? We would appreciate any input you can give us."

Pam, I'm really sorry to hear about this. I wrote about these products many years ago. It's possible the columns were at my website before you signed the contract to have the coating applied.

Next time you ever think about getting work done, always go to my www.AsktheBuilder.com website and read up on the topic. Had you done this, you would have never had that product applied to your home.

You should be able to scrape it off wherever it's peeling. It's just a very thick paint. My suggestion is to just prime the areas where the coating has peeled and touch up paint the siding to match the coating.

Take a piece of the peeled coating to a paint store to get an exact color match. This is the best solution for now until such time as you can replace the siding.

Stain Solver Sale

It's time for a Stain Solver sale! This is in honor of Uncle Sam's birthday. Woo Hoo! Stain Solver is really a patriotic product. Why?

It's made in the USA with American products! Many other oxygen bleaches out there come from China. You know, that place that makes tainted dog food, children's toys with lead paint, and the infamous Chinese Drywall that's the bane of thousands of homeowners here in the USA.

With summer here, Stain Solver is perfect to clean things outdoors like camping gear, boats, kayaks, decks, etc. It will remove those mustard and barbecue stains from your clothes in case there was an accident at a party this past weekend.

The sale lasts until July 9, 2011. You need to ACT NOW. You know I don't have these sales often.

You can get 20% off by using this promo code:

REDWHITEBLUE

Remove Floor Grout Project Guide!

Removing Floor Grout

My new friend, and contractor, Todd Fratzel, just finished a great project guide that I'm selling. It shows you the different methods and tools to use to Remove Floor Tile Grout without ruining the tile, your knees, or your back!

It's got great color photos and two secret videos in it. You can't beat it for $3. Yes, three bucks! Isn't it worth that to discover the best tools and methods to make sure all goes well? Of course it is!

Roof Dormer Tips

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Tim Carter

This roof dormer was built in a couple of days. It takes some serious carpentry skills to do this. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: The roof on my house is just a big flat area. I’ve seen similar style houses that have a dormer on the roof. This structure makes the house far more interesting. What’s it take to add a dormer after a house is already built? Can you add one if the roof is constructed with modern trusses? Is this a job an average homeowner can do? What are the most important aspects of the job? Cindy W., Greenville, SC

DEAR CINDY: You’re so right. These miniature houses that you find on a roof are called by many names. I’ve heard in my career, doghouse dormers, attic dormers and even roof dormers. The point is they’re a very eye-catching architectural feature, and they absolutely can make the roof of a house look far more interesting.

The good news is you can add a dormer to an existing roof. The bad news is that it’s not a do-it-yourself job. I say this assuming you have limited carpentry and roofing experience. The dormer requires you, or the person building it, to have a complete understanding of roof flashings of just about every type. If you don’t have this skill set, you’ll have leaks for sure in your roof.

If your home has traditional roof rafters and an open attic, you can add a functioning dormer that you can walk into, install a window seat and have a real window that opens. If your home was built with trusses, you can install a make-believe dormer that looks good from the street, but you don’t see it when you pop your head up into the attic space above your home.

In the case of trusses, the dormer will probably be just decorative and is connected to the top of the roof surface. You can cut into trusses and modify them to make a real dormer, but it’s very complex and it requires a consultation and plan from a licensed structural engineer that’s familiar with trusses. Since you can’t effectively use an attic space that is filled with trusses, you might as well just create the decorative dormer and play fool-the-neighbors-and-passers-by.

Let me briefly describe what’s involved in adding a dormer to an existing home, and you’ll start to understand why it’s a job for a pro.

The first thing I would do is make sure I’ve drawn up a great plan that’s to scale. You want to make sure the dormer is not too small or too large. You can get a feel for this by looking at houses that have dormers that appeal to you. Nothing looks worse than a tiny dormer on a massive roof.

Once I have a plan, then I obtain any necessary permits. This might be more of a challenge than you think.

With a permit in hand, now it’s time to get to work. I start by stripping off the roofing material in the area where the dormer is going to be placed on the roof. This one task would terrify the average homeowner, as all they can think of is what happens if it rains.

This is why you have Plan B. That’s a large waterproof tarp and lumber that allows you to completely cover the entire part of the roof in case a storm does roam your way. Years of experience have taught me never to start a project like this unless I’m guaranteed three days of exceptional weather with no rain in the forecast. But it’s good to be prepared.

If you’re creating a dormer on a roof framed with common rafters, you’ll need to double or triple up the rafters on either side of where the dormer will be. Since you’ll be cutting into two or more rafters to create the hole for the dormer, the load from those cut rafters has to be transferred to the rafters on either side. I told you this wasn’t going to be easy.

Once you have the hole created for the dormer, now you have to start to build it. The three walls that make up the front and sides of the dormer will all have angles that compliment the slope of your roof. You also have to build a tiny roof on your dormer. Now it becomes painfully obvious why you should have paid attention during your high school geometry class.

I believe you’re starting to get the picture of how much is involved in working on a sloped surface and all the different things you need to know to complete a job like this. And to think that I’ve just scratched the surface. There are many other detailed parts of this job that would take hours to convey.

In my opinion, the most critical aspects of building a roof dormer are the structural and roof flashing components. The loads on a roof are significant, and you need to make sure that when you cut into a roof, you know what you’re doing. Add to this the added weight of the actual dormer. The materials used in the dormer could easily approach one thousand pounds.

To make the roof connections in a dormer waterproof, you need to know about step flashings, counter flashings, valley flashings and base, head and sill flashings. You better know how to solder flashings too, as you’ll have to solder the lower corners of the base flashing where the front wall corners of the dormer contact the existing roof. It’s all very complex.

Column 890

Air Duct Cleaning and Sealing

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I just discovered that the air ducts in my concrete slab have problems. There was an odor that alerted me to the issue that there was standing water, debris and even a dead animal in the ducts below my floor. It was disgusting. I have galvanized air ducts installed when the house was built. I got a bid to have these abandoned and rerouted through soffits or the attic of my home. Are there other options? Can I get my air ducts cleaned and possibly sealed so there is no future problem? Mandy S., Laguna Beach, CA

DEAR MANDY: Oh, I’m so sorry to hear about this. There are tens of thousands of people who have galvanized thin metal ducting buried under the concrete slabs of their homes just like you. The piping can corrode in very short order. What’s more, rarely were the joints between two pieces of pipe or fittings ever sealed to prevent the infiltration of ground water. What a mess!

The good news is that an alternative method to clean and seal air ducts exists. Yes, it’s possible to abandon the under-slab ducts, but putting them in soffits or an attic might be problematic for certain homes. It can sometimes be so expensive that it would take your breath away. There are several different ducting systems that may work and not be horribly expensive, but there will be dust and disruption in your home.

But before you make a decision, be sure you get a quote from a company that can use your existing ducts and not have workers creating clouds of dust. I know of a modern system where you can begin to use your furnace or air conditioner as the workers leave the driveway. You can’t always do that if you’re going to install new ducting in an attic, and most definitely not if you decide to hide new ductwork in soffits in each room.

Perhaps the least disruptive, and often the most affordable, method to solve your problem is to have the interior of the existing buried ducts cleaned and sealed with a non-toxic latex plastic.

Here is the first of two photos. In this before image, you can clearly see that it pays to have ducts cleaned and sealed if you have problems with air flow, odors or water in the ducts.<br /><p class=

PHOTO CREDIT: Enviro Duct Seal Technologies" src="http://media.askbuild.com/legacy/889-01.jpg" width="350" height="263" /> Here is the first of two photos. In this before image, you can clearly see that it pays to have ducts cleaned and sealed if you have problems with air flow, odors or water in the ducts.
PHOTO CREDIT: Enviro Duct Seal Technologies

The first step these innovative companies take is to film a video of your buried ducts. That way they can show you the exact issues. There is always a charge for this service, but if you decide to use the company to solve the problem, you get the fee credited to the final price of the job.

Taping this video allows the contractor to see all of the problems and give a professional assessment of the situation. You get to watch the video yourself, and if you’re home while it’s being taped, can watch it live on a monitor!

Once it’s determined the process will be successful in your home, the ducts must be professionally cleaned. This is also easy to do, and it often requires that your furnace or air handler be temporarily removed so the workers have complete access to the main trunk lines and all the branch runs of the ducting system.

After the ducts are cleaned, the duct sealing company comes back. They have a special airless spray system equipped with a live camera that navigates through the labyrinth of ducts beneath your slab. This allows the workers to see that the duct is being coated properly with the proprietary latex compound. This sprayer makes its way through each duct and seals as it moves.

In this after photo, you can clearly see how the ducts have been cleaned and sealed.<br /><p class=

PHOTO CREDIT: Enviro Duct Seal Technologies" src="http://media.askbuild.com/legacy/889-02.jpg" width="350" height="262" /> In this after photo, you can clearly see how the ducts have been cleaned and sealed.
PHOTO CREDIT: Enviro Duct Seal Technologies

This spray compound is similar in nature to a very thick latex paint and starts to dry immediately. You can use your air conditioner or furnace within hours after the ducts are sealed. A second coat is applied after the first coat is dried and cured.

If I had buried ducts like you, I’d definitely consider this method. I’m attracted to it because of it’s technology and the fact that there is no disruption inside the home. I also like the fact that it comes with a strong 15-year warranty in most situations.

What’s also attractive is the plastic liner, along with a special hydraulic water-stop material used at the metal register boxes and the plenum, help make the ducts highly water resistant. Realize that the inside of the ducts, once the system is cured, is lined with a continuous uninterrupted layer of thick plastic. After the latex compound cures, water has a very tough time entering the ducts. If water does enter, the lining system makes it easy to vacuum out.

As with all jobs like this, it really pays to get multiple opinions. You want to be sure that the process works, and will work flawlessly for years.

One of the things I would absolutely do before signing a contract would be to call past customers who had this magical compound sprayed on their ducts. You want to talk to customers who’ve had it done from three different time periods: the past 60 days, a year ago, and possibly back as far as three years ago.

Perhaps the most important question to ask the homeowner who’s had his ducts cleaned and sealed three years ago is: Has the process delivered on all it’s promises and would you hire this company again?

The homeowner that’s had it in for just a year would be able to tell you how their after-the-sale service is. Sometimes there are minor issues. What you want to ask them is: Did the company come back and take care of the warranty issue with no problems?

Finally, the most recent homeowner would know how professional the current employees are. Ask them if they would invite the workers that cleaned and sealed the ducts to a picnic in their backyard. If they say Yes, then you probably have a great company at your disposal!

Column 889

June 21, 2011 AsktheBuilder Tips And Newsletter

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Tim Carter

What's in This Newsletter?

Latest News
Bosch Laser Measurer
High-Quality Windows
Pressure Washing a Deck
Advertising in This Newsletter
AsktheBuilder on Facebook

Happy Summer Solstice! Today is the longest day of the year. We've had a string of absolutely unbelievable weather here in New Hampshire. Yesterday was a diamond day. The air was crystal clear and a mild breeze had the water on the lake dancing. When the sun hits it about 9 am, it sparkles of each wave top. It looks like the lake is filled with diamonds. I'll get a video of it next time it happens and share it with you.

I'm going to have a thrill of a lifetime this weekend. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I'll be glued to the side of the Mt. Washington Auto Road at the location in the photo below with my handheld ham radio in hand. I'll be at Station 23 out of 28, with 28 being at the top. I'm part of a team of radio operators that will be communicating race car locations and alerts in case there is a breakdown or accident at the epic Climb to the Clouds race.

See the arrow? I'll be on the edge of the roadway somewhere very close to this point. I'll take real photos for you as well as videos.

Bosch GLM 80 Laser Distance Measurer

Bosch GLM 80 Laser Measurer Two weeks ago, I attended the Bosch Editors Tool Conference. It was a fantastic event where we got to test all sorts of new cordless drills, reciprocating saws, multi-tools, jobsite table saws, etc. We even got to see a cordless drill dropped 500 feet into a grass field. It still worked after that fall!

But one of the sweetheart tools I saw was the GLM 80 Laser Measurer. Oh my goodness was this a fantastic tool. It's accurate to 1/16th inch in 33 feet! That's really close. It has so many functions it's impossible here to list them all.

But here is a cool one. It can calculate the height of a wall with you just pointing the tool at the top of the wall. It does this if you're standing AWAY from the wall. You don't have to be at the base of the wall and point the tool to the ceiling. It does the trigonometry for you. No need for you to remember all those sine, cosine and formulas!

This is indeed a pro tool or one for the serious DIYr. But if you want to indulge yourself with a very cool tech tool, this has to be it. It will be available in a couple of weeks.

High-Quality Windows in a New Home

Bob Fitch of Leland, NC emailed me:

"We will be building a home in Leland NC. Our builder has recommended MGM windows. Their website is excellent. Do you know anything about the MGM window?"

Bob, I'll tell you what I have told people for years. Read my past columns at my website about the independent testing and certification that's done on windows.

The bottom line is that you want a window that comes with the AAMA label and the secondary label from the NFRC.

A snazzy website can easily throw up some smoke and mirrors that can make you think a sub-par window is a great one. So don't be fooled by that. You want proof that the windows are certified by AAMA. It's non-negotiable.

Pressure Washing a Deck

There are several schools of thought about pressure washing wood decks. I happen to be in the camp that it's a bad idea. The destructive power of the water stream absolutely, over time, will erode the light bands of spring wood leaving your deck feeling and looking like a weathered fishing pier.

My friend Tim just chatted with me about cleaning his *painted* deck with a pressure washer. I first told him that painted decks, especially here in the moist Northeast, are a very bad idea. Paint will peel from horizontal surfaces faster than those race cars that are going to screech up Mt. Washington this weekend.

But, I did tell Tim that a pressure washer wand, held at a low or nearly parallel angle to the deck's surface is a great way to peel off the loose paint to get it ready to seal. I suggested to Tim to abandon the paint program if possible and go to a penetrating pigmented water repellent.

If you use a 40-degree tip and want to rinse off your deck after cleaning it with my Stain Solver, that's an approved use of a pressure washer on wood in my opinion.

Advertising in This Newsletter

In a few weeks, you're going to be able to buy simple flat rate ads in the right column of this newsletter. Does that interest you? The clicks I'm getting on the ads you see over there on the right are very respectable.

If you have a product or service you want to advertise, you better contact me soon as there is a very limited amount of space in each issue. The rates will be very affordable. You'll be able to buy an ad for one issue, a month or a longer period. Obviously, the more time you buy the cheaper the rate.

AsktheBuilder Facebook Fan Page Update

Wow, the fan page has been BUSY the past two weeks!

Let's see, there was a huge discussion about my new Canon S95 camera.
Then I helped Jeri paint the outside of her foundation with the right paint.
Roger didn't know how to properly install flagstone on concrete, but now he does!
Laurie needed a hand with a door knob. Ta Da, I was able to help.

Get the picture? There's LOT's happening at the Fan page. It's FREE to become part of Facebook. Many of your friends from school and past lives are there. Once you become a fan by just LIKING my page, each time someone adds something to the page, you get a simple notification.

You're going to discover many new things!

http://www.facebook.com/askthebuilder

Alternative to Stud Finders

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I need to hang some cabinets, but I don’t own an expensive stud finder tool. I borrowed one from a neighbor in the past and had limited success with it. Can you share any secrets on how you find wall studs or ceiling joists hidden behind drywall or plaster when you can’t afford an expensive wall stud finder? What are the biggest mistakes a rookie like me can make? How do I prevent making the walls look like a woodpecker was here? How do I repair any collateral damage? Ed R., Warwick, RI

DEAR ED: I hear your lamentations about the electronic stud finders. They are great tools in certain situations, but sometimes they can be really frustrating.

These symbols are not from a Mayan or Egyptian tomb. They are telling me where the center of the stud should be, it’s edges and the real center point. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Two years ago, I was using a stud finder tool with a helper and it was giving all sorts of false positive signals. It would indicate where a ceiling joist was behind drywall, and when you drove a nail, it wasn’t there. We even had the house plans and knew the direction of the floor joists.

It turned out that the device was finding them, but that they were recessed from the surface of the backside of the drywall by 3/4 of an inch. The builder’s rough carpenters had installed 1x3 furring strips across the entire ceiling at 90 degree angles to the floor joists. You can see why using these tools requires a knowledge of building habits in certain parts of the nation.

Just this past weekend, I had to find some wall studs to hang wall cabinets. I reverted back to my old-fashioned method of a hammer and a nail. It works well, and because I strategically drove the nail into the wall in certain spots, the cabinets covered the exploratory holes after they were hung.

The first thing I do when I have to find a stud is look for clues as to where they would be. If the house is middle-age or newer, say built after 1950, I look for electrical wall outlets. In almost all situations, the boxes that house the outlets are nailed to the side of a wall stud. In rare instances, a particular wall outlet may have been added at a later date. In these situations a special remodeling box is used that doesn’t need to be nailed to a wall stud.

I’ll also look for poorly patched nail holes in baseboard. This is less accurate because in some places, rough carpenters install a double bottom wall plate. This allows them to randomly nail baseboard trim into the bottom plates instead of a vertical wall stud.

You can also look on a wall for a return air duct if the house has central air conditioning or forced-air heat. Wall registers are commonly put between two wall studs. Remove a return-air grill covering and you’ll almost always see two wall studs.

The general spacing for wall studs is 16 inches on center, but they can be 24 inches. At my current home, the exterior wall studs are spaced at 24-inch centers, but the interior walls are 16 inches on center.

However, just because you find one wall stud’s center location, that doesn’t mean you can say that every other stud on the wall is 16 inches on center from that one. Rough lumber can bow and twist. It’s possible for the spacing to be off by as much as one inch or more either direction, especially half way between the floor and ceiling where studs tend to bow the most.

I use a 10d finish nail when I can to find wall studs. These create tiny holes that are easily patched with spackling compound.

My technique is to find at least one part of the wall stud and then drive nearby holes that tell me where the edges of the stud are. Once I find the edges, and most studs are 1.5 inches wide, I then know where the center of it is.

Old houses that have plaster are a little harder to work in. It requires more effort to drive the nails, and you can get fooled in houses that are old enough to have wood lath that supports the plaster.

If you’re working in a plastered house with horizontal wood lath strips between the studs, you need to find a void space between two pieces of lath. The wood lath strips were often 1 and 1/4 inches wide and the lathers installed them with a 3/8 space between each one.

Drive the nail up the wall until you just go through plaster and hit no wood. When you find this void, start going left and right till you locate a wall stud.

Houses that were built between the 1930’s and the 1950’s had plaster lath boards that were the early forms of drywall. Using this allowed the lathers to be far more productive instead of nailing up thousands of wood lath strips.

These gypsum panels were 3/8-inch thick, 16 inches wide and 48 inches long. In certain situations these would sag and you can see the outline of the seams on the walls and ceilings. Use the staggered 16-inch lines to help you locate the wall studs and ceiling joists. The ends of these panels almost always break on the center of a wall stud or ceiling joist.

Column 888

SS Before & After

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Tim Carter

Stain Solver Before & After Pictures

Here are the captions: The first one is algae and mold in cat water dish that was found after being outdoors for 3 months. The second one is a customer showing before/after on dirty cedar siding. Remarkable! The third is a grape jelly stain on an office chair. When you read the woman's testimonial, you can't believe it. She just dabbed some of the Stain Solver solution on and 20 or so minutes later it was gone. The picture doesn't lie. The fourth is a cedar deck. Can you believe that difference? The fifth is a iced-tea maker container soaked in Stain Solver. The after looks brand new. The sixth is dirty floor tile grout that now looks new. Look at the pink cheese cloth stained by wine. After soaking in Stain Solver, they look new. Below that is a before/after on a deck. You can see the photo was taken at the same spot. See the chair behind the glass doors? Then look at the custom jacket. See the gross red bleed stains on the left. Stain Solver SAVED the day!!!!! Each image (almost all) has been reduced to 300px wide in this view. The images are linked to the full size image, stored on the ATB Site.

Click on any image to view the larger image. Then it can be saved.

Or FTP to askthebuilder.com/httpdocs/artman212/uploads/1/SS_Before_After to get all the pictures.