July 11, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

Weight of Rain | Bat Story Follow-up | Clean Wooden Spoons

You're a new subscriber, aren't you? That explains why you're sitting next to Daphne, Dolly, Doug, Jenny, Marney, Betty, Ken, Shatasha, and a boatload of others that entered the room since last Sunday. Welcome! I think you're going to like the newsletter.

But you, yes you. How long have you subscribed? A week, a year, or maybe 20+ years. Thanks for continuing to stay on my list and open each issue!

Do you perchance remember the column I did about a pavement method that's unfortunately transforming from legend to myth? It's something you should know about. It may still be available in your city or town.

tar and chip driveway

What would you say if I told you I had a stunning brown driveway at my last home? I'm talking about the same driveway Martha Stewart has at her home on Mt. Desert Island in Maine.

The decorating diva owns four or five homes I'm told, but her MDI driveway is the talk of the neighborhood. She and I chose to use a time-tested method. It's one of the ways tens of thousands of miles of public roads were paved between 1900-1930 or so.

CLICK or TAP HERE to see stunning photos of this attractive driveway and how it's installed.

Be SURE to watch the short video on that page.

Cleaning Wooden Spoons, Bowls and Cutting Boards

Are your wooden cooking spoons, bowls, etc. stained by different foods? Here's mine after it got into a cage fight with some blueberries.
stained wooden spoon
CLICK or TAP HERE to see how easy it is to remove the stains with no work. You can also use the magic cleaner to restore ANYTHING in your home that's water washable.

Wait until you see the AFTER photos! You'll think I went out and bought a new spoon.

Bats in Your House Update

Last week, I shared how to keep bats out of your attic or other dark spaces.

Maggie, a virtual friend of mine, is a subscriber like you. A few years ago, I helped her and her daughter whitewash their living room fireplace. CLICK or TAP HERE to see Maggie's before, during, and after photos. They used my recipe for REAL whitewash, not FAKE loser thinned milk paint that's an imposter!

Back to bats.

Moments after reading my column, Maggie emailed me with her true MUST-READ bat story!

With her permission, I copied the story and put it at the bottom of last week's bat column.

CLICK or TAP HERE and scroll to the bottom to read it. I'm SERIOUS - you MUST READ her story.

But don't bother reading it if you're good with wasting thousands of dollars and have no fear of dying.

Fun Summer Project - Build a Cardboard Boat!

Do you have kids or grandkids? Would you love to howl with laughter while creating lifetime memories?

I thought so! Good for you!

CLICK or TAP HERE to read about you can do this fun summer activity. You'll also discover how I helped set a new record in the state of Florida.

Soon you'll be the captain of your own cardboard boat!

Surfside City Condo COLLAPSE and Your House

Surely you know about the tragic condo collapse down in southern Florida, right? One-hundred+ people were suddenly sent back up to Heaven.

You're thinking, "Well, I don't live in a condo by the ocean so I've got little to worry about."

Well, you may have LOTS to worry about!

CLICK or TAP HERE to read what I think was the cause of the condo collapse and HOW A COLLAPSE MIGHT HAPPEN AT YOUR HOME!

STAIN SOLVER PRE-SALE Soon

Kathy and I own STAIN SOLVER. It's an amazing certified organic oxygen bleach made in the USA with USA ingredients. It can clean hundreds of things inside and outside your home.

If you've never tried it, I'm here to tell you you're missing out. Just yesterday, Shirley, a petite retired RN, called me to tell me how fantastic it is to get stains out of her colored blouses and knit tops.

STAIN SOLVER is both color and fabric-safe. CLICK or TAP HERE to get a small sample size to test for yourself.

CLICK or TAP HERE to watch a few SHORT videos of me using STAIN SOLVER. It's very easy to use and we've been told it's the best cleaner known to woman or man.

I wanted to give you a heads up about an upcoming sale. But there's a tiny problem.

First, all of our prices for every aspect of making STAIN SOLVER have gone up. Shipping costs go up quarterly and we offer FREE SHIPPING

Trust me, inflation is real. The causes are intertwined and complex.

It's impossible for us to absorb any more of these costs so we had to do a slight price increase. It's been a few years since we've raised prices, thus to able to continue to make STAIN SOLVER for you we had to adjust prices.

We manufacture 20,000 pounds at a time. This time we're making 279 of our SS50 size. This is a five-gallon pail of STAIN SOLVER.

Our SS50 is the BEST PRICE per pound - by far.

You should consider this size if you want to DEFEAT the price increase!!!! Buy one and share it with a friend, neighbor, relative, co-worker, etc.

Did you know if you freeze or keep STAIN SOLVER cold it can last indefinitely. Heat degrades STAIN SOLVER.

As soon as the product is made, hopefully by next Friday, we'll announce a PRE-SALE.

But, I fully expect we might SELL OUT of the 279 pails in days. The demand for that size is soaring.

You MUST REACT IMMEDIATELY to the PRE-SALE if you want one of the SS50 pails.

That's enough for a Sunday.

Next week is an apparel issue. I'll be sharing a tale about a very cool one-of-a-kind baseball cap my son helped design. Wait until you see the photo of it. I'm also going to share the website where we ordered the cap. You can do what we did and order your own custom full-color embroidered hat! I'll be sure to tell you about the FlexFit feature of my new cap.

I'm also going to feature some of my socks. My youngest daughter enrolled me in a socks club for Father's Day. Each month, some really FUN sock prizes arrive in the mail. Wait until you see the first two pairs. I was so excited and it will make sense when you see them!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
BEST CLEANER - www.StainSolver.com
Airwaves Boss - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. I like to do old-fashioned division and multiplication problems using a pencil and paper to ward off brain deterioration. Tropical Storm Elsa just blew over my house and dumped 2 inches of rain. How many pounds of water do you think fell from the sky onto the square mile that surrounds my house? Don't ask Alexa or Siri!

CLICK or TAP HERE and be amazed. I swear you'll think I made a mistake. Trust me, I double-checked my figures.

How Much Does Rain Weigh

Posted on by Tim Carter
Rain on OSB - messy construction site - not cleaned up

Here's rain water inside a new house. How much rain is floating around up in the sky? (C) Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

How Much Does Rain Weigh? - For 2 Inches Per Square Mile

I like to do arithmetic problems the way I was taught in grade school. I still use a pencil and paper.

The goal is to keep my brain sharp. It's one of the reasons I like doing Morse code too.

My favorite pencils to use are Blackwing Naturals. CLICK or TAP HERE to order them. They're unbelievable.

Step One: You need to find out how many square feet are in a square mile.

Step Two: You need to calculate the decimal equivalent of 2 inches as it relates to a foot.

Step Three: You need to calculate how many cubic feet of water fall when 2 inches of rain falls on a square mile.

Step Four: You then multiply the cubic feet of water by 62.4. That's how many pounds a cubic foot of water weighs.

math calculations multiplcation

math multiplication

Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight + MILLION pounds of water.

HOLY TOMATO! Amazing all that weight is up in the atmosphere and there's are TRILLIONS of pounds of rain in a giant storm system!

This brain teaser was featured in the July 11, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter.

Tim Carter DIY Coaching

Posted on by Tim Carter

tim carter headshot

Tim Carter DIY Coaching - Phone or Video Call

Do you need DIY coaching? Are you stuck with a:

  • carpentry problem
  • plumbing issue
  • roof leak
  • ceramic tile install or grout question
  • repair conundrum
  • bid comparison scenario
  • ANY problem around your home or small business

Ask the Builder founder Tim Carter will call you on the phone or do a video call and become your DIY coach.

CLICK or TAP HERE to set up the call with Tim.

Read these testimonials:

"The 15-minute consult we had regarding my chimney crown replacement was a small price and worth every penny considering that estimates for the crown and chimney work were between $3000 and $4000.  Your review of the estimates was insightful as you noted ambiguous statements and issues that would have left me exposed to additional "unknown" costs.  Finally, your assistance with specifications for how the crown should be built was also helpful." - Chris W., Cincinnati, OH

# # #

"Tim, did I get my money's worth in consulting with you? You bet I did!

Here's a list of what I discovered from you in just 15 minutes:

1.  How to cut pipe square
2.  How to properly measure pipe length
3.  The importance of seating joints all the way
4.  The proper sequence for installing pipe and fittings
5.  The importance of sighting and dry fitting pipe and joints
6.  To be humble and ask for help when I don't know what I'm doing
7.  To have a beer when the job is successfully completed (that was your BEST advice!)." - Bill Stannis
# # #

"Hello, Tim --

It was wonderful to talk to you and I am so grateful for your expert advice. We both know you have saved me thousands of dollars.

You didn't overload me. I took notes on everything you said, and you explained things very well and logically. Now I can sleep at night and not worry about this.

I am so grateful to you. And I'll be consulting you for every house project we do.

Thank you so very much." Lynn Cavalletto

CLICK or TAP HERE to set up a call with Tim.

July 7, 2021 Product Highlight

Posted on by Tim Carter

Are you going to be pouring a concrete sidewalk, driveway, patio or apron slab soon?

Do you know you get ONE CHANCE to get it right?

Is your contractor going to botch the job and your new concrete spall or develop ugly random cracks?

How do you know it's going to be done right? Are you a concrete expert?

I didn't think so. That's where I step in to help you save THOUSANDS of dollars!

Why not invest just $10 up front and KNOW that your concrete work will last decades longer than it would have otherwise?

concrete slab specs drawing

CLICK or TAP HERE now and download my Concrete Sidewalk/Slab specifications now. It's an INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF document.

You get to see one of my original watercolor drawings! Peach might even be impressed!

As with all my AsktheBuilder.com products, your satisfaction is GUARANTEED. If you don't think the specifications will help you or you don't discover something you didn't know, just ask for a FULL REFUND.

Thanks,

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Surfside City Condo Collapse, Rusty Rebar, and Your Home

Posted on by Tim Carter
rusty rebar in concrete

Surfside City Condo Collapse | This is a piece of rusty rebar inside concrete. As the rebar rusts, it expands and fractures the concrete exposing the rebar to even more moisture. Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

Surfside City Condo Collapse - My Early Guess: Rusty Rebar Fractures and Weakened Concrete Columns

This past weekend, my wife asked me all sorts of questions about the tragic sudden collapse of the 40-year-old condominium building near Miami, Florida. We’ve dated since high school and she knows I’ve got a geology degree instead of one in structural, chemical, or metallurgical engineering. All four of these sciences, and maybe a few more, are in play as more facts become available about the deadly condo calamity.

Why is this important to you? After all, you may not live in a condominium or a high-rise building. The early reports coming out indicate the issue might be weakened concrete as well as unstable soil under the structure. Once again, it’s going to take many months to do a forensic autopsy on this catastrophe. Keep in mind that much of what you see now in the news is speculation and past reports from consultants need to be combed through to pick out what signs there were that pointed to an impending disaster.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from LOCAL Structural Engineers if you're worried about things at your home.

My nearly fifty years of building experience coupled with an eye-opening editors conference twenty-plus years ago put on by the Portland Cement Association provide me with an insight that should put your head on a swivel. It’s rare to have a house collapse, but hundreds of thousands of homeowners just like you experience costly damage to your homes because of what might have caused the collapse of the condos.

What is Concrete?

Let’s first talk about concrete. The condo building was built using concrete and reinforcing steel within the concrete. Concrete is man-made rock. When mixed, placed, and cured properly, it can have tremendous compressive strength. This means it requires thousands of pounds per square inch (PSI) of pressure to fracture it. It’s not uncommon for this PSI strength to be in excess of 4,000 pounds.

old concrete guardrail

This is a cast concrete guardrail in Cincinnati, OH that’s just under 100 years old. It’s in excellent shape other than the cement paste has worn off revealing the small aggregate stone chips. Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

What is the Tensile Strength of Concrete?

However, this same exact concrete only has on average one-tenth the amount of strength in tension than it has in compression. Tension happens when you stretch something. A concrete slab suspended in between two beams will experience tension on the underside of the slab when you put weight on top of the slab. This same issue holds for ceramic tile, stone countertops, etc. Tile will crack if you step on it and there’s a hollow spot under it.

What is the Tensile Strength of Reinforcing Steel?

Steel, though, is a magical building material. It has tremendous tensile strength. The average rebar you might buy at a building supply house or home center is normally rated at 40,000 PSI. You can order it with a 60,000 PSI, or higher, rating!

This is why reinforcing steel is used in concrete construction. It brings to the party the tensile strength missing within the concrete itself.

What is Steel's Achilles' Heel?

But normal reinforcing steel has an Achilles’ heel. It can and does rust. When steel rusts, it expands. The expansion force is slow and considerable and it creates tension within the concrete surrounding the rebar.

Rusty angle irons holding up brick above windows can expand so much they push the brick out away from the wall. Rusty rebar in concrete can expand so much it causes chunks of concrete to fall out of an overhead slab or to fall off an important support column.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from LOCAL Structural Engineers if you're worried about rusted metal at your home!

Does Salt or Seawater Cause Problems With Steel?

But wait, it gets worse. Salt accelerates the rust or corrosion of unprotected steel. This is why you often see concrete bridge decks and supports under highway bridges in such bad shape in cold climates. The rock salt used for snow and ice control seeps into the concrete as the salty meltwater soaks into the concrete. This brine attacks the steel if it’s not protected.

Rustoleum Paint Test Salt Fog

Look at how saltwater can rust steel. This was painted steel and the ASTM 8117 scratch test! The piece on the left was painted with Rustoleum. The piece on the right was with XO Rust paint. CLICK or TAP HERE to buy XO Rust paint.

The Miami condo was just a couple hundred feet the ocean for goodness sake. Talk to any builder or remodeler who works near the ocean or a salt-water sea and they’ll have all sorts of tales about how fast poorly protected steel lasts in those conditions. This is not new. Mariners have long known that the sea eats men and iron!

Can I Buy Coated Rebar?

Yes, you can purchase coated rebar, but you need to buy a large quantity. You may have seen epoxy-coated rebar being used on road and bridge construction projects. The coating is usually a light lime green. The rebar is almost always precut, prebent, etc. So the entire surface of the steel is coated. This is not practical for jobs in a typical residential application. Coated rebar could have prevented the collapse if it's determined that rusting rebar caused the catastrophic failure.

Why Didn't the Building Code Require Coated Rebar?

Building codes are a set of minimum standards. When you build something that just meets code, it's like getting a 70 percent on a test. You can always build better than the code. Keep in mind that local cities and towns can modify the model building codes. Local code officials can lower or raise standards of different aspects of the code.

Another chronic problem is inspections. The structural aspects of that condo may have not been inspected as thoroughly as one might like. Old newspaper stories across the USA are littered with accounts of corruption in building departments where inspectors are paid to look the other way.

Can I Buy Special Rebar That Doesn't Corrode?

Yes, you can buy special rebar that's an alloy of different elements. You may have seen highway bridges that are made from something similar. The giant steel beams are rusted and the corrosion stops at that point. A new bridge near my home here in central New Hampshire had this special steel rebar in the concrete.

Once again, it's usually not practical to use this special rebar in a typical residential application. Just take an hour or two and paint it. Keep reading.

How Can I Prevent Rebar Rust?

This is why you or your builder should paint rebar before it’s installed in concrete. Yes, this is an extra step, but it’s not that hard to paint it. The paint can be rolled on, sprayed, or even brushed. It’s best to use a special metal primer, then a finish coat of paint.

X-O Rust Enamal paint can

Here's a great newer paint that's got the primer built in. This saves you TIME AND MONEY. CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS PAINT. It comes in many colors. While you're buying this paint at Amazon, be SURE TO GET all the other tools you need in the following list.

What About Rust on Deck Steel?

All of the above also applies to simple decks as well. The internet is littered with stories and videos of tragic deck collapses. The nails, bolts, structural hangers, etc. in your deck are subject to rust. The treated lumber contains lots of copper that leach out with each rainfall. This chemical brew is similar to the salt water that probably is the root cause of the condo collapse. The copper-laced water accelerates the corrosion of all steel that’s part of your deck.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from LOCAL Structural Engineers if you're worried about your deck collapsing.

How do you prevent collapse or rust damage at your home? Use the best metal parts for outdoor decks that have a thick galvanized coating. Use hot-dipped galvanized nails or screws, stainless-steel nails or screws, paint all reinforcing steel and do whatever else is required so the iron or steel inside and outside your home doesn’t rust. It’s really that simple.

Column 1412

July 4, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

If you're a new subscriber and you speak Greek, I'd say "Teekanis" to you right now. You'd probably reply, "Cala!" Yes, yes, I know I butchered both words, but it's what my Greek bosses would say to me when I came to work each day at Skyline Chili in Cincinnati. Bottom Line: Hello! Bring more cheese out here to the steam table.

I'm actually writing about all my experiences at Skyline Chili in a book I'm producing for my youngest daughter. What we did with ice balls will make you roar with laughter. The restaurant had a Scotsman machine that made wonderful small cube ice that was perfect to make ice balls the size of baseballs. Use your imagination. But I digress!

That said, you may be a long-time subscriber who enjoys taking a stroll down memory lane with me each week. Years ago in the early days of Ask the Builder, I was in my office one morning thinking about a new column to write.

All of a sudden a memory of me sneaking into my Mom's bedroom while she was downstairs sloshed around in my tiny gray cells. I would slowly lift the lid to her lowboy cedar chest, bend over, and slowly inhale with my eyes closed. I loved that intoxicating aroma.

Not too many years after that, I'd also slowly inhale with some of my girlfriends, especially those that wore a perfume that smells like the current Indecent brand. I know, TMI!
indecent perfume
As for my Mom's cedar chest, it's now in my possession and I'd never give it up.
cedar oil can
It turns out I was in this minuscule minority of ten people in the USA who happened to like cedar chests and closets. That column turned out to be the biggest flop of Ask the Builder history!

CLICK or TAP HERE to read it and discover lots about aromatic cedar and how you can restore it! Aromatic cedar is a winner and it's still available.

Happy Birthday Lady Liberty!

Do you like being told what to do knowing that if you don't do it you'll be punished? I didn't think so. Our Founding Fathers here in the USA didn't much care for it either and they kicked tyrannical King George and his liege lord buddies to the curb 245 years ago.

July 4, 1776 - a day that should forever live in world history as the birth of true freedom and liberty.

How smart our Founders were! They understood that we have unalienable rights given to us by God, not some other man who happens to wear a crown and is surrounded by sellswords who pledge their fealty just because the powerful man (king) provides them food, shelter, and allows them to keep their heads on their shoulders.

Do you know what unalienable means? It means impossible to be taken away. Yet right now, there are quite a few people around you trying to tell you what to do, when you can do it, and doing their best to slowly strip you of your unalienable rights all while they distract you.

That's not a polite thing to do at a birthday party for goodness sake!

I suggest we take a big piece of birthday cake and smash it in their faces! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Or better yet, we can use a shaving cream pie so we don't waste the tasty birthday cake. Most definitely we do NOT want to throw mocha chip ice cream at these bad folk. That frozen delicacy needs to be in our stomachs!

Enjoy the day and try to reflect on what July 4th in the USA really means. It's not all about hot dogs, brats, and fireworks.

If you want to really grasp what's in play and happening each day right here in the USA, and your country too if you're not a US citizen, watch this short video clip and start to read the first book in the series.

"...There is no middle ground."

Gulp.

Really focus on the last two sentences Cersei says to Ned. Focus on the emotion and determination in her voice.

Cersei - you absolutely don't want to be on her bad side.

3D Printed Houses - Slooooow Down

My son has a 3D printer and has made some amazing things with it. If you can dream it, software can help you design it, and a precision printer can create your vision in hours.

But what about upping your game? Use a printer that oozes mortar and create a house. There's lots of gushing going on about these 3D printed houses, but as often is the case, you're hearing and seeing just half the truth.

And you know the old saying, right?

A half-truth is a whole lie.

CLICK or TAP HERE to discover the not-so-pleasant underbelly of 3D printed houses. Yes, the moniker my kids have given me continues to live on.

As they grew up, they affectionately labeled me as the Dream Crusher.

I would retort, "You know nothing. I'm the Truth Teller."

Bats in Your Belfry, er Your Attic

Bats have been given a pretty bad wrap by Hollywood wouldn't you say? You almost always see them in horror movies.

Think how many mosquito bites you'd have if they weren't flapping around each summer night.

I remember as a kid being fascinated by bats as they'd swoop around just above the heads of my neighborhood buddies and me on those sultry and steamy summer nights. We'd try to stay out after dark as long as we could soaking up all that was wonderful in our tiny world of blinking fireflies on Riddle View Lane.

Bats are like us and they do need to rest. If you're like most, you don't want them creating Zzzzzzs up in your attic.

CLICK or TAP HERE to discover an unorthodox and inexpensive way to make sure bats don't get their mail at your house!

That's quite enough for a holiday weekend.

I suggest you reflect on whether or not it's such a good idea to pledge your fealty to those that want to tell you what to do.

As George C. Scott said in the open of the famous movie Patton, "The thought of it is hateful."

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Best Darn Cleaner - www.StainSolver.com
106 Record FD Contacts - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. How did you do last week in the fun Rechargeable Battery quiz? Were you in the vast majority that want a fantastic affordable charger that RESTORES to like-new condition worn-out rechargeable batteries? Who were the folks that said "No"? Crazy!

Rechargable Battery Quiz Results Graph

Build a Cardboard Boat

Posted on by Tim Carter
craftsman bumper sticker

Build a Cardboard Boat | I used about 50 of these bumper stickers to help win the prize!

Build a Cardboard Boat - Sears Editors Conference 1999

I was lucky to be part of the team that was destined to build a cardboard boat that set a Florida state record. The year, I believe, was 1999.

Mike Mangan, the public relations manager for Sears, invited me to my first ever Sears Editors Conference in Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Mike always held the event in June of each year as it was the peak of the low season and no doubt he got a fantastic rate on booking 100, or more, rooms for all the editors, vendors, and Sears brand managers that attended the event.

The events were typically held at the same beachfront hotel that was easily a 4-star hotel conference center. It was deluxe.

Sears Editors Conferences - The Gold Standard

Before I give you the details of the cardboard boat-building contest, allow me to set the stage.

The Sears Editors Conferences were the best put on of any I attended over the 20-year span of time when I attended conferences hosted by manufacturers. These events allowed manufacturers to get the undivided attention of members of the working press. The Sears conferences were a three-day event filled with a perfect mix of work and play.

The first day of the conference was an evening mixer usually set up in a nice grassy area by the outdoor swimming pool. There was always plenty of food and drink and you'd rub shoulders with other editors and industry peers. All of the Sears brand managers and representatives who made the tools we'd see the next day were also mingling to get our ears and win favor with us so we'd feature their products in our publications.

8 AM Start Time

The next morning the conference would start at 8 AM sharp  in a giant room in the bowels of the hotel. These rooms were built for conferences, wedding receptions, etc. The space always had a U-shaped table setup where all of us editors would sit at. Around the edges of the room all of the new tools were on display at different tables and hand-on stations.

There were so many new tools to look at, that each one was only given about 10 minutes or so. It was an intense four hours of information overload and then lunch was served. After that we'd see a few more tools and there was always a hands-on portion where you could touch, feel, and use some of the tools.

Afternoon Off

Mike always let us have the afternoon off. He typically had two organized events you might choose to do, or you could just chill on your own in your room or down by the pool.

This first year, one of the events was build a cardboard boat. I was most curious about this and decided to join in the activity.

Build a Cardboard Boat

I believe we had to meet down by the pool at 3 PM on the smallish grassy lawn area adjacent to the pool where the mixer the night before was held. The hotel activity director, with Mike's help, had already decided who was going to be on what team. I think there were four teams of about five or six people on a team.

I was fortunate to be on Larry Eisinger's team. Larry was the true father of the home-improvement movement. He was a veteran of WW II, a pilot, and after surviving the war he moved to Staten Island, NY getting involved in the publishing industry. CLICK or TAP HERE to see a huge selection of many of the books Larry either authored, co-authored, or edited.

He became the editor for Fawcett publishing and they were cranking out how-to books at a blistering pace for WW II vets who were building things like CRAZY at their homes for their new young families.

Larry actually wrote a book about how he and his wife built their own new home on Staten Island. It's tragic that more of Larry's story is not curated. Larry and I became great friends at this conference as his weekly newspaper column was being syndicated by the same company as mine, Tribune Media Services.

It just so happened that Larry was a sailor and he was an excellent illustrator. He took charge immediately of our team.

The Cardboard Boat Parts

Each team was given the exact same things to build their boat. I believe it was three 4x8 sheets of heavy cardboard, two 30-inch pieces of 3/4-inch PVC pipe, and a few rolls of tape, two Craftsman tape measures, and a few Sears razor knives. Sitting on a table off to the side was a secret building material that was available but not really mentioned. This was by design. It was a tall stack of Sears bumper stickers. I don't need to tell you that bumper stickers are waterproof!

The hotel activity director gathered us all around and said, "Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this fun team activity. You each have your materials and your task is to build any boat you want. Two of your team must get in the boat once built at the shallow end of the pool. You then have to paddle to the deep end touching the edge of the pool. Then you must return to the shallow end. Those on the team with the fastest time win a special prize. You have 45 minutes to build your boat. Good luck."

There was a burst of chatter among all the teams. Larry, being the senior member of the team, oozed respect. He drew a fast sketch of a simple canoe for our five-member team. He then assigned tasks to get things done. It was my job to build the paddles.

I knew that the secret to victory was to make a paddle that wouldn't turn to mush. I'd need two or three layers of cardboard to make it stiff and I needed to somehow make it water-resistant. That's when I glanced over and saw the bumper stickers on an unattended table ten feet away. I sauntered over and took a stack about 3/4-inch thick. No one else seemed to even give a hoot about the stickers. It was mayhem there in the grassy area as the other teams were frantically trying to build their boats. That was fine by me.

Top Secret

I didn't want to give away our secret, so I wandered away from the crowd with all I needed to build the paddles. Twenty minutes later, I was finished and they were completely covered with CRAFTSMAN red, black, and white bumper stickers - two layers to ensure no water could get to the cardboard!

Larry and my other team members did a marvelous job on the canoe Larry designed. It turns out Larry had written a book about building boats. It was serendipity!

Time's Up!

The 45 minutes went by in a flash. There were four teams if my memory serves me right. They were picked at random to enter the pool. The first team successfully got in their boat and started to flail about. Within 20 seconds their paddles fell apart. I was grinning the entire time.

The second team didn't even get to try to paddle. As they tried to get into their boat, the keel buckled, the boat sank, and the two people got drenched. Everyone was howling with laughter.

The third team did a magnificent job watching how to gingerly get into their boat. Off they went across the pool to the other end, they turned, and got back to the shallow end. Victory for them!

Larry then said almost in a whisper to our two sailors, "Remember, when you get to the other side do NOT turn around. Just start to paddle in reverse."

My team launched and the paddles worked like real ones. They didn't transform into pieces of sliced cheddar cheese staying stiff the entire time. Our two marine explorers touched the far end of the pool and were back to the starting line in 43 seconds I believe.

"We've got a NEW RECORD time," the hotel activity director announced. It turns out we had beaten all previous times for this event. The activity director went on to tell us that the cardboard boat-building activity is the most popular thing he does for conferences. I couldn't agree more.

It's really a fun team exercise and if you ever get to do it, look around for the bumper stickers!

The Party and Day After

The night of the second day there was a feast on the beach under a giant tent. Food and drink were abundant. There was a live band and you could dance. It was always a spectacular evening with tiki torches setting the perfect mood.

Because some drank too much, the morning of the third day had a shorter show-and-tell of new tools. I always felt sorry for those Sears vendors because most of the editors had a serious hangover. The event was over at 11:30 AM and Sears provided box lunches to all so you could eat as your limousine shuttled you to the airport for the flight home.

I was really lucky to attend the last of the Sears Editors Conferences. It was a golden time of being a member of the home improvement press. I'm afraid now that all too many companies have found out that ZOOM virtual conferences are so much cheaper. It might be a very long time before a conference like Mike used to do for Sears happens again. If you're invited, by all means go and thank your lucky stars.

This story was shared in the July 11, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter.

 

How to Prevent Bats in Attic

Posted on by Tim Carter
Peace normal smart LED bulbs

How to Prevent Bats in Attic | Yes, the things in this box will prevent bats in your attic. Keep reading to understand WHY.

How to Prevent Bats in Attic - Very Easy

IMPORTANT Author Note: After this column was featured in the July 4, 2021 newsletter, a subscriber was kind enough to share her frightening and expensive story about a bat encounter. It's at the bottom of this column. I URGE you to read it.

Bats frighten many people. The movie industry cranking out horror movies has helped foster the image that bats are evil and put in the same category as serpents.

The truth is bats are, for the most part, harmless and they're really good at eating pesky insects. But when it's time for them to rest, you don't want them doing it in your attic for goodness sake!

Where do Bats Sleep or Rest?

Bats sleep or rest in dark places. They're nocturnal mammals and are awake and moving about feeding when it's dark. They prefer darkness to sleep just as many humans do. For this reason, bats seek out caves, dark places behind shutters, house and barn attics, or a dim or dark corner of a room.

How do Bats Get in my Attic?

Bats can get in your attic via:

  • small holes in your roof
  • a gable-end ventilation vent
  • a hole in a soffit
  • a gap in roof or chimney flashing
  • a gap in a roof ridge vent

The hole or gap can be quite small. Bats are similar to mice and they can contort their bodies to get through very narrow gaps, cracks, and small holes. A gap just 1/2-inch wide by 3 inches long is plenty of space for a bat to pass through.

Watch this video to see all the possible places where a bat can enter your attic:

What are Bat Valves?

A bat valve is a device that allows bats to exit where they sleep and roost but prevents them from re-entering the attic or dark place as dawn arrives. You can purchase these yourself and install them in the holes that bats are using to go in and out of your attic. Watch this second video showing the installation of a bat valve:

What is the Best Way to Prevent Bats in Attic?

The best way to prevent bats in your attic is to install bat valves and once you know they're gone, seal up the entry holes or gaps.

The second-best way to give bats the bum's rush is to install several bright LED smart light bulbs up in your attic.

Peace normal smart LED bulbs

Here's a pack of 4 Peace LED smart bulbs. CLICK or TAP HERE to get quality smart bulbs now.

These bulbs can be controlled using an app on your smartphone and will automatically come on and go off so you always have bright light in the attic during the daylight hours.

The bats abhor bright light and they'll leave the attic on their own to find a dark place to roost during the day. Keep reading to see why this light bulb method is the CHEAPEST way to remove bats from an attic.

What Does it Cost to Have Bats Removed from an Attic?

It might cost you well over $1,000 to have a professional come to remediate bats. A friend of mine spent $1,500 in the summer of 2020 to have bat valves installed and then the entry holes sealed up.

How Much Does it Cost to Have LED Bulbs On?

Let's say you install two 8-watt LED bulbs that produce the same light as a traditional 75-watt incandescent bulb. Assume you pay 15 cents for every 1,000 watts of energy you consume. Assume the lights will be on for 12 hours a day.

Each bulb will consume 2,880 watts each 30 days. So in one month, the bulbs will consume 5,760 watts. Your cost would be about 87 cents. In a year, you'd spend about $10.45 for the electricity.

You can see why it's probably a very smart move to install the smart bulbs FIRST to see if you can evict the bats from your attic before you hire a professional. No matter what method you choose, you want to seal up the gaps or holes to prevent the bats from entering in the first place.

Author's Note: My college degree is in geology, not electrical engineering like Craig McCluskey. Craig is a subscriber to my free newsletter, read the above, and politely pointed out my calculations were wrong about energy consumption. Here's what he sent:

"I realize you have a geology degree, not electrical engineering as I do, so bear with me.

There is an analogy between using electricity and driving a car. Watts is the rate of using energy* as speed (miles per hour) is the rate of covering distance (miles).

So we have:

Car        |   Electricity
------------------|----------------
miles per hour  |      watts
miles       |    watt-hours

In rewriting that portion of the column correctly:

Let's say you install two 8-watt LED bulbs that produce the same light as a traditional 75-watt incandescent bulb. Assume you pay 15 cents for every 1,000 watt-hours (which is 1 kilowatt-hour) of energy you consume. Assume the lights will be on for 12 hours a day.

Each bulb will consume 2,880 watt-hours (2.88 kWh), each 30 days. So in one month, the bulbs will consume 5,760 watt-hours (5.76 kWh). Your cost would be about 87 cents. In a year, you'd spend about $10.52 for the electricity.

* If you want to get technical, Watts is Joules/second and energy is Joules. Hope that helps.

Regards,

Craig

Homeowner Bat Story:

About 2 years ago, my husband Steve was in the bathroom and realized there was a bat in there with him! He immediately got out of the bathroom, then slowly went back, took a towel, and chased the bat out of the window. This is absolutely the WRONG thing to do, and we found out the hard way.

We had a wildlife outfit come the next day to bat-proof the house (thankfully, no bats were in the house, because they're a protected species in NC and if they're nesting in your house, you have to wait until the babies leave the house before you can bat-proof it!).

As Steve was discussing what he'd done with the bat expert, when Steve mentioned that the bat had touched his arm as he chased it out the window, the fellow immediately paused and gave Steve a very long look. Then he told him that his company requires them to get rabies shots if they've ever touched a bat in the process of performing their jobs. The reason being, he said, was that you can be scratched by a bat or even bitten and not know it because their claws and teeth are so tiny.

We also read in later information that if you've been sleeping and find a bat in the room with you and then you chase it out, you will need to get the rabies shots as well, because you can't know if it touched you.

Naturally, to say that was very concerning was an understatement! Of course, you can't take a chance with something like that, so Steve had to get the rabies shots series. The good news is that they aren't the horrific shots of old. The bad news is that here in NC the first shot, which consists of a gamma globulin shot as well as a rabies shot, has to be given at a hospital. Which means an emergency room. So as soon as you walk through the door, you're in for an "emergency room" charge as well as any other high hospital charges.

He never even saw a doctor at that visit--a PA saw him. He got those two shots. Then the protocol requires another 3 shots given on a very specific time frame--as in, you have to have them on a particular day--not one day earlier or later. Steve couldn't get to the NC Health Department to get the remaining shots (which charges about $350 or so for each shot, but is only open from 8 to 5 and only has one location here in Raleigh), so had to go back to the hospital to get the remaining shots. In the end, the total charges for these shots, for which he never saw a doctor, or never was admitted to the hospital, was $20,000! Insurance, thankfully, did cover part of it, but we're still making payments on the $4,000 that was our part of the fiasco.

The lesson here is: If you find a bat in your house, DO NOT chase it out. Confine it as best you can wherever it may be and immediately call animal control so that they can capture it and test it for rabies (sadly, this means killing the bat). Or, if you really want to make it leave your house, be SURE you're covered head to toe with heavy clothing, a hat and gloves, and as much protection you can put on you so that it doesn't touch you as you chase it out.

I wish we had known these things before this episode, and we'd be $4,000 richer. Whenever the subject of bats comes up when I'm having conversations with other people, I always bring up this story so the same thing doesn't happen to someone else.

Thanks for reading this long missive!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

3D Printed House Cost

Posted on by Tim Carter
3d printer

3D Printed House Cost | This is a 3D printer. It could print a tiny house for a model railroad. You need a giant machine to print the walls for your home.

3D Printed House Cost - It's Not All Unicorns and Rainbows

You may wonder if the new belle of the ball, 3D printed house, is really going to cost you less money to build than a normal house. Some publications fawn about new techniques like these and only share the glitter and gleam of the technology. This is nothing new as decades ago lots of bold promises were made about geodesic dome houses and A-frames. Both were flash-in-the-pan trends and only time will tell what will happen with 3D printed homes.

I prefer to roll up my sleeves and deal in reality when it comes to what a 3D printed house cost might be. Let's unpack what's in play.

What's Really Different About a 3D Printed House?

The only thing that's different about a basic 3D printed house vs. one built with lumber is the exterior walls. You can build a 3D printed house where all the walls are made with the concrete batter that oozes out of the machine nozzle, but for sake of this column, let's just consider the exterior walls.

A concrete mortar created with sand and Portland cement is extruded through a moving nozzle. Layer after layer of this mortar is placed precisely by a computer-controlled machine. The resulting wall takes the place of a traditional wood-framed wall that could have been built in a factory using similar precision technology.

Keep in mind that a traditional single-story house built with wood wall panels made in a factory can be ready for the roof in less than one day. I'm talking about comparing apples to apples with a 3D-printed house. Let's assume any square footage less than 2,000 square feet for sake of discussion. So don't get wowed when the 3D printed house folks tell you it's a huge time saver.

Other than that, everything else in the house is pretty much the same as a normal frame house. Watch this short video to understand the technology:

What are the Drawbacks of a 3D Printed House?

There are lots of drawbacks or hidden bugaboos with 3D printed homes. Almost all of these factor into the cost of the 3D printed home and some may actually cause the price of the home to go up. The following questions are ones you should be thinking about asking a 3D house builder.

The following is not a complete list of drawbacks or questions you might ask. These are just a few of the major ones that are tumbling around in my tiny gray cells as I write this column.

Mobilizing the Giant 3D Printer

Imagine what it costs to drive the giant machine to your job site, set it up, calibrate it, and then take it all apart once the job is complete. Are there any extra foundation or site requirements to ensure the machine is completely stable as it operates? Do you need to pay for a crane twice to lift it off then put it back on a flat-bed tractor-trailer?

Quality Control of the Mortar

How is the quality and integrity of the cement mortar controlled at the job site? Is this mixture created by workers on the site or brought from a ready-mix concrete plant? How do you know if the material has enough Portland cement in it?

Exterior Insulation

The exterior walls are solid concrete. Masonry is a poor insulator and heat is sucked into cold masonry faster than water entering a sponge. How do you achieve a R-rating for exterior wall insulation that will meet or exceed the energy code recommendations? CLICK or TAP HERE for a table of exterior wall R-values for all USA states.  Do you have to build a wood-frame wall inside the exterior wall and then add fiberglass? Do you glue closed-cell foam to the inside of the exterior walls?

Building In Cold Climates

The concrete mortar used to build 3D printed houses contains water. You can't allow this water in the oozing mortar coming out of the printer nozzle to freeze before it achieves a certain PSI strength. CLICK or TAP HERE to understand what's in play when working with concrete in cold weather. Yes, you can add anti-freeze chemicals to the mortar mix to help prevent freezing, but check into how these chemicals affect the long-term strength of the concrete mortar.

That said, what are the limitations of building a 3D printed house if the weather forecast for the day the printer is turned on is for a high of 20 F with a low temperature that night of -3 F? What extra costs are involved to prevent the wet mortar from freezing?

Installing Electric in Exterior Walls

How are electric outlets installed in exterior walls? The National Electrical Code is quite specific about the requirement of having outlets every 12 linear feet on walls in rooms. It's quite obvious the electric is added later after the 3D printer is moved to the next job site. How is the electric work done and what does it look like? Will it be the industrial look with metal conduit and boxes screwed to the exterior walls?

Plumbing on Exterior Walls

It's common to have a kitchen sink on an exterior wall centered on a window. How do you install the plumbing drain pipe and the required vent pipe in the 3D printed wall? Don't let the builder or plumber tell you they're going to use a modern air-admittance valve (AAV)! These mechanical devices with moving parts eventually fail allowing sewer gas to enter your kitchen. You don't want an AAV, believe me.

Kitchen Cabinets

Many houses have a kitchen wall or two on an exterior wall so you can get natural light into the room. How are kitchen base and wall cabinets attached to the rough 3D printed concrete walls? How do you deal with countertop backsplashes on these exterior walls? What extra costs are involved dealing with the rough surfaces?

Interior Wall Surface

What is done is you don't like the look of the rough 3D printed concrete? How do you get a smooth interior wall? What does this cost?

Exterior Wall Surface

Most of the 3D printed homes I see the exterior concrete layers are just painted. What happens if you don't like this look? What if you want a brick, stone, wood, vinyl, or other exterior surfaces that might appeal more to your tastes?

Don't fall for the sizzling sales talk when it comes to 3D printed home cost. Use your own tiny gray cells and imagine other questions that you might want to ask before you decide this is the path to take.

This column was featured in the July 4, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter.

Column 1413

June 27, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on by Tim Carter

I can tell by the smile on your face that you're new here. How exciting to get your first issue of my newsletter! I recommend we dance to celebrate. CLICK or TAP HERE to see what song is swirling around in my head! It should make you feel pretty happy.

That said, you may remember another song I shared a while back. It's a duet that might flood you with lots of dreamy memories of when you were a little younger. It does for me, that's for sure! CLICK or TAP HERE and take a few deep breaths.

"It Didn't WORK!"

A few days ago, I got an email from a woman claiming my Stain Solver didn't get algae off her exterior cedar shakes after two attempts at using the product. She was pretty frustrated.

I'm sharing this because there are two teaching moments in this situation. This same scenario plays itself out each day thousands of times with countless products. Heck, you may even have been upset when some product you bought didn't work as advertised.

Her last sentence was, "...I ended up cleaning it with straight bleach."

OUCH!

In your opinion, what was the first thing she did wrong? Think a moment before you settle on your answer.

In my opinion, she didn't STOP and jump on the phone to call us for help after it didn't work the FIRST TIME. She immediately blamed the product, when it could have been an oversight on her part. Based on my experience, I'm sure she was not using the Stain Solver the way I show in all the Stain Solver videos.

When you have a problem with any product, STOP using it and either CALL the manufacturer or visit their website to see if there are better instructions than what's on the label, how-to videos, etc. Don't be so quick to pull the trigger on the product being bad.

In the case of Stain Solver, there are thousands of homeowners who have used it to make their cedar shakes look BRAND NEW. I've cleaned thousands of square feet of cedar with it so I know it works.

Here's the second teaching moment. Why is bleach - chlorine bleach - bad for wood? Well, if you saw the photo she sent me of her RUINED cedar, you'd never even think of splashing it on wood. Her cleaned cedar, which is supposed to be a stunning reddish-brown, is now WHITE as a ghost. Frustration when mixed with a dash of obstinateness is the recipe for bad jujumagumbo!

FREE BIDS - Local Contractors

Get FREE BIDS for any job inside or outside your home. You’ll get calls within an hour.

Fun Rechargeable Batteries Quiz

Did you know that there are enough disposable one-time-use AA batteries THROWN AWAY each year that if put end to end they'd circle our Earth Ball just about three times? Are you one of these people adding to the 235 tons of batteries THROWN AWAY EACH DAY?

Do you purchase normal AA or AAA alkaline batteries for things in your home or business? Have you ever done a price comparison between alkaline batteries vs rechargeable ones? What about the chargers? Are there big differences in chargers?

rechargeable AA batteries

I urge you to take this really short fast fun quiz to see what you know or don't know about rechargeable batteries. I'm in the process of reviewing some of the BEST rechargeable batteries I know of and will report my findings SOON. CLICK or TAP HERE to take the fun quiz.

Bogus Invention Claim

A few days ago, I received the following email from Rusten:

"I'd like your thoughts on a new invention to keep rain water out of people's basements."

He also included a link to a website showing this new invention.

Having a degree in geology with a focus in hydrogeology - the study of groundwater - I'm a sucker for anything that might help STOP water from going into basements.

Well, I went to the website and was stunned to see a silly hinged downspout diverter that flops down when rainwater flows down the downspout. The aluminum channel goes down like a castle drawbridge and DUMPS the water 3 feet from your home.

This is NOT THE WAY to STOP water from entering a basement. No way. No how.

CLICK or TAP HERE to see how to STOP WATER from entering your basement or crawlspace.

That's enough for a Sunday.

If you get up early on the East Coast and are reading this, I'll be outside in a portable screened shelter on my amateur radio. This weekend is the annual Field Day.

I've set an ambitious goal and will try to make contact with no less than 150 other operators in a 24-hour period. I'll be using just 5 watts of transmitting power, my radio will be powered by a 12 Ah battery, and a solar panel will be charging the battery.

That's the point of Field Day - to get out in the field and practice using all your radio equipment under emergency conditions. It's easy to stay in a shack and do radio. It's quite another thing to be in a cage fight with bugs, the heat, and possible rain storms.

That's why the primary sell line of ham radio is:

When all else FAILS...

Yes, some of us operators know how to get outside, setup communications, and save lives and property using our own personal equipment. CLICK or TAP HERE to see how I train to do this each year.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Pre-Sale NEXT WEEK - www.StainSolver.com
Field Day - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Tell me, do you think you know the right way to connect a deck post to a pier? My guess is, no. CLICK or TAP HERE to see if you were right.