April 25, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Tim Carter

Kon'nichiwa! This is how my friend Hiro would greet you assuming this is your first issue of my newsletter. He’s a Japanese amateur radio operator like me, who does Morse code. No matter what the language, welcome!

I might also say, GM or GA YL if you’re a woman. Can you figure that out? Morse operators were using acronyms over 150 years ago, long before all those shortcuts you type when texting. It was vital back then to keep code pithy. BTW, wives of OM radio operators are XYLs.

You, though, might be one of my seasoned subscribers. By any chance, do you remember the column and video I did about quiet bathroom fans? I put these in my daughter’s new home and she absolutely LOVES them.

Does Treated Wood Rot?

What say you?

CLICK or TAP HERE and discover why it happens and what you can do to STOP or SLOW the rot down.

Click Click Click

Lately I’ve been getting lots of email from folks who are hearing an annoying click, click, click in their walls and ceilings.

Pun intended, CLICK HERE to see what gremlins are causing the issue!

FREE BIDS - Local Contractors
CLICK or TAP HERE or click Shovel Boy above to get FREE BIDS for any job inside or outside your home. You’ll get calls within an hour.

Sewer Gas Smell

I routinely do short consult phone calls with homeowners like you who are suffering from sewer gas smell. I just did one a few days ago with Regina. I also talk to folks about a myriad of other home improvement issues.

After talking for a few minutes, I texted Regina an illustration I’d drawn a few years back. It shows where the top of the toilet flange should be when installing a toilet. Based on some clues I gathered from Regina during the call, I was convinced the trouble was coming from the toilet in her master bathroom.

I urge you to watch the video on this page! If you want to know the BEST WAY to install a toilet you should absolutely look at this page.

Chortle Moment

A few days ago, I received a directive from Robert. He lives in the Midwest. Here’s what he requested of me:

“I’m planning to lay brick at the bottom of and outside my deck staircase. I need to know the steps you would use to do that; from leveling and prep, to aggregate used to make sure the bricks stay in line and drain well.”

This is probably what Robert wanted to accomplish:

I had a big grin on my face as I thought, “Jeeesh, Robert, I could type for a couple of hours and still might not tell you all you need to know.”

It turns out I’ve got a boatload of past columns about brick paver installation that Robert can comb through. Everything he needs to know to make his project a success can be found within them.

For the record, I sent Robert an email about my past work and offered him the option of a phone call to make sure he knows what to do. He decided to fly solo and not invest the small amount of money in a phone call.

If, like Robert, you like to be a bold pilot, do yourself a favor and spend a few hours researching all my past columns and videos about the topic you’re tackling.

You can START HERE. Try not to cringe while watching the video on this page. I’m sure Clint Eastwood would be grimacing.

In Robert’s case, had he typed “brick” into my search engine, he would have come across all my past columns with details on my brick walkway and brick patio experiments!

Here’s one that brings back very fond memories! CLICK or TAP HERE to see a great photo of the first home my wife and I bought months before our first anniversary. I also share a story about making a very big mistake with my first brick paver sidewalk.

Cool New Sun Stamps

Did you know the sun shoots out photons non-stop? Many of these make it to our Earth Ball. They’re what cause your house paint to fade, deck sealers to flake and fail, flag fabric to weaken and shred, interior carpets, paintings, and upholstery to fade, asphalt shingles to curl and crack, and create all sorts of other mayhem to the things you own.

Anything that gets hit by these tiny photon torpedoes can suffer. They’re so powerful they can actually break metallic bonds! Yes, if you leave a piece of copper in the sun, the photons will shatter it. You may notice some copper has washed off with the next rainfall. Look at the photo below of it happening. You can read all about how the sun removes the safeties on these wretched torpedoes in my Roofing Ripoff book.

In the short easy-to-read book, I discuss exactly what’s happening in the photo below AND I share with you the BEST ASPHALT SHINGLES TO BUY!

Look at how some shingles are in great shape while others look pathetic.

But, the sun is also what makes my amateur radio hobby fun! It tickles the particles in the atmosphere allowing radio waves to bounce around like that silver ball inside a pinball machine.

Speaking of the sun, the Postal Service is coming out with a set of new stamps showcasing stunning images collected by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Solar scientists like Dr. Tamitha Skov are going to be doing backflips over these gorgeous stamps. My youngest daughter and I got to eat lunch with Dr. Skov about six years ago. What a wealth of information she had to share! Dr. Skov is a big celebrity. Watch one of her videos and you'll see why.

Anyway, the stamps above are not yet available. If you see them on the USPS website before I do, let me know. TNX as we say in Morse.

Paralyzed by Fear

Fear is crippling. It can destroy the quality of your life.

Fear takes no prisoners. You can't think clearly when you're consumed with fear. You often make poor decisions when you're afraid.

It can even stop you from realizing your dream home.

Many homeowners become paralyzed by fear when they have to make tough decisions like selecting materials they’ll have to live with for years.

I know how to kick fear to the curb.

CLICK or TAP HERE to discover how to eliminate the fear of selecting materials, colors, textures for your projects!

This is absolutely enough for a Sunday.

I’m sure you agree, right? If not, let me know!

Enjoy the upcoming week!

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

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Did you see the video I made last year about what I think might be the BEST wood deck sealer? In a few days, I’m going to record a follow-up video so you can see what happened over the winter! Stay tuned.

Does Treated Wood Rot

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Tim Carter

Does Treated Wood Rot? - You Bet it Does

QUESTION: Tim, my next-door neighbor discovered that many of his outdoor deck floor joists are rotting. The rot is along the top where the decking attaches to them.

It’s treated lumber rated for outdoor exposure. How can this be possible? I thought treated lumber was rot-proof and would last for a lifetime.

What’s going on and are there ways to prevent treated lumber from rotting in the event something’s wrong? Andy D., Lexington, KY

Andy’s questions are spot on. They take me back to 1974 when I first saw an advertising placard on the sales desk of an old lumber company I patronized in Cincinnati, Ohio. Yes, that was a long time ago!

Does Treated Lumber Have a Lifetime Guarantee?

The full-color sign with a photo of this new treated lumber said, “Lifetime Guarantee!” I believed them being a young lad thinking no one would lie about that, right? Well, guess what? It didn’t say who’s lifetime on the placard!

The truth is treated lumber can and does rot. I’ve witnessed it at numerous locations and I’ve had countless people like you send me photos using the Ask Tim page on my AsktheBuilder website. The stories with the photos are often heart-wrenching.

Not only can treated lumber rot, but wood-destroying insects can also eat it. I had this happen to me at my own home. I built a play-set for my kids made from treated lumber. I used lumber approved for ground burial.

backyard wooden swing set play set

I had to remove the playset after the kids grew up to make room for a deluxe Queen Anne Victorian shed. Lo and behold, two of the buried 4x4s were eaten by termites! The manufacturer said the wood would be immune from termite destruction.

Can Things Go Wrong at the Treated Wood Plant?

I’ve often thought about the process of treating lumber. I have a hard time believing that manufacturers would purposely produce an inferior product. Even with quality controls in place, things can go wrong. The liquid that’s injected into the lumber might not be the correct formulation. This happened to a major window manufacturer back in the 1980s. What they thought was a fantastic wood preservative turned out to be defective but the issue didn’t show up for about eight years.

The gauges on the pressurized vessel where the lumber is treated could be out of calibration. The computer program that runs the operation could have a bug. The things that can go wrong in the treating process are many.

Do Decking Nails and Screws Cause Wood Rot?

Let’s talk now about the rotting deck floor joists. When you drive nails or screws through the decking into the joists, you can cause cracks to develop on top of the joists. These cracks allow water to enter the joist with ease.

rotten bottom of treated lumber post

If the treatment process was inferior for whatever reason, then the water enters the wood and fuels the growth of wood-destroying fungi. This is most likely what’s happening to Andy’s neighbor’s joists.

Should I Use Deck Joist Tape?

This rot can be prevented by applying strips of deck joist tape that are put on top of the joists before you apply the decking. This should be done for all decks, but it’s mission-critical for any deck that will sport composite decking. You don’t want the undercarriage of the deck to rot out when you have expensive decking on top.

The ends of any treated lumber are the most susceptible to wood rot. Water readily enters the end grain of posts, joists, and decking. The end grain is what you look at when you cut down a tree and can see the concentric growth rings. rotten treated lumber post

Are Trees Like a Bundle of Drinking Straws?

You need to understand that a tree is not much different than having millions of tiny straws next to one another. The sap travels up and down through these straws when the tree is alive. Once cut, the tiny tubes become an excellent pathway for water to get deep into the wood.

Use this knowledge to your advantage and routinely apply copper naphthenate solution to any end grain you see.

This is copper naphthenate. It's a magic DIY wood preservative. CLICK on THE PHOTO now to have it delivered to your home.

This magic liquid is easy to obtain and readily soaks into both the end grain of treated lumber as well as the sides and edges of the lumber. Be sure to read the use instructions and follow them to the letter.

If you have deck railing posts with cut ends facing the sky, think about covering them with decorative caps that act like roofs. These caps come in both wood and metal and stop water from entering the end grain of the posts.

Keep in mind that water is your enemy. Water is what fuels the growth of fungi. You can’t stop fungi spores from falling on your deck. The wood itself is the food for the fungi. All it needs to start growing and rotting the wood is water. Stop water and you stop the rot. Period!

Column 1402

New Home Construction Materials

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Tim Carter

New Home Construction Materials | This is an exterior material test panel for a large expensive new home being built across the lake from my home. These panels allow you to really see how your house will look once finished. Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

QUESTION: Help me, Tim! I’m getting ready to build a new home and am terrified about making a wrong decision about the materials on the outside of my home. I’m afraid they’ll not look good with one another.

What can be done to relieve my anxiety? I have the same issue with paint colors too and even flooring. It’s easy for me to become paralyzed with fear as I don’t want to have to do things over two or three times.

I don’t have an endless supply of money. Mary A., Ft. Wayne, IN

Do you suffer from decision paralysis like Mary? You’re in fine company as many people second-guess their decisions when it comes to all sorts of products and finishes in both small remodeling projects as well as the hundreds of decisions that must be made with a new home. Some are so terrified they refuse to build a new home.

Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help lessen your anxiety and ensure you get it right the first time. Let’s address Mary’s primary concern about how the exterior of her home is going to look.

What are Material Test Panels?

Architects have known how to solve this problem for many decades. I’ll never forget going to downtown Cincinnati for a meeting about twenty years ago. I was driving past the headquarters of the giant international company Procter and Gamble (P&G). There I saw standing out in the middle of this open area a full-scale section of what would become a massive pergola.

The architect had commissioned it to be built to show the decision-makers at P&G exactly what the giant outdoor structure would look like. I wish I would have taken a photograph of it because when you saw the finished project, you can see it on Google Earth in a street-view shot, the massive finished structure matched the sample prototype perfectly.

Any builder can do the same with a sheet of plywood and a few 2x4s. In fact, a new home is being built across the lake from mine right now and either the architect, the builder, or the homeowner requested an exterior test wall panel be built to show how the stone wainscoting will look with the lap siding and the actual roof shingles.

How Should You Orient the Test Panel?

It’s key to put these panels in the same orientation of the primary house wall, say the front of the house if that’s what you’re worried about when visitors come to your home. You want the sunlight to hit the test panel just as it will when your home is complete.

I’ve often suggested this exact same advice when it comes to doing both visual and durability tests for products. I’ve answered hundreds of requests on my Ask Tim page on my AsktheBuilder.com website about this vexing decision conundrum.

Can I Test Kitchen Flooring?

You may want to know how a certain flooring will hold up in your kitchen for example. I suggest you get a thin piece of plywood or cement board and actually create a small test section and lay it down over your current kitchen floor. Walk on it for three months. See how easy it is to maintain. See how you like the color and pattern.

Should You Test Whitewash?

Here’s another interesting example. Years ago, I had to apply traditional time-tested real whitewash to a giant room addition I had built for a very picky customer. The existing house was whitewashed and done in a way where it looked faded with some brick not even covered.

The homeowner wanted the room addition to look as if it had been built with the house. There was no chance for a mistake. We built a small test section of brick wall and tested methods of how to apply the lime whitewash and get the desired look. I wrote about this whitewash, as well as the secret recipe for it, and you can locate it on my website. Don’t think that thinned-down white paint is whitewash. That’s hogwash you’re seeing on those questionable cable-TV shows!

How Can You Test House Paint Colors?

Paint colors are somewhat easier to deal with. When it comes to exterior paint colors, all you need to do is drive around your neighborhood or town and find a house that’s painted in the colors you love. Take lots of great photos of the house from the street and then go to a paint store to get small cans of paint that match what you saw.

house paint color ideas - multiple color samples on siding

Paint a small section of your home, or create a test panel, and look at it. Don’t make the mistake of viewing it standing four feet back. You need to step back 50 or 70 feet to see it as you would driving by in a car. Be sure to look at the colors at different times of day as the colors can change a bit as the sun color temperature changes.

The small amount of time and money you’ll spend to create these test panels are well worth it. A smart contractor will do this if he suspects a customer may require him to do a job over. If the customer signs her/his name with a big Sharpie marker that the test panel is acceptable and the finished work matches the test panel, then the work stands.

The same is true for you as a homeowner. If you love the test panel and the quality you see, then have the contractor sign it. Don’t get rid of the test panel until the entire job matches it. This isn’t rocket science after all!

Column 1401

April 18, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Tim Carter

You might be my newest subscriber. Welcome! First impressions are often lasting and I’m going to do my best to make sure your first newsletter from me leaves a good one.

You, on the other hand, may have been getting my tips and missives for such a long time that you clearly remember the video I did about how to clean a deck.This chore could be on your to-do list as you read this.

I know what you’re thinking, yes, I still have my firefighter turnout pants and helmet! CLICK or TAP HERE to see them.

Different Decking

Speaking of wood decks, David’s a subscriber who lives in Aveyron, France. He sent me a fascinating article about upside down decking in England.

A homeowner noticed that the carpenter made an error when installing the wood decking on her job. I’ve got a past column describing wood decking installation best practices and thought at first that’s what the story was about.

But no! It turns out in England, and possibly other countries, they have a different type of wood decking. Small grooves are milled into the underside of the decking to promote drainage and prevent rot.

I’ve never seen that type of decking here in the USA, but it may exist on a regional basis.

Your takeaway should be that the way you do things may not always be the best way! It's possible your beliefs about products and building methods are based on half-truths which are whole lies.

This is a great example of how travel can expand your knowledge base. Other people in other places might build things far better than we do.

Take advantage of the opportunity to see other parts of our country and the world if you can. You won’t be sorry.

FREE BIDS - Local Contractors

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS for any job inside or outside your home. You’ll almost always get calls within an hour. That's fast!

Waterproof Electric Arc Lighter

Look at this:

I like to collect smallish survival tools, and I'm attracted to interesting and good-looking fire starters. Perhaps this is connected to the pyrotechnical experiments I used to conduct in the fire barrel in my backyard when I was a small lad!

I found a new lighter that fits both of the above criteria! This is a lighter that requires no liquid fuel! It’s a miniature electric arc welder!

You start things on fire using electricity. CLICK or TAP HERE and wait until you see the other photos!

This lighter is very affordable and it comes with OTHER STUFF!

I GUARANTEE you’ll be ordering one or two. They come in some very neat colors too.

There’s a cool VIDEO HERE showing how it works!

STOP Paying for Off-Site Storage!

Build a Custom Shed!

Do you have a storage locker away from your home? What are you spending PER YEAR for this? Too much, I bet. Do you find it’s a hassle to drive to/from your storage facility? What’s more, think of all the time you’re wasting.

Why not BUILD YOUR OWN CUSTOM SHED and store your stuff on your own lot where it’s there when you need it and just SECONDS away?
wood shed

I decided to put the most detailed shed plans in the world ON SALE for you. These plans were drawn by an architect and are MORE DETAILED than most house plans!!!

You’ll save 50% if you order today!!!! You’ll pay only $14.95!!!

There are 17 total pages in the plans!!!! That’s less than a buck per page!

You can MODIFY the plans to create your own size, your own shape, and your own roof pitch.

The sale ends in ONE WEEK. If you snooze you lose.

I promise you'll never see a better set of shed plans.

CLICK or TAP HERE and you can download the actual floor plan page for FREE.

Delicious New Hampshire Toffee

I’m a sucker for SKOR and Heath bars, and I know others who squirrel them away in a secret spot.

Several nights, ago my wife and I had dinner with a couple. It turns out the other wife, Pat, has her own small online business selling toffee she makes. She gave me a bag of this taste treat and OMG is it delicious.

Pat makes two different types, one with nuts, one without. She also makes a mouthwatering toffee popcorn.

CLICK or TAP HERE to order some. Be sure to tell Pat that you heard about it from Ask the Builder.

QuickDrain

A few days ago, I was invited to an online media event where fancy shower drains are the center of attention. It happens next week. I’ll be sure to share with you anything that WOWS me.

That’s enough for a Sunday, right?

I have toffee to eat.

Don't look for treasure in the wrong place. Only life is priceless ... and making each day count.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
No New Pods - www.StainSolver.com
Opechee State Forest Boy - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. How hot do you think regular wood decking gets in direct sunlight? Imagine it's days from the summer solstice when the infrared rays are the most intense, it's close to solar noon, and there's not a cloud in the sky. This is not a trick question.

Seriously, do you think you can guess within ten degrees? CLICK or TAP HERE to see if you were right.

Waterproof Electric Arc Lighter

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Tim Carter

Waterproof Electric Arc Lighter | This thing is magic. It will create an arc 300 times on a full charge. It has a built-in battery! CLICK or TAP HERE to order one now. It was only $14.95 at the time of this review!

Waterproof Electric Arc Lighter - It Really Works!

I love small survival fire starters. You need no less than three different ones in case you get caught outdoors and must start a fire.

This electric arc lighter is not only waterproof, but it's good-looking, and above all else, it starts fires!

Watch this short video of it in action:

I tested it starting the following things:

paper towel
dryer lint
dry leaves

It ignited all of those things in less than a second.

Note, all those things above are tinder. You need dry tinder to start a fire in an emergency!

What's the BEST Tinder to Have to Start a Fire?

The best tinder is wax-coated wood fiber. You should always have a small bag of tinder with you to start a fire. You could be out in the woods where it is VERY wet and hard to find dry tinder.

Here are TWO things I'd always have with me to GUARANTEE I'd be able to start a fire. A small amount of Fiber Light takes up less space than the Pull Start Fire box. CLICK or TAP HERE to read my review about Pull Start Fire.

This is Fiber Light. It's wax-coated wood fiber. It starts with a SPARK, not a flame! CLICK on IMAGE to order a bag now.

This is Pull Start Fire. It starts a fire with NO matches or spark. You just pull a string! Don't eat it thinking it's an ice-cream sandwich. CLICK on the IMAGE to have three delivered to your home.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get all the specifications.

The waterproof cover has a safety latch that you must slide off first. Then you press a chrome OPEN button on the side to flip open the lighter. You can see the four electrodes that create the X arc. CLICK THE IMAGE to have this lighter in your hands in days. It's MAGIC!

You can see the purple arcing electricity! Simply put whatever you want to light in the X and you'll have a FIRE. CLICK the IMAGE to order two of these right now. They come in different colors!

This is the micro-USB charging slot. It takes just 90 minutes to fully charge the internal battery. You get 300 starts with a full charge. CLICK on the IMAGE to order several of these for friends and family. You should ALWAYS HAVE ONE in your car or truck glove box!

You get all these accessories too! A lanyard, the USB charging cable, and a manual fire starter you scrape against one another to start a fire in case you forget to keep the lighter CHARGED! CLICK or TAP HERE NOW to order five of these!

Last Call – Basic Structural Concepts eBook

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Tim Carter

Are you a new subscriber? I send these LAST CALL email reminders when a sale is about to end.

I GUARANTEE you'll have a question about the BONES inside your home one day. I'm not talking about buried bodies in the basement, mind you.

You'll ask a contractor about a beam, or column, or roof rafter and he may not know the REAL answer.

Why HOPE the answer you get is right?

When you skim through this easy-to-understand book, you'll be ready to build a model of the Brooklyn Bridge for goodness sake!

My Basic Structural Concepts eBook was written by an engineer! You'll save HUNDREDS of dollars not having to call one to come over to your home!

CLICK or TAP HERE to see all that's in it. You'll be blown away.

Wait until you see the SALE PRICE!

Over 50% off. You only pay $9.95!!!

The SALE ENDS at MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. (April 11, 2021) Buy it now and rest easy that you'll know all about those hidden bones in your home!

I'll be back here next Sunday.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

April 11, 2021 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Tim Carter

This first paragraph of my newsletter is where I welcome new subscribers. It’s how you’d greet any stranger you’ve just met, right? Thanks for allowing me to send you tips each week starting with today’s newsletter.

You, though, might have been here since dragons flapped their wings and melted snow for their masters here in the great Northeast Kingdom that’s now called New Hampshire.

Yes, the snow is almost all gone, but not because of dragon breath. Do you remember this video I created out of enormous frustration?

Saving Sweet Moola $$$ on Heating Fuel

Less than 24 hours ago, I discovered that in the past twelve months I gave my current propane supplier about $3,000.00 more than I should have. YEOUCH!

Check out my first fuel bill of this past winter's heating season:

I had 453.3 gallons pumped into my 1,000-gallon underground tank. The cost per gallon was $2.699.

Just a month ago, I got my last of SEVERAL deliveries. Realize that sometimes they pump 750 gallons into my tank. By the end of the season, the cost had jumped to $3.34 per gallon.

To put this in perspective, I had paid about $2.20 per gallon in the 2019-2020 season.

Fast forward to several days ago.

A gentleman I had lunch with said I should have been part of a heating-fuel buying group. I would have received a guaranteed price for propane. He's part of the group and only paid $1.78 per gallon this past season and he only live ten miles from me! Holy tomato!

He recommended I join the buying group. I did hours later. I spoke on the phone the next morning to Donna who shared this:

"Tim, had you been with us last season, you would have paid just $1.65 per gallon because of the quantity you need. You would have saved thousands of dollars."

Do you live in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island? If so REPLY to this email and I’ll share with you what you need to do to SAVE SWEET MOOLA like I'm about to!

If you live somewhere else, I highly recommend that you start asking around to see if there are buying groups for heating fuel where you live.

Don’t bother asking your propane or fuel-oil supplier. In reality, paying a higher price is to their advantage, Just use some stealth searching skills and I’ll wager you’ll find a group similar to what I found! Good luck.

Long-Lasting Concrete

Check out this photo:

How old do you think that concrete is? CLICK or TAP HERE and be prepared. You’ll think I bopped my head as my mother-in-law Jane used to say.

I want you to take a second look at that photo. Can you see what’s unique about how the pieces of concrete interlock? I tell you all about it in the column. You’ll discover some interesting facts when you read it.

Joist Hangers, Beams & Columns

Remember last Sunday when I shared that my Basic Structural Concepts eBook was on sale? When I told you it was over 50% OFF?

The sale ends at MIDNIGHT Eastern Time TONIGHT.

CLICK or TAP HERE NOW to order your copy.

Why should you get a copy? Because it deals with things like you see in this photo:

That’s a joist hanger! CLICK or TAP HERE to see another photo explaining what you’re looking at.

CLICK or TAP HERE now to discover lots you don’t know about when it comes to joist hangers, beams, and columns. I share in the column where those old pieces of joist came from and how OLD they are. WOWZA!

Last Call Notice was sent out.

Suing a Contractor - How Good Are You at Blackjack?

Have you ever thought of taking your contractor to court? If my email inbox is any indication, I’d say many of you would answer, “Yes”, or “You bet I have”.

You may have been one of the attorneys that was kind enough to respond to my request for the help I needed to write an authoritative column about what’s involved when you decide you’re going to teach that contractor a lesson in the courtroom!

I’m grateful for your input. It aligned with my 20-plus years of expert witness experience.

I know it’s easy to convince yourself you’ll prevail in a legal matter. After all, you know all the bad things the contractor did.

Guess what? Your sob story has been told countless times and there's much more in play than your bad luck.

Trust me, going through the legal process is not all unicorns and rainbows.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get a full understanding of what’s really in play when you decide to hire an attorney to file suit against a contractor.

I have the top three questions you should ASK the attorney when you first sit down in her/his office. I think you’ll only get a bill for 30 minutes of time as you’ll get up and walk out once you hear the answers.

I also think you’ll be STUNNED to discover who’s roof I was crawling around on a few years ago.

Whole House Fan Time

Last weekend, it was unseasonably HOT in the southwestern USA. Summer’s coming!

Overnight, my good friend Ed, who happens to play an attorney in real life, reached out to me as he’s thinking of installing a whole-house fan.

I suggested he read these three columns before we talk. You might want to do the same:

Whole-House Fans vs Attic Fans - What’s the Difference?

Whole-House Fan Sizing

Whole-House Fan Secret Tips

That’s quite enough for a Sunday.

Let me know if you need advice on those warm-weather projects you’re ready to tackle.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Super Clean - www.StainSolver.com
Sky Pond! - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Friends sometimes pose riddles to each other. That said, riddle me this. You need to repair a crack about 1/4-inch wide in your concrete. How would you think I’d do it? CLICK or TAP HERE and see if you were right.

How Long Can Concrete Last

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Tim Carter

How Long Can Concrete Last | 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

How Long Can Concrete Last - Over a Hundred Years!

You may be holed up in your home as I am. Lately, I’ve been spending some time looking at the thousands of photographs I’ve shot over the past few years. When I travel and see something interesting about construction, building, or historic value, I always try to capture it in a photograph or short video.

Three years ago I made a trip back to my hometown, Cincinnati, Ohio. When I go back, I often drive the roads I walked along or peered out the rear windows of my mom and dad’s 1959 Chevy station wagon as they drove around. On this particular trip, I found myself on Central Parkway, a magnificent roadway built on a gravel outwash terrace created as the last continental glacier melted about 13,000 years ago.

Cast Concrete For Cincinnati Subway

What caught my eye was the stunning guardrail that rests atop a hidden subway tunnel that runs under Central Parkway for miles. Back in the early 1900s, the leaders of Cincinnati thought it would be a wonderful idea to have a mass transit subway. They floated a bond issue and got ready to go, but World War I, the passage of the Prohibition Amendment, and the great stock market crash submarined the project. Timing is everything, isn’t it?

By the time they started construction of this magnificent public works project, it was late January 1920. The shortage of building materials and other things caused the cost to double. The bottom line is the project ran out of money and what’s left are miles and miles of abandoned tunnels under Central Parkway stretching all the way back to downtown Cincinnati. I used to play in the first 150 feet of these tunnels back in the early 1960s. At Dixmyth Avenue just below my house, there were open entrances into the subway. I’d walk in until the fading light sapped my courage to go any further.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local concrete contractors who can add more cement to the mix.

Modular Cast Concrete Guardrail

I share this with you because the architects of the project specified stunning modular cast concrete guardrails along stretches of the subway where one side of the tunnel was facing west.

This cast concrete railing was built in 1925. It's along Central Parkway in Cincinnati, Ohio just north of the end of the Western Hills Viaduct. The photo was taken in 2017. The sidewalk next to the railing was poured in the mid-1920s as well. A major roadway is on the other side of the grass strip. Read below why the railing and sidewalk are still in great shape. Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

Here it is one hundred years later and the guardrails are in almost perfect condition having survived brutal cold weather, decades of salt spray from winter snow and ice control on the parkway, and punishing hot weather that might pulverize the concrete from expansion.

Old Concrete Railroad Bridge Abutments

You may have concrete like the Cincinnati subway guardrails in your city or town. All you have to do is pay attention where old railroad bridges with concrete abutments cross roadways or hiking trails. It was common for the builders to cast in the date the bridge was built. You’ll commonly find concrete bridge abutments with dates in the early 1900s.

Other than the cement-paste coating wearing away, the concrete in the guardrail I admired and the bridges you might see is in excellent condition. Why is this so? Why did this concrete survive yet your driveway, sidewalk, patio, etc. crack, spall, dust or otherwise look horrible after five, ten or twenty years?

What Can You Do To Make Concrete Last?

The answer is simple. The architects that designed these projects specified stronger concrete than what your contractor is most likely using. In addition, the concrete was carefully mixed, cast, and cured so it would attain the maximum design strength.

What Holds Concrete Together?

Stop for a moment and think about concrete in its most basic form. It has only four ingredients: rocks, sand, Portland cement, and water. If you leave out the Portland cement you get what you see at the beach. Sand and stones mixed with water that you can shovel with minimal effort.

Add Portland cement and you create artificial rock. The cement is the glue that bonds the sand and stones together. The more cement you add, the stronger the concrete becomes. I don’t have access to the original specifications for the subway guardrails or the railroad bridges, but if I had to guess, I’d say the designers called out for concrete that might test out with a compressive strength of 7,000 pounds per square inch (PSI) or more.

When you add more cement to the mix, you simply make the concrete stronger. You may get arguments from concrete scholars who say that adding too much cement to a mix can cause issues. Well of course it can! It's like adding three cups of salt to one quart of soup, silly!

You can easily create concrete that far exceeds the current MINIMUM specification of 4,000 PSI for exterior concrete. I received an email after this column ran nationally from one of my newsletter subscribers. He told me that he was working on a project where they had to take a core sample from a large concrete dam. The dam was decades old and in great shape. It tested out at over 11,000 PSI!

Can Water Hurt Concrete?

But there’s more to it than that. Water is both a friend and foe to making concrete. You need the water to activate the Portland cement, but if you add too much water, you dilute the cement within the mix and the concrete doesn’t perform well or achieve its intended design strength.

Should Concrete Be Cured?

Once you pour or cast the concrete, you need to ensure the water used to mix the concrete doesn’t evaporate too fast. The chemical reaction that transforms the plastic concrete from a mix like baked beans into a solid artificial rock continues for months and months. The water inside the concrete needs to stay there to fuel this reaction that makes the concrete get stronger and stronger. You achieve this by curing the concrete. You can keep it wet or apply a spray-on membrane that stops water from leaving the mass.

Years ago, the builders understood all this. There were master builders, journeymen, and apprentices on the job. It took years for knowledge to build up in a workman’s brain. This system of knowledge transfer has been abandoned for the most part in the residential field of construction, the place where you depend upon it most for work around your home.

Is Concrete a Complex Material?

Yes, concrete is very complex. There are wise scientists who spend their entire career studying it. The Portland Cement Association and American Concrete Institute are but two organizations dedicated to creating long-lasting concrete. I suggest they get in touch with the Cincinnati Public Works Department and see about getting a core-sample test done of the Central Parkway Subway guardrail. Let's see what those engineers specified all those years ago!

Column 1391

Suing a Contractor for Poor Workmanship

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Tim Carter

Suing a Contractor for Poor Workmanship - Go to a Casino

How many horror stories have you heard about homeowners who end up wanting to sue their contractors? The reasons are as plentiful as grains of sand on a beach. In almost all cases it comes down to defective workmanship. Sometimes it’s non-performance where the contractor vaporizes and stops showing up at the job. In rare cases, it’s actually deceptive fraud where the contractor takes a deposit and disappears.

Tim, Have You Been an Expert Witness?

Although I’m not an attorney and have never played one on TV, I happen to know quite a bit about the legal process and playing field. I’ve been an expert witness in construction lawsuits for over two decades. My last case had me inspecting the roof of the Brazilian Ambassador’s home on the island of Antigua. I’ve been deposed more times than I care to remember and I’ve sat in the witness chair in several courtrooms.

I’m very fortunate to have published my own free newsletter for over twenty-five years. A week ago I reached out to any and all attorneys who happen to be subscribers for their input. The USA is unique in that the laws about how to settle disputes vary from state to state. I received feedback from several attorneys spread out all over the USA that helped buttress what my own experience was back in the Midwest.

Am I Guaranteed to Win in Court?

First and foremost, you need to know that absolutely nothing is guaranteed in the legal process. Well, you are guaranteed to pay your attorney and any experts thousands of dollars. That's where the guarantee ends.

The best analogy I can offer you is it’s a high-stakes game of poker. In a poker game, you get dealt cards. Typically the best hand wins assuming all the players are knowledgeable about what cards are best.

What Wins Lawsuits?

In the legal world, the facts and the expert witness reports are the game cards. That player, either you or the contractor, with the best facts and reports tends to carry the day. You need to be prepared to spend tens of thousands of dollars in this legal game realizing that there is absolutely no guarantee you’ll prevail. That strategy almost borders on insanity. You’d do better to take your money and sit down at a blackjack table in a casino assuming you know how to really play blackjack.

Is the Legal Process Expensive and Long?

The legal process is long and straining. It’s like being in a taxicab going for a cross-country trip. The meter is clicking each day or week as the attorneys and experts rack up hours and hours of work on your behalf.

Can I Use Small Claims Court?

In almost all states, you can represent yourself in a small-claims court. Some states have maximum award amounts in these venues and if your claim is more, you need to do battle in a real courtroom. Some states allow you to represent yourself in any matter. Trust me, the legal process is more complex than the hardest crossword puzzle you’ve ever attempted to solve. It’s not for the faint of heart.

How Many Cases Go to Trial?

Realize that a very tiny portion of disputes even make it to the courtroom. Almost all of them are settled before going up the courthouse steps. It almost always boils down to the quality of the expert witness reports. The party in the case with the weaker report folds just like in a poker game.

How Much Money Does it Cost to Sue a Contractor or Builder?

By the time you get to this point where you settle, you could have spent thousands of dollars and not all states permit you to recover your costs to get the money. If you go all the way through with a trial, you could easily spend $25,000 to $50,000. This number represents what it might cost in the year 2021.

Will I Get My Money When I Win in Court?

Here’s the worst part in my opinion. Even if you go through the entire process and win in a courtroom, there’s no guarantee you get the money! In almost all states, you leave the courtroom with a judgement. You now have to start a different process to try to collect the amount of the judgement. Oh, and then don’t forget, the losing party has the right to appeal the decision in almost all states! Now the taxicab meter starts all over again.

Remember, there’s no guarantee you’ll ever win.

What Can I Do to Prevent Suing My Builder or Contractor?

Knowing all of this, you may ask, “Tim, how can I prevent all this hardship and financial loss?” Books have been written on this topic. On my AsktheBuilder.com website, I have no less than twenty columns devoted to the topic.

Here’s the shortlist of how you can avoid going to court. First, all jobs have to have fantastic plans and specifications. You need to communicate clearly to the contractor exactly what you want and the level of finish quality. You can do this with photographs you get from the Internet.

You need to go inspect the work of the contractor. This means you go to other houses where he’s done similar work you’re going to have done. You talk with the homeowners. This is hard, it takes time, and it can be uncomfortable. If you fail to do this due diligence, you’re basing your decision on hope.

All of the attorneys that answered my plea for help agreed that you should have an attorney review your contract with the builder before you sign it. Payments should only be made for work that’s satisfactory. You need to collect affidavits from all contractors and suppliers before you hand over your money. These are legal receipts that prevent a contractor from filing a valid lien on your home.

Talk to your attorney before you forward a deposit. Find out how you can get the best protection against holding a pair of twos in this high-stakes poker game. You want a royal flush so you know.

Home Building Advice – I’m Happy to Call You

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Tim Carter

Custom Home Building Advice | The valve on the right needed to be moved down and to the left. The homeowner saved himself hundreds of dollars by investing in over-the-phone home repair advice! Copyright 2021 Tim Carter

Custom Home Building and Repair Advice - I Can Call You

My wife thinks I’m crazy most nights. We sit down after dinner and watch different shows on cable TV. I absolutely love to watch commercials laughing at some and groaning at others. I study them to see how the companies use psychological tricks to ply their wares. Read Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion to see how you're manipulated to buy things and think you might die from an invisible microbe. Psychology is more powerful than you could ever imagine.

Psychology in TV commercials is absolutely fascinating. One commercial, though, advertises a website that claims they can save you money on car insurance. The actor says that $21 billion a year is wasted by USA car drivers on insurance. Here he is:

You might wonder, “Tim, what does car insurance have to do with me, my home, and all the maintenance I need to be done?” It just so happens I’ve been working diligently on trying to solve a vexing problem about what I’m certain are billions of dollars you and millions of other homeowners are wasting each year when you fail to seek out expert home building advice before you sign a contract.

CLICK or TAP HERE to set up a phone call where I can HELP YOU with the best advice when building a home. Or, I can give you the best advice when repairing a home.

How is this possible? Easy. Tens of thousands of homeowners each day invest money in their homes. You decide to either hire a contractor to do work for you or you decide to roll up your sleeves and do the work yourself. The only trouble is you fail to invest the time to find out how to do the job the right way and invest foolishly. You may need the best advice when building a house.

Can't I Just Hope the Contractor Will Do the Job Right?

You proceed hoping everything is going to work out just fine. You hope the contractor knows the right way to do the job. But based on the countless help requests I get each month on my website, I think it’s fair to say things don’t always work out too well. Here’s a tip: You should only hope for things that you can’t control. Fortunately, you can have complete control over the outcome of work on your home.

Hoping a Gas Connection Will Work

Allow me to share with you some of the frightening scenarios I see each day. Overnight, Mike reached out to me because he wants to install a black iron natural gas pipe in his home. The issue is his gas lines are made with soft copper. Mike was wondering what’s the best way to connect black iron with soft copper.

I shared with him that two good friends of mine, a husband and wife, died three years ago when their house exploded from a gas leak. I then told Mike I’ve been a master plumber since age 29 and that what he needs to know requires a short conversation because there’s just too much vital information to transfer to him via email. I needed to know that he completely understood what had to be done so the connection was made safely.

The terrifying thing to me is that he might end up online watching videos that may show the absolute wrong way to make this critical connection. Mike could end up at a website where similar bogus information is published by faceless people. What are the credentials of the people who are creating content you or Mike are consuming?

Should I Read the About Us Page on Websites?

Do you actively think about this when you land on websites? When you visit a page on a home improvement website, do you immediately go to the About Us page to see what the credentials are of the person(s) who creates the content you’re about to base a decision that involves thousands or tens-of-thousands of dollars? If you don’t, you’re making a serious mistake.

Look at the About page on my website. You see a list of my credentials and you see my photo. If you don't see these at other websites, you should be VERY CAREFUL about any advice you get there.

Should A Vapor Barrier Be Used in a Ceiling?

Several days ago, John reached out to me telling me he’s about to insulate the vaulted ceiling of his log cabin. He had questions about a vapor barrier because the contractor he was thinking of hiring suggested one. What could possibly go wrong in this scenario?

For starters, if John or his contractor makes a mistake his entire roof could rot out because water vapor coming up through the house can’t rapidly be shunted outdoors. If this job is not done correctly, and roof ventilation is part of it, a giant mold bloom could develop between the ceiling and the underside of the roof. This toxic mold can sicken him and his family. Fortunately, John did the right thing and talked to me before he made a grave mistake.

Can Deck Beams Balance on Posts?

Here’s another example. Last year, I drove by an old house that’s being renovated just three miles from my home. I stopped to look at the new deck that was being added to the rear of the house. The carpenters just placed the outer support beam on top of two wobbly 4x4 posts. They just installed angled inferior nails from a nail gun through the beam into the posts. Believe it or not, the local building inspector allows this to happen.

I couldn’t imagine a worse connection detail other than maybe using masking tape to hold the wood together. I’d never stand nor sit on that deck. How could this mistake have been prevented?

The homeowner could have hired a structural engineer for several hundred dollars to get the best solution. Or, he could have typed into a search engine: connect deck beam to post hoping he finds the correct answer. Or he could have hired another expert to tell him the correct way to prevent a deck collapse.

You can help me solve this vexing problem of why more homeowners don’t reach out to experts for help them before they waste money or put their lives at risk. Just take a simple anonymous survey I’ve created.

Investing In Advise Survey

Column 1399

Does Treated Wood Rot?

Click Click Click

Sewer Gas Smell

Chortle Moment

Cool New Sun Stamps

Paralyzed by Fear

Does Treated Wood Rot? - You Bet it Does

Does Treated Lumber Have a Lifetime Guarantee?

Can Things Go Wrong at the Treated Wood Plant?

Do Decking Nails and Screws Cause Wood Rot?

Should I Use Deck Joist Tape?

Are Trees Like a Bundle of Drinking Straws?

What are Material Test Panels?

How Should You Orient the Test Panel?

Can I Test Kitchen Flooring?

Should You Test Whitewash?

How Can You Test House Paint Colors?

Different Decking

FREE BIDS - Local Contractors

Waterproof Electric Arc Lighter

STOP Paying for Off-Site Storage!

Delicious New Hampshire Toffee

QuickDrain

Waterproof Electric Arc Lighter - It Really Works!

What's the BEST Tinder to Have to Start a Fire?

Saving Sweet Moola $$$ on Heating Fuel

Long-Lasting Concrete

Joist Hangers, Beams & Columns

Suing a Contractor - How Good Are You at Blackjack?

Whole House Fan Time

How Long Can Concrete Last - Over a Hundred Years!

Cast Concrete For Cincinnati Subway

Modular Cast Concrete Guardrail

Old Concrete Railroad Bridge Abutments

What Can You Do To Make Concrete Last?

What Holds Concrete Together?

Can Water Hurt Concrete?

Should Concrete Be Cured?

Is Concrete a Complex Material?

Suing a Contractor for Poor Workmanship - Go to a Casino

Tim, Have You Been an Expert Witness?

Am I Guaranteed to Win in Court?

What Wins Lawsuits?

Is the Legal Process Expensive and Long?

Can I Use Small Claims Court?

How Many Cases Go to Trial?

How Much Money Does it Cost to Sue a Contractor or Builder?

Will I Get My Money When I Win in Court?

What Can I Do to Prevent Suing My Builder or Contractor?

Top Questions to Ask Your Attorney

Custom Home Building and Repair Advice - I Can Call You

Can't I Just Hope the Contractor Will Do the Job Right?

Hoping a Gas Connection Will Work

Should I Read the About Us Page on Websites?

Should A Vapor Barrier Be Used in a Ceiling?

Can Deck Beams Balance on Posts?

Expert Advice For Your Home