Newsletter Music Titanic Soundtrack
The Titanic soundtrack was featured in the July 19, 2020, AsktheBuilder.com newsletter. CLICK or TAP HERE to read all past AsktheBuilder.com newsletters.
CLICK or TAP HERE to listen to all the music featured in past AsktheBuilder.com newsletters.
You can listen to different versions of the Titanic movie soundtrack on YouTube.
Stain Solver, the best and most powerful certified organic cleaner on Earth, is the sponsor of Newsletter Music.
Show your support. Purchase a small sample size and behold its magic powers.
Stain Solver is MADE in the USA with USA ingredients that are food-grade quality. CLICK THE IMAGE to order some NOW.
July 12, 2020 AsktheBuilder Newsletter
Happy Summer! You might be a brand-new subscriber. Welcome! I reserve this top spot in the newsletter to thank you for your trust.
You, though, may have received so many issues of this newsletter that you remember when I tangled with all those solar attic fan companies. Do you recall that dust up? Boy, they were none too happy with me! But what the heck, it's my duty and responsibility to share the truth with you for goodness sake! If you want to know the TRUTH about those solar attic fans, CLICK or TAP HERE. (Editor's update: Read Terence's response to this statement. It is in the July 19, 2020 Newsletter.
Music and Me
I love music of all sorts. It relaxes me sometimes, but other times it gets my heart pounding! Today it's HOT and HUMID here in central New Hampshire. I needed something to cool me off as I created this issue for you. Can you guess what's playing here in the steamy cave? CLICK or TAP HERE to let me know if this music works to lower or raise your temperature!
Mystery Biting Bugs Update
I want to thank you profusely if you responded to my plea for help last Sunday. The image below is just a SMALL NUMBER of the amazing email replies and ideas you may have sent to me so I could then share them with my friend who's suffering such torment.
There were so many responses, it was simply impossible for me to thank you individually. I hope you understand.
Right now, I don't have much news to share. The biting has been much less and many days in the past week, there were no overnight bites.
I'm going to create a page on the website with all of the great ideas and suggestions you may have sent in so you can benefit in case you or someone you know has a similar dilemma.
I was particularly interested in the bright-light, the Pine-Sol, and the ultrasonic ideas. You'll discover more about this in the next newsletter.
Rest assured that once the issue is resolved, you'll know as much about this as I do.
You'll never realize how grateful I am for your help when I ask for it. You are an incredible resource and for you to share your ideas, your prayers, and your time is truly a special prize for me and my friend.
She wanted me to make sure you know how much she appreciates all you did to try to help her in this ongoing battle.
Front Porch Construction - A Dying Art
Think about a front porch for a moment. Even a small one like this:
Can you think of at least three reasons why you should have a front porch, and one preferably much larger than the one above?
CLICK or TAP HERE to see if your list matches mine.
The Fun Quiz!
You did pretty well knowing what a Grange is. I'm proud of you as I had NO IDEA what one was until I moved to central New Hampshire. There's one just three miles north of my house at the top of Lake Winnisquam.
But how spry are your little gray cells today? Look at the following pictures depicting the answers to this issue's quiz and see if you might score a 100% on today's FUN QUIZ!
CLICK or TAP HERE and be prepared to LAUGH a LOT. Laughter is great medicine for all and especially for anyone who might be sleep deprived.
Laundry Room Countertop Dilemma
Admit it. Doing the laundry is not one of your most favorite things. It can be drudgery using the old-fashioned wooden pins to hang up delicates. Another reason might be your laundry room isn't really set up for the operation. It's more like a closet for two large machines rather than a workspace.
CLICK or TAP HERE to see what's possible if you had a magic wand that could transform your laundry room. Your dreams might come true the next time you move or remodel!
Draw Plumbing Plans
You may not know this, but I've been a master plumber since age 29. One of the things you must do to pass the Master test is successfully complete an isometric drawing of a multi-story building showing all the correct venting solutions for all the fixtures that appear on the drawing.
Not one bead of perspiration appeared on my forehead the day of the examination all those years ago because I love doing the drawings.
Not one bead of perspiration appeared on my forehead the day of the examination all those years ago because I love doing the drawings.
In fact, I still do them! They remind me of diagramming sentences way back in grade school - thank you Sr. Mary Emma!
Last week I did four of them for different homeowners. Architects and builders also hire me to draw the complex isometric drawings.
"Why are the isometric drawings important, Tim?"
That's a great question. In my opinion, there are three primary reasons:
1. It's so very important that you have the correct pipe sizes for fixtures and fixture groups shown on the drawing. The drawings ensure you understand what the minimum pipe sizes must be for both drains and vents.
2. Fixtures must be vented properly for the system to work. You'd be surprised how many plumbing systems are not vented properly. An isometric drawing shows all the vent pipes as dashed lines. Sometimes you can have a drain pipe do double duty! It can drain a fixture and be a vent pipe for another one at the same time.
3. The drawing communicates to the plumbing inspector that you know what you're doing so when she/he comes she/he won't deliver the bad news to "rip it all out and start over".
If you want me to draw your plumbing plans, CLICK or TAP HERE.
I also draw water line layouts and draw & size gas lines too. One-stop shopping!
I delivered plans to Marty just two days ago for a slab house he's building down in Arkansas. He responded, "Thank you again, I appreciate the help, and nice to see the service you are providing!"
That's quite enough for a Sunday. As you read this on Sunday, I'll have been participating is a worldwide IARU radio contest for at least 24 hours. Here's what the ARRL website says about this annual event:
"To contact as many other amateurs, especially IARU member society HQ stations, around the world as possible using the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meter bands."
I'll be operating doing just Morse Code, and it's my goal to contact at least 100 other stations. I'll report next week if I achieved the goal!
Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
SOLD OUT - BEST CLEANER - www.StainSolver.com
IARU Man - www.W3ATB.com
Do It Right, Not Over!
P.S. Is your AC unit not able to keep you cool? It could be a big problem with your ductwork. It could also be your AC unit is not sized correctly.
CLICK or TAP HERE to get a handle on the duct part of the equation.
CLICK or TAP HERE to see how AC units are like your shoes.
What is Chrometophobia
What is Chrometophobia?
Don't ask Alexa or Siri for help. Trust the Force within you!
IMPORTANT NOTE: After clicking SUBMIT, scroll back to the top and click the VIEW SCORE button to see how you did!
CLICK or TAP HERE to play ALL past AsktheBuilder.com quizzes.
Newsletter Music Smooth Jazz
Smooth Jazz was featured in the July 12, 2020, AsktheBuilder.com newsletter.
CLICK or TAP HERE to read all past AsktheBuilder.com newsletters.
CLICK or TAP HERE to listen to all the music featured in past AsktheBuilder.com newsletters.
Stain Solver, the best and most powerful certified organic cleaner on Earth, is the sponsor of the Newsletter Music.
Show your support. Purchase a small sample size and behold its magic powers.
Stain Solver is MADE in the USA with USA ingredients that are food-grade quality. CLICK THE IMAGE to order some NOW.
AsktheBuilder Emergency Issue Newsletter
A Friend in Need
I need your help, well actually a friend of mine needs your help.
If you're an entomologist or a true pest-control expert, please keep reading.
A friend of mine started getting bug bites while sleeping at night. I know, your first reaction is bed bugs. The house was checked by one of the top and best bed-bug specialists and they came up with NO bed bugs.
This is not a detergent rash. They are BUG bites.
My friend has been quarantined in the house since the pandemic was announced and there have been no visitors. No family or friends have stayed the night to introduce a pest.
No one has come into the house since March - except for two inspectors last week AFTER the bug invasion started.
The bites look identical to bed-bug bites when compared to online photos.
Just prior to my friend getting bitten at night, there was a bat in the house. The bat was captured and removed, but it was determined that it, and some friends, were roosting in the attic.
A top bat-removal company was called in a week ago, and verified the presence and is in the process of dealing with the bats. The issue is this is going to take a month because the state where my friend lives protects the bats.
Research shows that bats can have mites that are closely related to bed bugs and these BAT BUGS can bite humans. They have many of the same characteristics of bed bugs.
A top pest control company in town where my friend lives has been helping with the situation and his primary goal is to try to capture the invisible menace.
At this point, it's all speculation WHAT is causing the bites because in the morning the pest has long gone.
After a week of trying many things, sticky tape traps, looking into electrical outlets, switches, etc. NO PESTS have been located.
Here's where I can use your help if you have solid information with respect to situations like this or experienced a SIMILAR infestation and how it was resolved.
Remember, the top BED BUG company said it's NOT bed bugs.
Questions:
Do you know the absolute foolproof way to capture the pests that somehow have found the bedroom? The pest control expert has recommended carpet tape on the mattress to create a sticky *fence* the bugs have to crawl across to get to my friend.
What are the bugs you know of that can cause bites under clothing while sleeping that look just like bed bug bites? I'm trying to create a list of possible suspects.
All the advice online and from the experts notes that once the bats are given the bum's rush and not allowed back into the attic, the bat bugs (assuming that's the issue) will die off - even though they will substitute human blood instead of tasty BAT blood. Is this true if you're a BAT BUG expert?
Finally, if you were my friend, what would you do as fast as possible to identify the pest and then eradicate it?
Late last week, I reached out to two top bug associations trying to locate the TOP BAT BUG expert/researcher in the USA. I haven't heard back yet, but I blame the holiday weekend with people taking off Thursday and Friday for a long weekend.
I'm looking for REAL HELP here and I know you might have some ideas that my friend has missed and that I've not thought of.
Here's the LAST piece of data: There have been NO BITES the past four nights, but over the past week my friend has exhaustively WASHED all bedding and deep-cleaned the room each day.
She also started applying a mite spray to the bedding.
The anxiety level is extreme and my friend is losing sleep and it's a very serious situation.
I feel we need to CAPTURE and IDENTIFY the pest so a plan of attack can be initiated.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
July 5, 2020 AsktheBuilder Newsletter
BOOM! Do you have any leftover fireworks? If so, let’s light some to celebrate that you’re a new subscriber. Thanks for popping in - pun intended!
You, though, very likely have been a subscriber here since the days of velocipedes on the rail lines! What’s a velocipede you ask? Quite possibly the coolest thing you could ever hope to ride on a railroad track! CLICK or TAP HERE and you’ll see a few very short videos of one in use.
Music
Music is a pretty important part of my life. You’ll always find me listening to music when I'm composing this newsletter.
As you might suspect, each week I grab a different song or two out of the bag. I try not to get stuck in a rut. CLICK or TAP HERE and tell me if you like this song. Pay attention to everyone on the stage.
Peeling Deck Sealers
You may be one of the thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of homeowners disgusted with the performance of deck sealers.
You work your butt off cleaning the deck and then apply expensive sealers with magic guarantees only to see them peel in perhaps two years! ACCCKKKKK!
Do you have a STORY to share about your peeling deck sealer? If so, CLICK or TAP the photo below and share it in the comments.
CLICK or TAP HERE to see what I used on my boat dock and the steps leading to it. I’ve made sure that I won't have to worry about peeling ever again.
Cool Spray Paint
Last year, I was looking for brown spray paint to match dead leaves and I happened across a can of Rustoleum Multicolor Textured paint.
WOW! It was exactly what I wanted. So I decided it was time to paint my leach field vent pipe and my buried propane tank cover a few days ago. Here’s what I chose.
This is the cover to my buried propane tank. The bottom half is sprayed with the sea foam color. The top is the deep forest.
CLICK or TAP HERE to see the results and to order a few cans.
Summer Slow Down
I try to take the foot off the gas each summer when it comes to the newsletter. Winters are harsh here in New Hampshire and summer days are meant to be spent outdoors, not inside pecking away at a keyboard.
You’ll see lighter editions of the newsletter the next eight weeks and I’ll also give you a break from the brain-twisting quizzes from time to time.
Today is one of those days - no quiz - Enjoy the rest of our Independence Day holiday weekend without taxing your grey cells.
I can’t think of one person that enjoys tyranny, but all too often we forget exactly what the Fourth of July is actually celebrating - the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and our separation from the tyrannical King of England.
Who would have thought that a rough and tumble bunch of colonists could kick butt and take names? Well, our ancestors did and we should be thankful for all the rights we have that so many across the world envy.
Do you know what really happened on the day the shot was heard 'round the world? Did you know that the British troops were on their way to seize the colonists guns and weapons? CLICK or TAP HERE for the amazing story. I'll be honest. I had no idea what really happened or I had forgotten the details had they been mentioned back in grade or high school.
By the way, if you have a juicy ripe watermelon on your menu today, I envy YOU!
That’s enough for a Sunday! Happy Birthday, America!
Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
SOLD OUT BEST GALACTIC CLEANER - www.StainSolver.com
90 QRP Qs on Field Day! - www.W3ATB.com
Do It Right - Not Over!
P.S. What about concrete overlays? Did you know you can make old concrete look like NEW?
CLICK or TAP HERE and read MANY of my past concrete overlay columns. Make sure you look closely at the cement paint part of the process.
Laundry Room Counter Space Dilemma
Laundry Room Countertop Ideas | The washer and dryer are going to have a giant top over them. Copyright 2020 Tim Carter
Laundry Room Countertop Ideas
DEAR TIM: I need some help with my laundry room. I’m enlarging it in a remodeling project and know I need more countertop room. I’m really interested in any options you might know of and how to make the most of the space in the laundry room. I’ve got a healthy budget and now is the time to put all options out on the table for consideration. Thanks for your help and suggestions. Maria A., Tuscon, AZ
You may be lucky like Maria and have a room in your living space where you do laundry. Some people are relegated to the basement as in older homes this is where you’d typically find a washer and dryer. That’s the way it was in the home I grew up in as well as the first two homes I lived in after getting married. Finally, in the last home I built for my family, I created a dreamy laundry room with lots of space and amenities.
How Much Counterspace is Too Much?
If you’ve done lots of laundry, you know how valuable counter space is. You can fold things on these flat surfaces and they need to be strategically located for folding. You may find yourself setting your baskets of laundry up on regular-height countertops. I feel this is a huge mistake because it’s so uncomfortable to get things out of the basket. Putting the basket on the floor often causes uncomfortable bending.
Identify Your Pain Points
The way I solve conundrums like Maria’s is to stop and think about the pain points of the laundry process. You should do this too. For example, when you do laundry, what causes problems for you? Do you have to reach far for the soap? Do you have to bend over too much to load clothes to be laundered? Do you bump into things? Do you wish you had an ironing board in the laundry room? I can list lots of other questions, but I think you know how to create a list of things that make you grumble when doing laundry.
Here's my wife's laundry basket on a temporary cardboard box. The lip of the basket is just above the bottom of the HE washer opening. The box is about 14 inches tall. Copyright 2020 Tim Carter
What About a Bench or Platform?
Think about convenience. A short bench or platform that puts your laundry basket at the perfect height for you to get things out to sort or throw into the machine is a must. This could be a permanent shelf that’s right where you want your basket, or it could be a special bench that stores under a sink or some other convenient spot in the laundry room. I prefer a permanent shelf as I don’t want to be moving a bench back and forth.
The actual countertop space in the laundry room should be twice what you think you need. You may want to stack folded clothes in different piles before you put them back into a basket. How much space do you need for these piles?
Can I Put a Top on Top of the Washer and Dryer?
Newer sleek washers and dryers may allow you to put a countertop over the top of the machines because all the controls are on the front of the machines. If you choose to do this, do the math to make sure the finished countertop won’t be too high up off the floor where it’s not convenient to work. Traditional countertops in a kitchen are normally 36 inches above the finished floor for reference.
What Material is Best?
The countertop material needs to be waterproof in my opinion. Plastic laminate tops work fine in these situations and there are some stunning patterns and colors in modern laminate tops. Don’t brush these off until you’ve seen them.
Should I Install A Sink or Two?
I had two different sinks in my last laundry room. Be aware there are all types of giant and extra-deep stainless-steel sinks that will fit inside a normal countertop and regular sink-base cabinet. I had one of these monster stainless-steel sinks immediately next to my washer in case I wanted to rinse something before adding it to the machine.
Should Tops Be Different Heights?
Realize you don’t have to have all the countertops in the room at the same height. Experiment having work surfaces at slightly different heights than 36 inches. If you’re short, you may discover you love having a countertop at 32 inches off the finished floor. It’s not hard for a remodeling contractor to get a work surface at whatever height you want.
Think about any and all other options you may want and find out the best locations for electrical outlets so you don’t have cords draped across the countertops to reach some smaller appliance. Really think through where you’ll place things on the countertops before you tell the electrician where you want the outlets.
This ironing board was installed when the house was built. You can add one in a day to an existing house. Photo Credit: Tim Carter 2020
You can get foldaway ironing boards that fit in a sleek wall cabinet. The actual ironing board is a tad smaller than a normal one, so be sure you’re aware of this before you specify having one installed. I have one in my laundry room, but the builder who built this house - not me! - put it in the worst possible location. Because of this, it rarely gets used.
Lighting is very important. You want great light over the top of the washing machine as well as all countertops. Surface fixtures will achieve this goal well and just be sure you can get LED bulbs that will produce plenty of light.
Don’t overlook the importance of the flooring. You want something that’s slip-resistant and quite durable. I have natural slate in my laundry room and love it. There are lots of vinyl tile products that may work well for you.
Column 1361
Rustoleum Multicolor Textured Spray Paint
Rustoleum Multicolored Textured Spray Paint | This is a great spray paint if you need an unusual finish. CLICK or TAP HERE or the photo to have it delivered to your home.
Rustoleum Multicolor Textured Spray Paint - It's Wonderful!
I began testing Rustoleum Multi-colored Textured spray paint last year. I selected a brown color that resembled dried dead leaves.
It was an amazing product because it dried with a flat finish and had these tiny tiny colored bumps that produced the multi-colored look.
What Does It Look Like?
The best way to describe it is the look of an older brick mortar where you see the tiny individual colored grains of sand.
I recently tested two of the green colors: Sea Foam and Deep Forest
This is the cover of my buried propane tank. The bottom half is sprayed with the Sea Foam color. The top is the Deep Forest. CLICK or TAP HERE or the photo to order some.
Is it Easy to Apply?
Yes, it goes on like any other spray paint. I noticed that it goes on much lighter than it will dry. You may think the color will never be right. Just be patient and allow it to dry.
Does it Run Easily?
In my opinion, yes, it can run easily. You need to be sure the can nozzle is back at least 12 inches from the surface of what you're painting.
Can You Mix Colors?
Yes, to get a camouflage look, I highly recommend spraying the item with two colors. Try spraying the lighter color first then overlap with the darker color.
Newsletter Music Hotel California
Newsletter Music Hotel California
Hotel California by the Eagles was featured in the July 5, 2020, AsktheBuilder.com newsletter. This version was played at the 1998 Eagles induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. CLICK or TAP HERE to read all past AsktheBuilder.com newsletters.
CLICK or TAP HERE to listen to all the music featured in past AsktheBuilder.com newsletters.
Stain Solver, the best and most powerful certified organic cleaner on Earth, is the sponsor of the Newsletter Music.
Show your support. Purchase a small sample size and behold its magic powers.
Stain Solver is MADE in the USA with USA ingredients that are food-grade quality. CLICK THE IMAGE to order some NOW.