Don't ask Alexa or Siri for help. Trust the Force within you!
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I know you grumble when you use your hose bib. Now's the time to VENT.
Get those creative juices flowing because in question three you get to design the PERFECT hose bib!
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This survey was featured in Tim's May 14, 2020 Newsletter.
Do you like trying new things and meeting new people?? I do too! You’re a new subscriber, aren’t you? Don’t be bashful! You arrived at just the right time. Did you notice that this issue of the newsletter smells like piping hot biscuits made from scratch? Don’t believe me? Keep reading!
It’s important for you to know that I love listening to music while I create this newsletter for you. This week I was reminiscing, wondering if you’d let me pop fireworks on the 4th of July. CLICK or TAP HERE to listen to this fun short ballad.
I know, I know, you get so flustered when I greet our new family members first. You know I love you, right? Heck, there’s a good chance you’ve been a subscriber long enough that you remember when I got the entire solar-powered attic fan industry up in arms. They were SO ANGRY at me! Yeeeowza!
But by gosh, it’s my job to tell the truth, right? CLICK or TAP HERE to see why the manufacturers of the wimpy solar-fan were so upset.
Several weeks ago on a whim, I started a new feature in the newsletter - the FUN one-question QUIZ.
Patty loved last Sunday’s quiz. She shared, “Your quiz brought back memories for me. When I was a kid my mother always told my sisters and me to get our bumbershoots when it was raining!!! Thanks for the walk down memory lane!!!”
So far, the quiz has had nothing to do with building or remodeling, but rest assured the day will soon come when I’ll test you on a few fun points about my craft.
The quiz is really gaining steam. This week it’s loosely tied to World War One. Over 1,100 Bostonians gave the ultimate sacrifice in that wretched conflict.
Several weeks after the armistice was declared, twenty-one people in Boston also met a tragic end. CLICK or TAP HERE to see if you know why. REMEMBER, do NOT research this! Don’t look it up or ask Siri or Alexa. Just TAKE the pop quiz and see how you do!
Oh, this is IMPORTANT: This quiz has a second non-required question. If you like the quizzes, please tell me why. Thanks!
CLICK OR TAP HERE to see the quizzes you’ve missed out on!
The past few weeks, I’ve been having some online discussions about truth. This relates to you because you need the truth when talking with contractors.
How can you get to the truth? Sometimes you need to force the discussion.
Carla contacted me four days ago to discover how to extract the truth when she starts to talk with chimney-rebuilding contractors.
Carla hired me to write a set of chimney cap/crown specifications for her, including a color drawing. She can use this illustrated information to get tight bids and find an honest contractor who will tell her the truth.
You can purchase these specifications too if you want your chimney crown built the right way. Here's part of the drawing of the chimney crown.
You may not know this, but I’ve been an expert witness in home building and remodeling lawsuits for almost twenty years. The last case I worked on had me crawling over the roof of the Brazilian Ambassador’s home on the island of Antigua. Trust me, it was hot enough to fry the freshest Caribbean eggs on that roof!
What does working as an expert witness have to do with you getting the truth out of contractors? Allow me share some light on this.
While I was a Councilman in Amberley Village, Ohio, I had the good fortune to work with Louis Katz, a prominent attorney in Cincinnati. One day Lou and I were talking about an issue and he said, “A half-truth is a whole lie.”
Have you ever thought about that? If you have kids, then you might know a thing or two about half-truths!
I’ve given sworn testimony in countless depositions. A deposition is a fact-finding meeting where the attorney for the opposing side asks you questions under oath. I’ve also sat in the witness chair in the courtroom. In both instances, you’re sworn in because your testimony can make all the difference in the dispute.
Even if you’ve never testified under oath, you’ve surely seen it done in a TV show or movie. Here’s the familiar oath you take: “I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God.”
Why is the whole truth important? Without all the truth, a judge or jury can’t make the right decision! The same is true for you. You can’t make the correct decision about work around your home or some other issue if you don't have the whole truth.
Just like I often like a whole plate of something - - including pecan pie - - you should strive to get the whole truth before making an important decision.
You deserve the whole truth from the contractor you’re about to hire. The best way to get to the whole truth is by understanding exactly how to do the job the right way.
Last week, I had to help Joe make sure his 9-year-old son wouldn’t get seriously hurt in a tree-house collapse.
CLICK or TAP HERE to listen to how I helped keep Joe’s son out of the hospital. I think you’re going to love the videos and drawings you’ll see.
How many times have you heard me talk about the importance of following instructions? Lots of times, like every few weeks!
Have you been fearful of tackling a DIY project at your home for the first time ever? Perhaps the instructions are intimidating.
Believe me, I understand as I’ve done everything possible for decades to avoid baking like my grandfather used to do in his own bakery in Cincinnati, Ohio.
That long string of avoidance and endless excuses ended yesterday.
CLICK or TAP HERE to read an interesting story about me taking my own advice to follow instructions and create the scratch biscuits in the above photo!
If you bake from scratch on a regular basis, I can’t wait to read your comments! Just enter them at the bottom of the column. For goodness sake, please be gentle! Imagine what I might say about your first attempt at taping drywall!
That’s enough for Mother’s Day. If you’re a mom, my hat’s off to you. I hope you have a grand day and that you get lots of fine prizes from your kids.
I miss my own mom and wish I could make her fresh biscuits today!
Yes, Mom, you won! The lima beans dissolved in my mouth as we glared at each other across the kitchen table all those years ago. But you were so frustrated you got up and left before you realized they ended up in my belly. Maybe we’ll have lima beans for dinner one night in Heaven! But before that, we’ll have a vodka and ginger ale cocktail!
Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
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Do It Right, Not Over!
P.S. What do you think of these wood shakes?
Are you sure they’re wood? Maybe not! CLICK or TAP HERE if you want to see what’s going to be on the next house I build for myself.
All I Want To Do Is Have Some Fun was featured in the May 14, 2020 AsktheBuilder.com newsletter. It's an upbeat song by Sheryl Crow about life in LA. 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.
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Following Instructions Activity | Here's the finished product. They might not look great, but to a blind taste testing judge at a fair, I might get a blue ribbon!
For decades, I've suggested to do-it-yourselfers that following instructions is vital to success. All too often when I do an autopsy on a project that has crashed and burned, it's evident that someone didn't follow instructions. Often they took a shortcut or felt they knew a better way than the manufacturer of the product.
Today I was forced to do something I'd never ever done before and it was imperative I follow instructions to the letter. Thank goodness it was a fun activity.
Early this morning, I was texting back and forth with Mary Gene, the editor of my Adventures & Advice book series. Once the business part of the discussion was finished, I made a brief mention of how I had this craving for fresh, hot biscuits.
There was a pause in the conversation and the next thing I saw on my screen was a link to an online recipe.
These were biscuits I had to make from scratch. Never in my 67 years had I made any baked thing from scratch.
"Be sure you use COLD butter when mixing," Mary Gene emphasized.
I thought to myself, "Well, that seems to be too much work. I'll just melt some and pour it in the mix." There I was not following instructions and ready to go off the rails early in the process.
Fortunately, this grave error didn't happen because I texted back my brilliant idea about melting the butter.
"NO! The butter must be COLD." Mary Gene sent back.
Okay, okay, I'll use cold butter for goodness sake.
Mary Gene also said I could use knives to blend the butter if I didn't have the special tool shown in the recipe. I hadn't looked yet at the recipe and felt confident that I'd be able to find what I needed.
That's the magic mixing tool. It was hidden in a drawer in my kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, I looked at the recipe on my smartphone and grimaced. The author of the webpage had all this superfluous text before you got to the recipe and at first blush, it appeared to be way too complex.
"Why were we out of Bisquick?" I mumbled. It's just so easy to use that!
I looked over at the box of Grape Nuts cereal on the counter and exhaled, "Huhh, I can't have BBs again." Mary Gene introduced me to that comparison months ago because those crunchy small nuggets are like eating hard metal BBs if you don't allow at least 8 ounces of whole milk to work on them to soften them up.
I knew I had to dig in to make the biscuits because Mary Gene would ridicule me forever. When in similar situations, the sign over my high school football locker room appears in my head. It said, "Winners never quit. Quitters never win."
I was determined to win the biscuit game. It was time to follow instructions.
I also had a brief image of my grandfather. I never met him, but he owned a bakery with my grandmother in Cincinnati, Ohio just before the Great Depression. Here's a photo of it. Look at the case full of delicious fresh baked goods. There's no way I could let him down.
What a bakery it must have been!
It was time to focus and make it happen. After all, how hard could it be?
I took the time to read the instructions in the recipe. There was a note that the goal was to blend the butter pads so they became small butter balls in the dough. The recipe said to cut the butter up and put it back into the refrigerator until you were ready to blend it into the dry ingredients.
"Huh, I've got a better idea. Why not just cut the butter up now into small 1/4-inch cubes, separate them and then put it back in the refrigerator to get cold?"
Here are my butter cubes.
The recipe didn't say I couldn't do this, so being a brave new baker boy, I took a chance. My grandfather, no doubt, was smiling up in Heaven.
When I saw the recipe called for three cups of flour, I thought, "No way. That's way too much." I made an executive decision to split the recipe in half. How hard could that be? After all, I didn't go to summer school for math, but I did for Latin. Fortunately, the instructions were in English.
I was now in the zone. The flour, baking powder, salt, sugar were all blended and it was time for the butter. I slid it into the mixing bowl and started to use the correct weird tool. I then added the milk and single egg and stirred.
Here's the blended dough. You can see the butter cubes.
Perfection! The dough looked just like what Bisquick looked liked mixed up.
I dusted the marble island top with flour, put the dough ball on, dusted it with more flour, and used my hands to flatten it out to about 3/4-inch thick.
I found a biscuit cutter, cut the rounds, recombined the remaining dough, and seconds later ten biscuits were going into the oven.
I know, I could have taken it to the edge! I'm a rookie, after all.
I removed the golden-brown discs from the oven just in time, let them cool, and then cut one in half.
I drizzled on some honey and bit into it. OMG, it was slightly crunchy - I liked that! - and it was delicious.
It was by far the best biscuit I'd ever eaten.
The moral of this story is to listen to your editor, and follow instructions if you want success and the best biscuits in the world!
Vinyl Siding Comparison to Wood | This new house is being covered with vinyl siding. The young homeowners don’t want any maintenance. Copyright 2020 Tim Carter
DEAR TIM: I’m going to be building a new home and I have to make a decision about the siding. I can afford wood shakes and love the look, but I am concerned about long-term maintenance. Vinyl siding seems to have so many advantages, but it just doesn’t look like wood to me. How would you go about making this decision if you were me? What are all the things I should consider? Would you install vinyl siding on your own home? Margo S., Nashville, TN
How many times have you been conflicted like Margo when trying to choose between two or three building materials? It could be laminate floor vs. real hardwood. Or you might struggle between treated lumber vs. composite decking. So many products try to mimic the look and feel of wood because manufacturers know we humans have a very deep connection to real wood.
My advice to Margo is pretty straightforward, but it takes a little work and honesty. I feel the best way to solve these issues is to do a pros and cons checklist on a sheet of paper. When you write down an honest comparison this way, you can see the facts in front of your eyes. All too often if you do this in your mind, one positive or negative thought may shanghai the decision.
CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE QUOTES from local vinyl siding companies that can install the siding in the videos below.
Let’s you and I help Margo down this path. Here are a few positive attributes about real wood siding. It’s the real deal. Wood is a slightly better insulator than vinyl. Wood shakes have a rich legacy of protecting structures in harsh environments. I’m sure you can fill in a few more things you feel are a benefit.
Now, let’s look at the flip side of wood. If you want the wood to last and look great - this is subjective! - then you need to maintain it. Some love the weathered look of wood shakes and do no maintenance. Shakes require expert installation and the use of high-quality nails, preferably stainless steel. High-quality shakes can be expensive.
RELATED LINK
Stainless Steel Nails - The Best Onesk Known to Mano or Woman
It’s quite possible Margo hasn’t seen the latest version of vinyl siding shakes. Just two years ago, I was in Downeast Maine visiting builders and I toured a home that I was positive was covered with real wood shakes. It wasn’t until I was nearing the front porch that I realized they were, in fact, vinyl. They were so realistic that I feel most homeowners would never realize they weren’t wood.
These vinyl shakes are expensive and time-consuming to install, but the fact remains that Margo may have found the Holy Grail she’s looking for in this product. Each of the pieces of siding is individual like true wood shakes. They interlock to make a weatherproof barrier.
That said, let’s consider traditional vinyl siding that comes in bigger pieces. You can get any number of designs that mimic wood shakes. Vinyl requires no maintenance unless you live in an urban area where it may require periodic washing to remove dirt and diesel truck exhaust soot. This siding installs so fast that an experienced crew can side an entire house in just a few days. Some smaller houses they might do in less than two days.
The only negatives I can come up with when it comes to traditional vinyl siding, even the lower-cost shake imitators, is they just don’t look like real wood up close. You can short circuit this issue to a degree if you use a special window, door, and corner trim that has a built-in J channel that hides the open end of the vinyl siding. This trim really looks like traditional painted wood trim and gets rid of the traditional bulky J-channel that makes most wince.
Margo knows how to put me on the spot! Would I install vinyl on my home? The answer is an unequivocal “Yes”. As with many many building products, vinyl siding is far enough down the development timeline that many of the bugs have been worked out. I would choose the shake vinyl siding I saw two years ago.
Years ago, I would have answered “No” for a number of reasons. I had more energy back then and I was not in love with the look of vinyl. But now, I’m older and I have the same concerns about maintenance. You should be concerned about maintenance too. The primary reason I feel is the steadily declining trend of finding excellent tradespeople that will do the work for you.
Here’s a fact. There are great craftsmen and craftswomen in the residential construction industry. These individuals get up each day to feed their passion and treat what they do as a vocation, not just a job. However, each day there are fewer of these much-needed individuals. It’s easy to come to this conclusion if you read the scads of frightening requests for help I get each week on my AsktheBuilder.com website.
My advice to you is to lobby your public school system and do what you can to bring back vocational schools. We need to begin to foster that desire to build things well in young adults before they succumb to perfume and gasoline fumes.
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Joe had noble intentions to build a dream playhouse for his son, but he made lots of critical errors. You can build a real tree house for adults to stay in with great engineering. Copyright 2020 Tim Carter
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to CLICK or TAP HERE to listen to my podcast about this topic where I answer Joe's questions. I also have very important drawings THERE you should see.
DEAR TIM: I've built a free-standing treehouse for my 9-year-old son but I'm a novice in carpentry. I recorded a video showing my nearly finished project I’d like you to watch. I'm wondering if using 3/8-inch galvanized bolts in 4x4 posts was sufficient. I had a professional carpenter visit yesterday and he said he would not worry about it, that the structure should last twenty years. But my son means the world to me and I just want to be sure that I haven't created a death trap. Thanks for your help. Joe H., Travelers Rest, SC
The instant I read Joe’s overnight email I watched his video. I’ve got it archived on my AsktheBuilder.com website. You should watch it too because it’s filled with love and concern. But it’s also filled with serious building errors. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes Joe made when you build something for your child or grandchild. Joe's video is below.
Seconds after watching the video, I emailed Joe. Had he included a phone number, I would have dialed him up it was that important. I told Joe to STOP WORKING on the treehouse and wait for a recording I’d make to help him fix the errors. I also told Joe I’d draw up a few simple sketches illustrating what he needed to do. I used to draw these years ago sitting at a dining room or kitchen table for customers and future ones as I explained how I was going to build something for them.
Let’s run down the list of errors Joe made. The first one, in my opinion, was a lack of research before he got out his tools. I say this not knowing exactly what Joe did, but if he did do any, he either got very bad advice or if he saw great advice he failed to follow it. The Internet is overflowing with conflicting building advice and if you don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong, it’s easy for you to go down the wrong path.
Allow me to describe what Joe built. For simplicity, he built a 12-foot by 12-foot deck in the air. The top of the platform is about 6 feet in the air and the entire structure is supported by eight 4x4 posts.
This is where all the problems started. It’s important to realize I see “professional carpenters” make this first mistake all the time. Joe bolted the outer 2x6s to the 4x4 posts. He had two 3/8-inch diameter bolts at each post. Can you imagine how much weight is bearing on these bolts? The entire surface area of the top half of the two bolts at each post only adds up to 1.17 inches times the thickness of the 2x6. Realize the actual point loading is much more severe because the surface area of bolt contact through the 2x6 is a half-circle not a flat spot like you might find on top of a post or column!
Joe should have used a notched 6x6 post so the outer 2x6 beam rests on solid wood. The weight would be directly transferred to the buried concrete piers in the ground. I suggested he fix this error by attaching a treated 2x4 to each 4x4 post. This new piece of lumber would extend from under the 2x6 down to the top of the concrete pier in the soil.
As I watched more of the video, I saw Joe had used what appeared to be galvanized drywall screws to attach the joist hangers to the outer beams. Drywall screws are not structural screws. You can purchase special structural bolts made to fasten joist hangers to beams.
Later in the video, Joe brought up how when you stand up on the deck it sways back and forth. No doubt it would! With very little effort a group of boys celebrating a victory in a mudball war with friends on the ground could get the entire structure to collapse as the legs would fold under with very little effort.
This defect can be solved with ease by installing full-length diagonal bracing on both sides of two opposing corners of the structure. A treated 2x6 could be fastened to the top of each corner 4x4 and angle down to the bottom of the center 4x4. This is how builders of structural steel buildings prevent racking. They’ll use solid steel or tensioned steel cables for the diagonal brace.
Another serious defect was Joe’s railing at the top of the deck. He took 4x4 posts, notched them, and just bolted these to the sides of the 2x6 outer beam. When you notch a piece of wood, it’s only as strong as the remaining piece of wood. In his case, he no longer had 4x4s, but a 2x4 railing. This is completely unacceptable. There are special metal connectors that are made that will exceed the minimum code requirements for deck railing safety. I showed these to Joe, and you can see a video about these just below.
There are other issues that you should know about. First, the treated lumber you purchase today has a high concentration of copper in it. This copper, when it gets wet, starts to corrode steel. All bolts, nails, screws, and metal framing connectors must be coated with the best galvanizing to prevent corrosion.
Realize that treated lumber dries out and shrinks. While building a deck or tree house you may feel things are nice and snug, but six months later there’s play in connections. Shrinkage also can cause cracking at stress points within the structure. Lastly, don’t even think of using lag bolts. These are the worst fastener. You can over tighten them and reduce holding power. Only use through bolts that have washers and nuts.
Watch Joe's and Tim's videos above, then CLICK or TAP HERE to LISTEN to Tim's advice in his Free Standing Tree House Podcast.
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This is a remarkable book. It will help you sell things and it will prevent you from being sold something you don't want. CLICK or TAP HERE to order it now. Watch the video below of Dr. Cialdini:
This is the quiz from Tim's May 10, 2020 Newsletter. Remember, don't ask Alexa or Siri for help. Trust the Force within you!
IMPORTANT NOTE: After clicking SUBMIT, scroll back at the top and click the VIEW SCORE button to see how you did!
Thank Stain Solver, the Quiz Sponsor, by purchasing a small sample size!
Stain Solver is MADE in the USA with USA ingredients that are food-grade quality. CLICK THE IMAGE to order some NOW.
Here’s a pesky puddle on an outdoor patio. Kids delight in them, but they make some adults simmer like a steak on a searing outdoor grill. Copyright 2020 Tim Carter
DEAR TIM: I’ve got a problem I need you to solve. You see each time it rains I have a puddle develop on the outer edge of my circular patio. It’s older concrete and it appears the puddle is related to a crack that’s above a low retaining wall the patio rests on. Can I just fill in where the puddle is and all will be well? I am worried about the appearance of the patch and how might I disguise my attempt to stop the ponding water? I only want to fix this one time. What are my options? Amy P., Warrenton, VA
Do you have a problem with puddling similar to Amy’s? I see puddles frequently and even have the issue here at my own home where there are depressions in my asphalt driveway and where my front sidewalk meets my drive. It’s important to realize I didn’t build the house I currently live in.
Amy’s repair is not that hard to do, but she threw in a wildcard with respect to what the repair will look like. You may be like Amy and want your outdoor patio to look nice instead of a hodgepodge of different colors and textures. Amy was kind enough to send me excellent photos of her situation and I can tell you that it would be next to impossible to install a patch that blended in perfectly so only a trained eye could tell the patio was patched. You can see all the photos on my AsktheBuilder.com website.
There’s another issue in play with respect to Amy’s repair. She mentioned there’s a crack in the patio that’s directly related to the low curved retaining wall. Remember that she also said she wants to make the repair once. Failure is not an option.
When you add all these pieces of the puzzle together, you only come up with one repair option in my book. Amy needs to do a thin, perhaps just 2 inches, concrete overlay. You may disagree with my choice, but keep in mind she wants the repair to look great and long-lasting.
Concrete overlays can come in a variety of flavors. You can do one as thin as a coat of stucco! This means the overlay is really just fine sand and cement. It’s possible to get the overlay as thin as 1/8-inch, but 1/4-inch would be an easier project to manage for the DIYr inside you.
If Amy hired me to write the simple set of specifications for her job so she could get really accurate bids and be sure the job would be done right here’s what I’d go with.
I’d want the concrete overlay to be 2 inches thick where it starts at the outer edge of the concrete patio where it passes over the low retaining wall. Before I’d even start to do the work, I’d cut a scrap piece of wood 2 inches thick and place it on the outer edge of the patio. Then I’d rest a straightedge on the small piece of wood.
I’d want to check to see how thick the overlay would be when it got back to the house making sure the patio had a consistent slope of 1/8-inch per foot. This way rainwater would drain off the patio with ease. You can get by with 1/16th-inch per foot, but it takes an expert concrete finisher to maintain this slope and not create a new puddle in the middle of the new overlay! Remember, Amy wants this repair done once.
The concrete would have small pencil reinforcing rods in it. These rods are 3/8-inch in diameter. I’d prime and paint them with a rust-resistant paint before the job would begin as I don’t want the rods to start to deteriorate in case Amy broadcasts salt on the patio in the winter months. These rods must have at least 1/2-inch of concrete under them when the overlay is poured.
I’d make sure the spacing of the rods was 2-feet-on-center both directions. Imagine creating a giant piece of graph paper but using the steel rods as the lines. This steel ensures the overlay will stay together as one piece and not have settlement issues where part of the slab drops lower than an adjacent piece as is happening over the retaining wall.
The size of the stones in this concrete overlay is very critical. I’d not want any stone to be larger than 3/8-inch in diameter. Some gravel pits sell a gravel called pea gravel where the stones are round and about the size of small grapes, none being larger than 3/8-inch in diameter. You can also use small crushed gravel that’s a similar size.
I’d specify a seven-bag mix which makes the concrete stronger than the minimum 4,000 pounds-per-square-inch strength recommended for outdoor slabs in a cold climate. My specifications would also state to be sure to pressure wash the existing concrete patio to get a great bond between the old and new concrete.
I’d list as an option the application of a thin layer of cement paint to the old damp concrete before the pour. The steel rods make this quite problematic. If you have enough helpers present, you can do this cement paint application with them brushing it on the damp concrete just before it’s covered with the new overlay concrete. You make cement paint mixing pure Portland cement with water until it’s the consistency of normal paint.
Keep in mind you can add color to the concrete! You can purchase dry-shake pigments and make your new patio look like leather or even the sky!
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