I’m pretty sure you might be a new subscriber. Thanks for your trust in me during these trying times.

On the flip side, this could be your second edition or your 873rd one. Yes, I’ve been producing this newsletter since 1995 or so. Do you want to see just about every past one? CLICK or TAP HERE to see countless past newsletters.

COVID and Me

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding this entire virus dilemma a surreal experience. Here are a few personal stories.

Yesterday, the local cable-TV repairman had to replace our cable box that had overheated and died. BTW, you need to make sure you INSPECT yours. Look at the intake ports where cooling air enters and look at the cooling fan. My fan was completely blocked with dirt and dust. Never set anything on top of the boxes. They need air to stay cool.

In the past, the repairman would have come inside and switched out the equipment. Yesterday, he arrived, walked up to the front porch, reached as far as his arms would allow, handed me the new box and RETREATED as fast as possible saying, “I’ll be in my truck waiting for five minutes. Call me if you get it hooked up correctly.”

What would have happened if I didn’t possess the skills to disconnect and reconnect the box?

Then an hour ago, I went to a new grocery store, Market Basket, and it was really interesting. They limited the number of people who could be shopping in the store at once to 147. When I got there, I was able to walk right in. When I exited the store, about fifteen people were standing in a chilly rain waiting to buy food for goodness sake!

Not surprisingly, there were limits on several products to stop the hoarders from getting their greedy hands on lots of stuff.

I never thought I’d live to see this day. I felt like I was living in a socialist country where society is crumbling and decaying. We’re also dealing with an influx of people trying to escape the virus. I live in sleepy central New Hampshire. There are some who live in more populous states south of here, where the virus is more rampant, who are trying to find a safer place. It’s upsetting many of the locals.

Free Phone Calls

If you haven’t already heard, I’ve been making free phone calls to help you and others. In the past few days, I talked with Maggie, Jason, Gary, Bob, Gary, and I’m about to call Jan after I type this.

I’m hoping in a few days to have the phone calls produced so you can listen to the advice. The topics were great and I guarantee you’ll discover something new from one or all of the calls.

If you want a FREE CALL from me, you need to CLICK or TAP HERE and fill out the form.

Pocket Door Secrets

LE Johnson, a USA company based in the Midwest, makes the best pocket door hardware I’m aware of. Yesterday, I went back and revised a column about these magic doors.

I URGE you to give it a serious look. You’ll see a great video I shot of a pocket door being installed in a new home. CLICK or TAP HERE to watch the video and discover how to ensure a pocket door doesn’t jump the tracks.

Brick Leaks Water - LOTS of Water

Please, please, please check out this revised column if you own a brick home or are thinking of building one.

You might be one of the many who feel brick homes are waterproof and the best homes out there. That might be true if you happen to know a kindergarten teacher who reads fables to you like the one about the Three Little Pigs.

Don’t get me wrong. I love kindergarten teachers and they do marvelous work. But it’s important to realize a brick house is going to keep you happy and healthy ONLY if the builder and bricklayer know exactly what to do.

CLICK or TAP HERE to see how I’d build your brick home and WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO STOP WATER if you have an existing one.

New Roof Means New Flashings

Are you getting ready to have a new roof installed?

If so, you MUST WATCH a video about the best plumbing vent pipe flashings. Don’t allow your roofer to install the sub-standard ones that you see at the home centers.

CLICK or TAP HERE to watch the video.

That’s quite enough for a Friday.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Hydrogen Peroxide CLEANER - www.StainSolver.com
Morse Code and More - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Are you going to purchase new replacement windows after the health crisis subsides? Are you building a new home?

Do you know how to tell if you have the BEST windows? I’m willing to bet you one pound of dark chocolate that you don’t know how to identify them. CLICK or TAP HERE to see what companies make the best windows.

You’re new here, right? We need to have a little talk. First and foremost, I’m really happy you’re here. Second, when you leave a room, please turn out the lights. Third, please watch the video on this page just below the treasure map and know that I do have a sense of humor and a chronic case of Peter Pan syndrome.

No, you're not a new subscriber, I'm sure I recognize you. How do you manage to look so good each day? What the heck are you eating or drinking? Is it a blend of walnuts, cashews, raisins, and chopped dates? Are you grinding up celery stalks each morning and drinking that elixir? I want some!

A New Free Service

You may not be religious, but I am. Yesterday morning, I had a vision just before breakfast. I’ve had about five of them in my lifetime. The first one, twenty-seven years ago, was the inspiration for my syndicated newspaper column.

These visions run in the family. My mom told me about a vision she had many years ago. She was told to stop smoking. She never touched another cigarette after this vision, even though she’d been a heavy smoker for years.

In yesterday’s vision, God told me that I need to alter my schedule so I can start calling homeowners like you on the phone for FREE.

CLICK or TAP HERE for all the details. If you’ve got a question about anything to do with your home, you MUST READ THIS NEW COLUMN.

STOP Garbage Disposal Problems

Preventing costly plumbing bills can be easy to do. You can’t afford to have a plumber come out to your house for a visit that could have been avoided. If Ann had done ONE SIMPLE thing each week, she could have prevented an expensive plumbing service and used that money instead for some prize.

CLICK or TAP HERE to discover how you can save hundreds of dollars and avoid visits from plumbers.

New Bid Anxiety-Relief Products

Last week, I created three new products that may be of great interest to you. I’m saying this assuming you still want contractors to come to your home to work on things during this wretched health crisis.

Based on input I received from many, I’ve created a way you can have me look over bids you get for projects around your house.

The benefits to you are:

• I spot oversights in the bids
• I check to see if the proposed work is adequate
• I make sure no inferior products are being suggested by the contractor(s)

CLICK or TAP HERE to see my new Bid Review Services.

PLEASE WATCH the video at the top of the page. If that doesn’t convince you why you need this service, then I’ll eat two pieces of pecan pie in your honor.

Best Caulk Gun

You might think that all caulk guns work the same way. You’d not be entirely correct.

Were you lucky enough in your lifetime to drive a car or truck with a standard transmission? I bought myself a brand new VW Beetle for my 17th birthday. It had a 4-speed manual transmission.

When I was 22, I bought myself a brand-new Ford F-100 pickup truck with a three-speed transmission on the steering column. I LOVED that truck and transmission. What an idiot I was to sell it!

Anyway, buy the right caulk gun and you’ll completely understand the comparison. Think granny gear.

CLICK or TAP HERE to discover the absolute BEST caulk gun I’ve ever used. I own two of them.

That’s enough for a Tuesday.

Remember, if you want me to call you, you need to fill out the form I link to on this page.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaner - www.StainSolver.com
Life-Saving Radio - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. While you’re locked down at home, are you thinking of doing some fence work? Do you know what the most common mistake is when building a fence and/or installing fence posts? I didn’t think so. CLICK or TAP HERE to see what I’d suggest if I were helping you.

Hello! My gosh, it’s so wonderful to meet you. There’s nothing like a new subscriber. Trust me, you’ll feel welcome here and there are no quirky initiation ceremonies. Well, there's one. Each new subscriber is required to watch this video to see how silly I can be! Ready?

Did I fool you? You’ve got Charlie Murdock to thank for that. Charlie was my mentor years ago when I started my live two-hour call-in home improvement radio show on 1450 WMOH in Hamilton, Ohio. He told me on my very first day to remember that I’m really just talking with you. That’s a story for another day. But I’m looking forward to many more conversations with you.

Are You Locked Down?

The COVID-19 crisis is getting worse. I live in central New Hampshire and at midnight this past Friday the governor, for all intents and purposes, shut the state down.

How are you faring if you’re locked down as well? How can I help you fix things around your house? Use my Ask Tim page to send me photos of your dilemma.

Hope for the Future

I search for inspiration in nature each day. It’s also a touchstone for me when I’m troubled and need a refill of inner peace.

I’m blessed by God to witness some breath-taking sunrises. Early morning is my favorite time of day. Yesterday, God treated me to a tasty piece of eye candy. The sun was minutes away from rising in the photo below. Gunstock and Belknap Mountains in central New Hampshire are the two bumps next to one another on the right side of the photo.

If you want to order a large-format print of this sunrise or you want to use it as a screensaver on your computer, I’m happy to send you the photograph. Just ask!

Searching For Answers

Before you ask me a question, there’s a better-than-average chance I’ve already answered it on my website. However, you may have developed a bad habit using the search engine on my AsktheBuilder.com website. What is that bad habit? I’ll share it in a moment.

To extract the most power from my search engine, I encourage you to watch my Clint Eastwood impersonation video that’s on that page. CLICK or TAP HERE to see it.

Pro Search-Engine Tip #1. Enter just one or two words to begin your search.

Let’s say you want to install a paver patio while you’re stuck at home. Don’t type the following into my search engine:

how do I install a paver patio at my home

Instead, type this:

paver patio

By using just TWO WORDS in the search, ALL of my past columns that have paver patio in them show up in the results.

It’s BEST that you open EACH PAST COLUMN because there could be valuable tips scattered in several columns that might help you!

New Windows in Stucco NIGHTMARE

I’m doing a long-distance consult with a man in Chicago. He’s renovating a home and hired me to help him by using my phone consult service.

Rather than getting on the phone every few days, he sends me photos and questions via email and I answer them in great detail.

This past week, he sent me a six-page PDF file. It included several photos that made my heart sink.

Before I show you the worst photo, I want to share the mistake he made. This owner FAILED TO TELL ME he was going to RIP OUT the old windows in the house. The contractor told him to do this before getting new windows installed.

It became obvious to me the contractor on this job has no experience installing stucco and he’s now created a situation where the wood walls can, and will most likely, ROT OUT in the future. This can be prevented, but now it’s going to require so much additional work because of the error made by ripping out the windows.

In other words, STOP and THINK or talk to me BEFORE you do something, especially if you have little experience. Okay, look at this photo and see if you grimace too.

Do you know what’s wrong? ARE YOU SURE?

Do you worship at the Altar of Caulk? As Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) said in the remake of the Peter Pan movie, “Bad form, Peter.”

It’s bad form for you to think that caulk is the miracle waterproofing material that will stand the test of time in all situations.

CLICK or TAP HERE now to watch two videos that show you how to make sure your windows NEVER LEAK.

Be absolutely sure you watch the video at the BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

Instant Hot Water - It’s Possible

Would you like instant hot water at all your faucets?

Do you happen to live in a ranch home with an unfinished basement? If so, you’re in luck! The job is easy.

Your home may be two-story or you might be on a slab or even have a finished basement.

No worries! You can have instant hot water too.

CLICK or TAP HERE to see how easy it is to have hot water in seconds.

Building a new home? With just a few hours of extra work, you can have the luxury of hot water in seconds. Just follow my advice.

That’s enough for a Sunday.

I want you to know that we’re all going to make it through the crisis. It’s vital that you don’t touch your face if you’re out. Touching your eyes, nose, or mouth is the fastest way to get sick in these troubling times. Be safe.

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com
Hydrogen Peroxide CLEANER - www.StainSolver.com
Emergency COMMS - 3.539 - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Do you need a small flashlight to hunt for things? Maybe you want to play a board game under the covers as you did when you were a kid. Cribbage comes to mind for me. CLICK or TAP HERE to see the flashlight you’ll want to have on your bedside table. It’s the best and I own a bunch of flashlights made by this company!