Q&A / 

Rusted Joist Hangers are Dangerous One of my newsletter subscribers, Robert, does handyman work on the weekends for friends and other homeowners. Eleven years ago, he wanted to learn how to frame a large shed including common roof framing. He volunteered to help me build my 16x24-foot two-story shed. We’ve been fast friends ever since […]

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Repair Concrete Cracks - Many Bad Options Several days ago I had a texting exchange with a very smart single woman who attends my church. She reached out to me the day before with a photo of water inside her garage and another showing a crack in the garage foundation wall near the water puddle. […]

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Clean Inside of a Toilet Tank - Two Ways, One is Best Ed subscribes to my free weekly newsletter. He lives in western North Carolina as does his son. His son’s house was not flooded by a portion of the trillions of gallons of water Hurricane Helene unleashed on the interior of the Southeastern USA. […]

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Concrete Patching Compound - Sand and Cement is Best Every seven weeks I sit in my barber’s chair and say to Mikayla, “Take no prisoners. Cut each and every one of them.” She giggles to humor me. I have to step up from the asphalt parking lot to a concrete sidewalk to get to the […]

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Patio Deck Sizing Secrets Are you planning a new deck or patio soon? There’s a very good chance you’re going to make it too small. I know this based on the thousands of complaints I’ve received over the years from homeowners just like you. Most people don’t have the ability to look at a plan […]

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Author Note: The patio featured in this column was a rush job for my wife. I feel the best way to install a patio is to mortar brick to a 5-inch-thick steel-reinforced concrete slab. You can read about this method in my past columns: Concrete Patio with Brick My Mother-in-Law's Patio Before I was a […]

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Best Stair Layout - It's All About Human Stride You probably give little thought to why the stairs in your home are built the way they are. I’m talking about how high you need to lift your foot to get up to the next step and how deep the flat tread is when your foot […]

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Install New Outlet and Switch - It's Easy Electrical Phone Coaching HELP: If you need a voice or video coaching call to help you install an electrical outlet or switch, you can talk to Ask the Builder founder Tim Carter. CLICK HERE NOW to get help. Are you aware how expensive it is to hire […]

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