How to Prevent Wood Rot Repair Hours before I began to write this column I was backing my car into a parking spot at church. Just ahead of me was an older garage on the church campus that was being remodeled. New vinyl siding is being installed and my guess is all of the trim […]
It's Easy & Fast to make a F250 Ride Smoother - Patio Stones! My Ford F-250 Super Duty 4x4 has a very stiff suspension. An F-250 is a 3/4-ton truck and everything about the chassis is bigger and tougher than its little brother the F-150. The robust front springs installed in 2009 as part of […]
Drain Flies How to Get Rid Of - Easy! My friend Jim from Cincinnati, texted me the other day: "How do I get rid of drain flies?" I replied, "Simple..." I then outlined the steps in the text message. Here they are for you. Step 1: Remove the drain cover and use a toilet brush, […]
How to Prevent Bats in Attic - Very Easy IMPORTANT Author Note: After this column was featured in the July 4, 2021 newsletter, a subscriber was kind enough to share her frightening and expensive story about a bat encounter. It's at the bottom of this column. I URGE you to read it. Bats frighten many […]
3D Printed House Cost - It's Not All Unicorns and Rainbows You may wonder if the new belle of the ball, 3D printed house, is really going to cost you less money to build than a normal house. Some publications fawn about new techniques like these and only share the glitter and gleam of the […]
How to Square a Building Last week, a 75-year-old man submitted a question on the Ask Tim page of my AsktheBuilder.com website. I get quite a few each week and answer each one. This particular question put a huge smile on my face because it screamed “ATTITUDE”. Connie, yes it can be a name for […]
Old House Design Features - Don't Allow Them to Disappear This column has been laying in the weeds of my head for months. Every now and then, it pops its head up. Yesterday was one of those days when once again my lovely wife had to get out of the car before I could pull […]
Prevent Burst Water Pipes - It's Really Easy Were you one of the millions of homeowners, renters, or business people who suffered from the recent spate of miserable polar weather in the core of the USA? The storm and low temperatures left millions without power, drinking water, food, etc. Frozen and burst water pipes in […]
QUESTION: Tim, I was spending a lazy weekend afternoon gazing at countless photos of actual treehouses that one could live in. I was intrigued and am seriously thinking of building one. Mind you, I’m not talking about some little box kids might play in and use a clubhouse. I’m talking a real two-bedroom home with […]
Author's Note: Please read the column and think about the front porches you've had the pleasure of sitting on. Then go to the bottom of the column and read what Virginia sent me. Emails like Virginia's really make me smile. Front Porch Construction - Probably Not DIY DEAR TIM: The house I grew up in […]
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