Install Handrail Into Brick - Easy with Epoxy & Studs You need moderate skills to install a handrail into brick and poured concrete. It's important to realize that you can't use regular expansion anchors in the brick as they very likely will fracture the brick if they're not solid. What Tools Are Required? You'll need […]
This is not a normal column of mine. I’m sitting in my man cave writing this column several hours before I talk to Amanda on the phone. She lives in Oklahoma and her new home covered with artificial stone made from colored and textured concrete is leaking when it rains and the wind blows. These […]
Restoring Rusty Paraphernalia QUESTION #1: What can you tell me about painting rusty metal? I want a fast and easy method to repaint an assortment of things in my garage and shed. Do you have to remove all the rust before you paint? Are there secret non-toxic chemicals that will remove rust? What paint would […]
Please fill out the simple form below if you have a heat pump at your home that provides heat in the winter and cooling AC in the summer. Loading…
Burying Electrical Wire - It's Allowed, But Use Conduit QUESTION #1: Tim, can you settle a debate between me and my wife? We have to have electric cables buried in the ground for all sorts of things around our home. She insists on putting the cables in conduit and I say, after doing online research, […]
Underground Wire Short - Conduit and Sand Are the Answers I didn't build the house I'm living in. Each month I discover something new where the builder and his subcontractors took a shortcut. A few months ago I had an underground wire short. This wire extends from the corner of my house up to the […]
Prefabricated Wall Panels Tim Carter talks about the wonder of prefabricated wall panels. These panels are built in a factory and are assembled FAST on the job site. Floor trusses vs floor joists should be on your mind too.
How to Cool My Home - Use Time-Tested Methods You may be one of the tens of millions of people that have been suffering in the blistering heatwave that had a vicious grip on the Eastern USA during July. I happen to live in central New Hampshire and it was a withering 91 F with […]
"When you opened up and read the owner's manual about covering your AC unit in winter, what was the manufacturer's recommendation?” Cover AC Unit in Winter - Simple Question - Not-so-Simple Answer QUESTION: "Tim, I want your opinion. Is it a good idea to cover my AC unit in winter?" Joseph D., Pingree Grove, IL […]
"That remarkable simple and effective building detail is being sacrificed at the altar of Build-it-Faster." Window Flashing Tape Leaking I’ve been wanting to write this column for years. The topic has been a burr under my saddle, but I needed to base the column on proof, not speculation. That proof arrived last week in a […]
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