Best Bar Harbor Builder - I Might Be Able to Help My daughter and son-in-law built a new home in Bar Harbor beginning in late 2018. I was not the builder, but I did act as their primary advisor. I also installed all the plumbing, radiant heat, and electric. I live hundreds of miles away […]
"The same exact thing can happen inside a wall cavity in a home in a frigid climate if you don't block and stop the water vapor from getting into the wall cavity." Insulation Installation - Simple If You Read Instructions The inspiration for this column happened just two days ago while I was working on […]
Use Clinkers to Make Interesting Things QUESTION #1: Timmy, I was on a tour of the Gamble house in Pasadena, CA and saw the most unusual deformed brick in a garden wall. The brick was twisted and looked more like random rocks than brick. I want some for my own house! How are clinker brick […]
Wood Floor Trusses - So Many Advantages
Insulated Concrete Foundation Forms QUESTION #1: Hello, Tim. I was doing research about house foundations and came across interlocking foam forms that stack on top of one another. They assemble much like children’s plastic blocks. Does a concrete foundation poured this way work as well as a traditional poured or cast concrete foundation? What, if […]
A-Frame House Problems - They Can be Aplenty QUESTION #1: I’d like your honest opinion, Tim. A-frame houses have always appealed to me and I think I want to build one. I’ve done scads of research on these unusual homes and I’m convinced it’s the right decision. I want you to be the devil’s advocate […]
Label Electrical Wires - Have Some Fun Be Reasonable Read more of this story in Tim's May 5, 2019 Newsletter. It's a good idea to label electrical wires. Here are a few reasons why you should do it: labels help remind you how to name circuit breakers labels help you know what wire is which […]
Flushable Wipes Clog Drain Lines and Sewers This subject was still getting attraction months after Tim published this column. Check out the May 19, 2019 and the August 4, 2019 Newsletter! DEAR TIM: I’m really upset. I’m retired and have limited resources. I just had to spend $3,300 on a new sewage pump that was […]
3 and 4 Way Switch Wiring for Dummies - You're Not One! QUESTION #1: Tim, I need you to mediate a dispute between my husband and me. We’re building a new home and there are quite a few places where two, or more, switches can be used to control lights. I like the convenience but […]
Installing Radiant Heat Tubing Tim Carter shows the complex method of looping Uponor hePEX tubing in between framing that's 24 inches on center. Three heat transfer plates are in each truss bay, not two.
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