Q&A / 

Avoid Geologic Hazards When Building or Buying Land You probably don’t give much thought to the ground under or around your home. What follows are a few true stories that may change your perspective. If you’re in the market to purchase land to build your dream home or are looking to move to purchase an […]

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How to Stay Warm in Bitter Cold Weather - It's So Easy You may be one of the tens of millions of folks like me that live where it gets cold in the winter. If you’re blessed to live in the south or southwest, I do know there can be some cold waves that force […]

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Electrical Hacks for Your Home Eight months ago a woman hired me to be her virtual general contractor. She was about to start to rebuild a home in remote northern Maine at the south end of Moosehead Lake. She’s the boots-on-the-ground person and we communicate via email, video calls, and texting. Last week we started […]

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Open Web Floor Trusses - They're Superb I’m sure you’ve driven across or seen large steel truss bridges that are made by combining any number of huge steel beams into right triangles that interconnect. When viewed from the side they look like open boxes with a diagonal piece of steel extending from one corner of […]

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Hold Down Anchors and Through Bolts - Strong Connections I live in rural New Hampshire. When I drive to town, I pass by a house that has a very tall outdoor shed. Every now and then impressive Nor’easters lash us with high winds and rain. We also get our fair share of powerful gales. After […]

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How to Stop Water Flooding Into Your Home - Set Your Foundation High Water is both your friend and your foe. You need it to live, your plants and landscaping need a sip, and if your pets are like my stunning American Dirus dog that looks like a dire wolf, they need lots of water. […]

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How to Lose Money With a Builder - It's so Easy! What you’re about to read might be life-changing for you. It doesn’t matter if you’re building a new home, adding a room addition, remodeling a kitchen or bath, or even building a deck. I shared the following with my 25,000 free newsletters subscribers a […]

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How to Avoid Construction Delays and Arguments - It's So Easy Just before writing this column, I did a phone coaching call with a man who lives in northwest Ohio. He wanted me to tell him if it was possible to build a room addition to his son’s home. The dealbreaker was the addition had […]

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Stop Giving Contractors Money Upfront I’ve set an ambitious goal for this column. It’s my hope it will save collectively at least 100 million dollars. If you and every other reader follow the advice I’m about to share, we can make sure your money will not disappear through the hands of a dishonest contractor like […]

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