How Much Do You Know About Sandpaper? I’m thankful to have had enough trips around the sun that my adult children are finally calling me asking for advice about their projects. I hope you’re blessed to experience this transfer of knowledge. First things first, it’s a real treat to help them avoid mistakes followed closely […]
Why is it Hot in My House? There are Many Reasons Are you hot and bothered? It’s been a very hot summer so far with record temperatures in many states. Here where I live in central New Hampshire, we’ve had a long spell of high humidity mixed with higher-than-normal temperatures. Normally you have to sleep […]
How to Create a Realistic New Home Building Budget Are you thinking of building a new home or doing a major remodeling project? If so, I’ve got some sobering news for you. After reading this column you may understand why the moniker my three kids coined for me years ago is spot on. Around the […]
Clay Paving Brick are the Best - Forget About Concrete Pavers If you read my column on a regular basis, then you know about two months ago I touched on the perils of using paving brick made from concrete. That column talked about how those bricks fade in color over time as the thin colored […]
Building on Solid Soil - Get a Free Soil Map My college degree is in geology. At the time I was in school, I had no idea how valuable this knowledge would be once I became a full-time builder. There’s a very good chance I was the only builder in Cincinnati, Ohio that knew soil […]
DIY Tool Rental Tips - You Can Save Thousands of Dollars I do media scanning each week to keep abreast of all that has to do with building new homes, remodeling existing homes, new tools, financial news, etc. Unless you’re living under a rock and hibernating you’re surely aware that inflation is raging, interest rates […]
Lithium Battery Fires - The Problem is Very Serious This might be the most important column I’ve written in my 30-year career as a syndicated columnist. There’s a very high probability you have lithium-ion batteries in your home. They are now as common as ants at a summer picnic. The issue is the batteries can […]
Top Residential Building Mistakes - There are So Many! Each week I have the good fortune to speak on the phone with homeowners all across the USA who ask me to solve problems at their homes. Many of these homeowners like you are facing expensive repairs because of mistakes made by the home builder. Each […]
High Hardware Prices and Your Garage and Workshop I took over the grocery shopping duties to give my lovely wife a break. She did it for over forty years. Each week I continue to be astonished at the prices of ordinary food staples like bacon, eggs, bread, and milk. Do you suffer from the same […]
How To Stop Contractor Scams - True Stories This is a milestone column for me. It’s my 1500th weekly column. For weeks leading up to this day I’ve wanted to produce a column that will save you vast sums of money, prevent confrontations, sleepless nights, and arguments. My goal is to empower you with all […]
Subscribe to the FREE Ask the Builder newsletter to receive professional advice for your home. Complete the form below and each week you'll get:
Unsubscribe at any time. We respect your email privacy.