"You can make an opening higher in a load-bearing wall much easier than creating a wider opening." Enlarge Opening in Load Bearing Wall Checklist Build temporary walls to support the load Bearing points of columns must be stacked and extend down through the house to a footing Hire a structural engineer to size the beam Be sure […]
House Settlement Debunked - Lumber Shrinkage Often, the Culprit Roy subscribes to my free newsletter and reached out to me about a month ago for one of my phone consult calls. He needed help engineering a drainage system around his house to stop water from infiltrating his basement. I offer a house-drainage design service. I […]
Concrete Deck and House Piers - Think of Your Legs Mother Nature is so smart. She taught us to build strong buildings, decks, docks, etc. Just look at your own body, for goodness sake. Your legs and feet do the same thing that concrete piers do in the construction world. Your legs are vertical columns […]
Crack Repair - Pinpoint the Cause Before Repairing Houses are just like you and me. As they age, they develop wrinkles or cracks. Some people don’t like wrinkled skin. Just as Ponce de León was searching for the fountain of youth, many people look for products to recreate their smooth teenage skin. Home centers sell […]
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 […]
DIY Dangers - You Can Cause Structural Collapse I live in rural central New Hampshire. It’s the Live Free or Die state. I believe in that motto to a very large degree but I’m also interested in making sure innocent people don’t get hurt or killed should a building or deck collapse. Just a few […]
How Tall Should a Wall Be? It Makes a Difference Did you know the safest and most comfortable steps to go up or down have 7.5-inch risers and 10-inch treads? Knowing this, how tall should a wall be in a house with a staircase? How do you calculate wall height? Make some room in your […]
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 […]
Floor Trusses vs Floor Joists - Trusses Will WOW You Last week, I was downloading some photos from my fancy digital camera and I stumbled across hundreds of forgotten photos I shot while my daughter’s new home was being built on Mt. Desert Island in Downeast Maine. I was there every day for the first […]
QUESTION: Yo, Tim. I have this load-bearing post right in front of my laundry room door. What can a person do to remove or relocate it to a more convenient location? Is this something that a reasonably handy homeowner with a decent array of tools can do by himself? Can you share all that’s involved? […]
QUESTION: Howdy, Tim. Well, I really need your advice. I’m thinking of re-siding my house and it’s time to bite the bullet about repairing a structural issue that’s been getting worse each year. The floor in my living room has sagged two inches! The cause has been traced to a support column in between my […]
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