Many homeowners experience mold and mildew on their lumber as houses are built or room additions are constructed. The good news is the lumber is going to be fine and there's rarely any damage to the wood. If it's just surface mold or mildew, it will clean off.
A load bearing wall can be tough to identify. Determining load bearing walls and how best to go about removing a load bearing wall are among the most frequent questions I receive. Mechanical and electrical structures may be hiding behind those interior walls as well. How to determine if a wall is load bearing? The safest way to sleep at night is to hire a professional structural engineer.
Retaining Wall Repair Cost TIPS Consult with a structural engineer Engineer has honest contractor referrals Develop a repair plan DIY repair with inexpensive materials CLICK HERE to Get Tim's FREE & FUNNY Newsletter! DEAR TIM: The retaining wall at my older home is in sad shape. A contractor told me that if I don’t tear […]
Reinforce Concrete Block TIPS: Mortar is strong in compression - weak in tension Concrete block needs steel reinforcement Concrete block should be attached to concrete footer WATCH steel & concrete block video below CLICK HERE for Tim's FREE & FUNNY Newsletter DEAR TIM: I'm building a new home and two concrete block piers toppled over […]
Steel I beams can be used on residential construction. However a steel beam design might require special handling. Structural steel beams are heavier then wooden beams. Consider the cost of special cranes and steel beam prices when using steel beams.
Quick Summary: Compare slab to crawl space wood floor cost Pros and Cons of slab Pros and Cons of crawl space wood floor Karen lives in Saint Cloud, Florida. She emailed me the following: "I would like to build a home that is about 600 sq ft with 1000 sq ft roof to cover the front […]
DEAR TIM: Yesterday I stopped by my new house that’s under construction. I go there at the end of each day to take photos. I saw a strange board nailed across the wall studs that surely is a mistake. It ran at a diagonal from the bottom wall plate up the wall to one corner […]
"You can build a concrete block foundation that’s stronger and more durable than a poured wall so long as the block foundation has lots of vertical and horizontal steel in it and the void spaces in the concrete block wall are filled with pea-gravel concrete." Poured or Block Foundation Checklist Both foundations need lots of […]
DEAR TIM: I need to build some simple outdoor steps to replace ones that fell apart and rotted, even though they were made with treated lumber. I’m fairly handy and have a decent grasp of the math but would love some tips to get professional results. I’d also like to prevent the new steps from […]
Tim Carter shows a nifty trick when framing walls for a house. Don't allow an interior wall to touch an exterior wall. Leave a 3/4-inch gap so you can slide drywall in one giant piece instead of having to cut it at the corners. This wall framing trick also helps prevent air infiltration because the […]
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