Q&A / 

When building a deck and using joist hangers, be sure to use the proper nails.  Many joist support systems, or truss hangers, recommend nails or fasteners that are approved for their hangers. If the joist hangers your carpenter used are approved for use with the newer ACQ treated lumber, you should have nothing to worry about.

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I'm a little bummed out today. It started yesterday after talking to an old friend on the phone. As happens sometimes, you can drift and get out of touch. That's bad. I've known this wonderful man for over 40 years. He's five years older than I am and is one of the most considerate and […]

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Crawl Space DIY Vapor Barrier TIPS Clear clutter and smooth dirt Fill holes in foundation to stop air and water WATCH vapor barrier video below Use cross-laminated vapor barrier material CLICK HERE to Get Tim's FREE & FUNNY Newsletter! DEAR TIM: The crawl space under my 1910 home is just exposed dirt and leftover building […]

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If your new home is built during a wet season, you will experience lumber shrinkage. This can cause ceramic tile, backsplashes, drywall and flooring cracks, among other problems. If possible, allow your house to dry out before installing all the materials inside.

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I've been back home a week now from my out West little-man self-discovery trip. It didn't take me long to get back in the swing of things! Just four days ago, I connected up lots of low-voltage wires to power up my Trex Transcend deck lights. It really adds a distinctive touch to the deck. […]

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How many hours have you spent trying those magical brass cleaners that never seem to work the way you seem to remember as you watched the TV commercial? Cleaning brass by hand means you actually need to remove some of the oxidized brass atoms. Do you have any clue how hard it is to break atomic bonds?

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"Benches are just very wide chairs in my opinion. I don’t like hoping something is going to work so I always look at existing benches and take measurements." Build Deck Bench Seating Checklist A bench is just a series of small walls Copy dimensions from favorite chairs in your home WATCH cheeky building video below […]

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I'm sitting at gate 54A here in the San Francisco airport waiting to get back home. I've been out here on the Left Coast of the USA for over two weeks. Two weeks ago, I was just starting a very interesting tour of the KEEN shoes and boots factory in Portland, Oregon. CLICK HERE to […]

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If you're a new subscriber in the past two weeks, this is not a normal newsletter. Don't judge my newsletter on what you're about to see. I'm in the middle of an extended vacation that had a business meeting last week in Portland, OR, and in six days I have another one in San Francisco. […]

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