DEAR TIM: While on vacation I plan to install a few new interior doors around my house. I’m using pre-hung doors. I’ve never hung a door before and could use some of your secret tips. Please share how to avoid common rookie mistakes. I’m lost on what to do when shimming a door. My wife […]
I just spent the last hour awash in emotions. I'm still in a fog. I was engrossed with the information at the Flight 93 Historic Site website. I'll be there in about five weeks. I decided to take a different route from NH to OH that will take me through Gettysburg and Shanksville, PA. Both […]
How are you? I'm doing great, thanks for wondering. There's so much to share this issue. I've got news about Stain Solver, my upcoming deck project, replacing rotten house trim lumber and a few common sense tips. I've also started to sell some RARE Google schwag that I've accumulated over the years. I listed a […]
Bearing Wall Footing - Or What is that long block of concrete in my Basement? DEAR TIM: My wife and I are building our new home and we stopped by to see the progress just after the foundation was poured. We saw a massive long block of concrete at least 10 inches thick in the […]
This is a special column about trust. It was inspired by no less than three emails and one phone call I had with visitors to my AsktheBuilder.com website and this column that appears in your paper. Lynn, who is building a new home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is now wringing her hands each day […]
Next weekend is the unofficial start to summer and while you may be celebrating at a picnic or on a boat, it's more of a subdued bittersweet weekend for my sister and me. A week from tomorrow is Memorial Day - the day we honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice - their LIVES - […]
I'm finally starting to get back in the groove from my ten-day vacation / business trip out to California. You may have been one who asked me to post a few photos of what I saw with my youngest daughter Kelly. Here's one taken at Barker Dam at Joshua Tree National Park. Here's one I […]
DEAR TIM: My last house had a basement that leaked water. I’m building a new home and want my basement as dry as the Atacama Desert. I’m confident that my drain tile was not put in correctly at my last house. What are the best practices when installing drain tile around a foundation? What materials […]
I'll make this as fast as possible. I've got two pretty important tool / product reviews for you. They're both SHOCKING, but for different reasons. The links to them are below. But first, I want to share a quick story of where I was yesterday. Several days ago, I was hired by a homeowner who […]
Yesterday I had the pleasure, if you want to call it that, of standing next to my open septic tank while it was being pumped. I shot videos of the process looking down on it from my deck. Believe me, you don't necessarily want to see a close-up shot of the inside of a septic […]
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