November 11, 2014 AsktheBuilder Newsletter & Tips

First things first.

Are you a Veteran? Is one in your family? My dad was a vet. He was a medic in WW II, was captured in southern France, and spent thirteen months in a POW camp growing potatoes for the Germans.

I SALUTE and HONOR you if you're a vet or have a vet in your family. I'm able to write and distribute this newsletter because of your sacrifice and the sacrifice of all who served before you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

As this is being delivered to you, I’m probably driving to complete the last stage of my kidney stone saga. Today the stent that runs between my left kidney and bladder is being removed.

On a brighter note, let’s talk about what’s going on at my own home. It appears a master bathroom remodel is in my immediate future. Kathy wants a new shower enclosure and a vanity.

You know what this means don’t you? You could be awash in quite a few new videos!

Right now we’re selecting products that will work in the limited space we have. I’ll keep you posted.

Tip of the Week - Utility Sink Installation Trick

Do you have a slop or utility sink in your home? In old homes, these often were heavy precast concrete monsters that you might find in a basement. They can withstand all sorts of abuse.

I prefer the rigid cast polymer sinks instead of the flimsy plastic ones. Most of these sinks come with wobbly metal legs. Forget those stupid legs. Go legless!

The utility sinks I prefer use a clever french cleat to hold it to the wall.

Watch this video to see how to install one of these great utility sinks.

Winners of the LE Johnson Wall Mount Door Game!

Congratulations to:

Heidi Menebroeker who won FIRST PRIZE and $200 COLD CASH.

Pat ? Mystery-No-Last-Name who won SECOND PRIZE and $100 COLD CASH.

Jon Benson came in THIRD and won the Veto ProPack MC tool bag.

I urge you to enter all the games you see here in the newsletter.

You know the old saying don’t you?

You must PLAY to WIN!

New Air Filter Technology

Did you see the movie years ago starring Michael Keaton where he played Beetlejuice? It’s a very quirky movie, but in the first scene where you see him, he says,

"Whoa. Sandworms, you hate 'em right? I hate 'em myself!"

How many times have you muttered something similar out loud or under your breath when you’re pulling a BLACK and CLOGGED air filter from your furnace:

"Whoa. Furnace and AC air filters, you hate 'em right? I hate 'em myself!"

If you’re like most people you do one of two things:

You wait too long to change your air filters
You change them BEFORE it’s needed

Both things WASTE VALUABLE MONEY, and if you wait too long, possibly your health.

What if I told you there’s a magical monitor that connects to your ductwork in less than three minutes and it sends you a text message or email when it’s the EXACT TIME to change your air filter?

You’d love that, right? The technology FASCINATES me.

Click the following three links to discover more about this amazing air filter technology!

Dirty Filters ROB You of Health and Money

What Do You Prefer? Text or Email?

Magic Invisible Service Alert!

Okay, how would you LOVE to win one of these monitors?

FIVE AsktheBuilder.com subscribers are going to be lucky winners.

CLICK HERE to enter to WIN one of the FilterScan Air Monitors.

ShadeTree Mechanic Gift

Christmas is bearing down on us. I’m going to start including quite a few gift ideas for you in the run up to Christmas.

Last year, my Volvo station wagon’s engine started to vibrate. I took it to the dealer and $100 later they told me one of my spark plug coils was bad.

Yes, I paid $100 to find out what was wrong. I don’t begrudge them the money, as they have a business to operate. Yes, I realize some chain auto parts stores will diagnose engine codes for free, but I’ve gone there and had a few bad experiences.