Ron wants to pour a concrete patio and wonders about proper support so it won't crack. He's doing this work in cold Fonthill, Ontario Canada. Here's what he told me: "We had our basement (block) waterproofed from the outside one year ago and have sandy soil. The area we are looking to do is 10 x Read More »
Dick Anderson is a motivator who lives in Darlington, WI. He took issue with a past column of mine that discussed the challenges a DIY person faces when building their first log cabin. STOP now and read my past column titled Dream Log Cabin Challenges before you read Dick's comments below. After reading Dick's comments, please Read More »
Nadine has a problem with a sagging roof in Atlanta, Michigan. Here's her full report: "My roof is sagging. I never realized my rafters are 27 and one-half inches on center. The roofing material is is made from metal squares. What can I do to make the roof flat? Look at the photo of the underside Read More »
Carl King is thinking of buying an historic building in Baltimore, MD that has some brick erosion. Here's what he sent me: "I went to look at a building for sale in a historic district and found a problem with the brick I've never seen before. I wanted to know what you though the cause might Read More »
Craig Tiritilli is wondering if his hanging walnut shelves, and this things on them are going to bow the studs in his Dallas, TX home. Here's his situation: "I have 4 pieces of solid walnut board. Each is 40" x 10" x 3". I want to attach all four of them to a wall as shelves Read More »
Judy Lazo has basement walls that are flaking away in Haddon Township, NJ. She can tell the story better than me; "I own a home that my ex and I bought in 1997. There was never a problem with water in the basement and still isn't. There is a french drain and sump pump. Around 1999, Read More »
Andy Shogren's sliding door out to his deck is leaking water and rotting his subfloor in Bakersfield, CA. Let him tell you what's going on. "I've subscribed for a long time to your FREE newsletter and have found some helpful hints over the years. I have a two-story house and the master bedroom has a sliding Read More »
Last night, it was minus 14 F here at my house. I live in central NH and that's not unusual. My large deck started to make very LOUD cracking and pop sounds as the sun began to set yesterday. Others are experiencing this same condition. Read more about it and check out the photo in Read More »
Theresa Jordan lives up in a suburb of Chicago, Arlington Heights, IL. But she's got a very big problem with backflow valves in her sewer line that are now creating backups in her home. She can tell the story much better than I can. Here it is: "Where I live, we have combined storm and sanitary Read More »
Eric Sygnatur owns a Hyattsville, MD townhouse located just outside of Washington, DC where it's very humid. He's got a strange stain on the exterior concrete block. "Tim, my townhouse is five years old. There is a stain on some of the masonry that I thought might "wash away" or fade with time, but it hasn't. Any Read More »
Subscribe to the FREE Ask the Builder newsletter to receive professional advice for your home. Complete the form below and each week you'll get:
Unsubscribe at any time. We respect your email privacy.