DEAR TIM: How can I match the stucco finish on my eighty-year-old front porch? I tried using white Portland cement and buff sand, but as you can see in my photo, the results are atrocious. I added some dry cement pigment to try to get a match and it just didn’t work. I noticed the Read More »
DEAR TIM: I recently moved into a neglected house. While working on the landscaping in the front yard, I discovered that the top of the foundation was below grade. Two courses of brick on top of the foundation were covered by a mixture of dirt and mulch. What’s your opinion about how much mulch one Read More »
DEAR TIM: We’re having a problem with the front porch on our home that’s forty-four years old. The outside corner of the poured concrete porch is curving up lifting the post that’s supporting the roof. There’s no tree or roots that could be to blame. The brickwork under the porch that connects back to the Read More »
DEAR TIM: My brick house was built in 1921. The brick are a mixture of brown, various shades of red, beige and black. I had some deteriorating mortar replaced and the handyman smeared the mortar on the brick. What do I have to do to clean up my brick mortar making sure I do not Read More »
Cheri Bednarck lives in McAlester, OK. She's got a driveway issue and needs a repair. Here's what she told me: "My property sits on a sandbar. My driveway has been cracking and slipping for years. During the latest downpour a large undermining area has washed a lot of the sand between the driveway and the street. Read More »
I was invited to visit the Briggs & Stratton world headquarters in Milwaukee, WI on April 17, 2015. This visit was shared with all my subscribers in the April 24, 2015 AsktheBuilder Friday eBlast. The day was filled with meetings, testing of their new products and a short tour of their amazing museum of original 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 »
Donald Cameron lives across the pond in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He's got an interesting question about periodic gravel driveway maintenance. "Hi Tim, I have a gravel driveway, shared with my immediate neighbour. We have typical traffic - two 4x4s, two saloons, LPG delivery lorry 8 times a year etc. The service piping for LPG gas, septic Read More »
Susan Coyle wants to dress up her home in Atascadero, CA, with some nice extruded fiberglass window boxes. Here's what she asked: "Is there a specific brand of extruded fiberglass window box that you recommend?" Susan, I don't know that there are any standout brands. I have about ten wonderful extruded fiberglass window boxes here at Read More »
David Cox has a drone with a GoPro camera on it. He's also got a leak in his wood-framed chimney. Even though the shot could have been a little closer in this video below, it only took me about three seconds to locate the problem. This is an EXCELLENT example of how technology can help Read More »
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