Sliding Door Leak Repair Tips DEAR TIM: I’ve got a sliding patio door on the back of my home. There’s a moisture problem directly under the door in the basement. The gutters are clear and the patio is level. I plan to seal between the bottom aluminum threshold and the concrete curb and caulk the Read More »
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.
"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 Read More »
Below are deck materials for a 12 x 10 foot deck at nearly ground level. These prices listed for the decking materials were taken in August 1996, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
"Polymeric sand is best described as outdoor grout. Depending on the manufacturer, it’s a blend of different colored sand grains as well as chemical binders or glues that are activated by water." Polymeric Sand Installation TIPS Pavers must be dry as a bone Brush sand into joints at a 45-degree angle Use a backpack blower Read More »
Building On Rocky Land TIPS This article led to Tim doing a video conference with Ms. Chantell Mason's school classes. They had questions on building on rocky soil. Read about this amazing video conference in Tim's April 29, 2018 Newsletter. Groundwater moves sideways towards home Create a space or trench between footing and rock wall Read More »
Clearing land for a house can be expensive. If you are doing your own site clearing, be sure to use all the proper safety equipment. Check with a tree service in case you have high-price timber.
"Ask five different paver contractors the way to install the paving stones and you might get five different methods. What really matters is the strength of the underlying soil under your patio, the size of the pavers you intend to use and how much weight will be placed upon any given paver." Paver Patio DIY Read More »
Treated Wood Rot DEAR TIM: I’m starting to have some rot issues with my ten-year-old deck. Not only are some of the treated wood decking boards having rot issues, but I’m also noticing that the tops of some of the joists are showing severe rot where the decking screws pass into the tops of the Read More »
Types of Blacktop Driveways DEAR TIM: We need to have a new blacktop driveway installed and I thought it was going to be a simple process of comparing quotes. It turns out it’s somewhat confusing. I didn’t know there were different types of blacktop. What’s more, the contractors don’t seem to agree on the best Read More »
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