Amy, who lives in the quaint city of Martinsburg, WV, is creating lots of angst at her local Home Depot and Lowe's stores. Here's why: "I have not been able to get a clear answer from Lowe's or Home Depot about when a door may need to be re-stained or repainted (and how). I've been Read More »
DEAR TIM: I purchased an older stucco home that's never been painted. It's got some cracks in the stucco. Most range in width from 1/4 to 3/8-inch wide. The cracks are not getting any bigger and a structural engineer said that all is well and the cracking will not continue. What's the best way to Read More »
Curtis Gomes runs a building and remodeling business in Providence, RI just south of where I live. Read what he sent me: "At what temperature is it too cold to pour concrete in sonotubes? 30 degrees F?" Here's my answer: Curtis, believe it or not, you can pour concrete successfully at much colder temperatures, even Read More »
DEAR TIM: In the past year my asphalt shingle roof seems like it has really started to go bad. I see large areas of my shingles that have no granules. You can see the fiberglass fibers in the mat. The disturbing part is my roof is only 14 years old and the shingles came with Read More »
Jim Fiste is getting ready to reroof his home in Cedarburg, WI. Let him fill you in with the details: "I have a roof valley that is formed by two intersecting cathedral ceilings. Both ceilings have ridge vents and 2' vented overhangs. However the portion of the valley above the overhang only has venting at the ridge Read More »
Ronald A. Carleton has trouble with paint peeling on his patio in Port Clinton,Ohio. Perhaps paint is not practical. How's that for alliteration? Here's what Ron wrote to me: "What's the best product to apply to pre-painted cement on a outdoor patio? The pre-painted area in the sun area flakes off while the shaded area stays Read More »
DEAR TIM: I plan to build a privacy wood fence as soon as the weather breaks and want to do all my planning now while the ground is frozen. I've got many questions, not the least of which is how to secure horizontal wood framing members to the vertical fence posts so the weight of Read More »
Bob Monninger had a shed built at his Antioch, Illinois home. Let him finish the tale. "I had a shed built this summer by a company called Tuff Shed. It's a very good one, 10 X 14, all wood. It sits on a concrete slab. I have installed insulation on all four walls, the ceiling, and the Read More »
Debbie Foley has a question about her cedar potting table that's stored outdoors all winter in Pickerington, OH. "I have a cedar potting table that must remain outside over the winter. What should be done to care for it over the winter? Should it be covered and if so what should we use to cover it? Read More »
Melinda Schlottmann and her husband are building a shop in Stagecoach, NV. They made a mistake when purchasing the roofing. What's important is they don't make a SECOND mistake. Here's what Melinda sent: "We are finishing building a shop with a low slope roof. We purchased what we thought was rolled roofing and after opening the Read More »
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