DEAR TIM: My new house foundation was just poured on a sloping lot. I stopped by just after the forms were stripped from the foundation and I think they poured the foundation too deep. The ground on one side of the house is about 5 feet higher than the top of the foundation. I think Read More »
Foundation Footing Detail - It's All About Great Soil & Steel "That's what a house footer does. Its job is to provide a nice flat and level surface to set foundation wall panels and to spread out the weight of the entire house onto the ground." Tim Carter - Look below DEAR TIM: I stopped Read More »
If you're new to this newsletter, I think you'll like this Sunday e-blast. The first thing new subscribers need to know is that the link just above - the AsktheBuilder.com one just before the date - is a SECRET MYSTERY link. I do that each issue taking you to a page at my site that Read More »
I'm a part-time train conductor in the summer and fall here in Meredith, NH. You can click here for even a better photo of me in my uniform. Last year, 2014, was my first year and my first week on the job one of my fellow employees, Theresa Drury, bestowed upon me the moniker of the Read More »
DEAR TIM: My wife and I removed beadboard wainscoating in a house we just bought. In the process, we destroyed the wall. The beadboard was glued on and when it came down so did a thin coat of something. I think it's plaster. Why are there two different materials and why did the wall fall Read More »
"Are you doing the roof job yourself?" "Yeah, I needed a project to keep me busy all summer." Howard shook his head vigorously while he chuckled. He undoubtedly thought I was either extreme, insane, or who-knows-what. Howard had just finished loading into his giant SUV with something he had just bought from me on Craigslist. Read More »
DEAR TIM: Our house has a free-standing decorative brick wall with an iron gate. In various places, the bricks are crumbling. In some places, the entire face of the brick has come off. I do not have enough replacement bricks to replace the damaged bricks. Must I replace the bricks that are merely crumbling or Read More »
Summer's here! It's official. The summer solstice was a few days ago. Now we're experiencing a solar storm that's messing up my amateur radio bands. The solar storm, however, is creating some great auroras in the night sky for some in the USA, so if it's clear at night, go out and look north! I 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 »
"Oh, I see you've got some fresh ink," uttered my youngest daughter's very good friend Andrea as she admired, I think, my tattoo. Her outburst of scoffing laughter telegraphed immediately that she was mocking my gorgeous temporary red dragon tattoo. My sarcasm meter obviously was on the fritz. But it was all in good fun. She wasn't Read More »
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