Threasa Brown lives in an Irving, Texas neighborhood that has a perplexing mystery. Many houses have one sole gold brick in the front wall. Here's what Threasa says: "Most of the houses (built in the 1970's) in our neighborhood (including ours) has a single gold brick on the front exterior wall by the porch. I have Read More »
DEAR TIM: Now that we're past Christmas, it's full steam ahead on our kitchen remodel. One of the things that I've never liked about our kitchen is the drab lighting. All we have is an ancient surface mounted center light that takes two 75-watt bulbs. There are shadows everywhere. If I could hand you a Read More »
I know I said that you'd not hear from me until after New Years Day, but you may have been one who begged me to show you photos of what it looks like outside my home at Christmas. CLICK HERE to see what Mother Nature can do when she's motivated. MERRY CHRISTMAS to you! If 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 »
Lynne K. has a colonial home in North Easton, MA. She's at her wits end about a sewer gas smell in the home. Let her give you a full report: "I bought my home, a colonial, in Dec. 2008. It was built in 2003. Before I moved in, I smelled a rotten egg odor in the Read More »
First and foremost - Merry Christmas! If you celebrate this time of year and use a different name for it, then I wish you blessings and peace as well. I want to thank you for a great 2014 and I look forward to a grand 2015. The next week will find me close to my Read More »
Dale Hanson is thinking of purchasing a condo in Champaign, IL. His inspector may have given him bad advice: "I am purchasing a condo and the inspector said he could not find a return air duct in the basement. Is it necessary to have an air duct in the basement?" Dale, I assume you mean is it Read More »
When you think of a man up in the mountains digging with a mattock and shovel, you probably conjure up a vision of a prospector looking for gold, silver or other valuable mineral. I doubt you'd imagine a man creating caves full of sculptured art. When you watch this video, I hope you take away 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 »
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.