January 29, 2013 AsktheBuilder Newsletter & Tips
Tomorrow (January 30, 2013), the new Therma-Tru mahogany front door goes in here at the Carter Casa. I'll be trimming the outside with Fypon rot-proof cellular PVC trim. The door is going to rest on a wonderful Jamsill door flashing. Wait until you see the video of me installing that all-important flashing!
Mother Nature must be in a great mood, as she has 50 F temperatures in the forecast. Way to go Mom!
Rain's also supposed to be in the area, but that's not an issue as I constructed a temporary shelter to keep me and the door dry. You can see a photo of the shelter in a column I just wrote about working in the weather.
That simple shelter has an OSB roof on it that's not too visible in the photo.
Congratulations to Alvaro!
On Saturday (January 26, 2013), I broadcast live the drawing of the winner of the LE Johnson Pocket Door contest. Hooray to Alvaro Villalon who lives in South America. Alvaro, I'll be shipping all your loot to you later this week.
It really pays to play in the contests here at AsktheBuilder.com!
Tip of the Week - Removing Woodwork
I taped a video several days ago for the Install A New Front Door series. I was demonstrating a great way to remove door trim that you want to salvage.
The mistake many make is they start to pry the woodwork off while they're standing up.You may be one that starts to hammer in the small pry bar about 54 inches off the floor close to eye level.
That's a huge mistake.
You want to start to take the trim off down at the floor. If you slightly damage the trim as you hammer in the pry bar between the trim and the door jamb, it will be much harder to see the defect down at the floor rather than at eye level.
Be sure you use a razor knife to score the edge of the trim where it touches up against the drywall. If that joint has been caulked or has a heavy buildup of paint, when you lift the trim away from the wall, it can peel the drywall facing paper off. Then you have another thing to fix!
BeThePro.com - A Place for Pros
Remember last week when I talked about the BeThePro.com website? If you're a builder or remodeler that's striving to connect with other like-minded individuals, it's a great place to start.
Let's imagine you've got a problem on a job. Drop into the Pro Forum and get help from others.
BeThePro.com has a growing collection of columns written by pros. Have you ever gone out on a call to look at a job and the homeowner tell you they want something you've never seen? It's happened to me. It also happened to Thom Hunt.
Thom's a concrete artist that was asked to build a retaining wall inspired by a mystical theme. The story gets better. He had to build this wall in Costa Rica.
When you visit the BeThePro.com site and read articles written by pros that have been there and done that, you may get some ideas that make you more competitive in your marketplace. There's a good chance you'll discover new tools, new techniques and new friends!
Washington DC - Capital Home and Garden Show Appearance
A few days ago, I was scheduled to talk at the Capital Home and Garden Show on February 24, 2013. If you purchase advance tickets at their website and use the promo code: BUILDER, you can get $4 off each ticket. That's a sweet deal.
The show is held at the Dulles Expo Center. I'll be on stage at 2 and 4 pm.
I'll be doing a meet up at lunch before the show, so be sure you stop by!
Also, it's a great chance for me to help you with any problem you might have. All you need to do is bring some photos, your plans, whatever and I'll answer any and all questions you might have.
The session I run is a simple Q and A. I've discovered over the years that's the most popular format as just about everyone has a problem at their home and they want solid advice from someone who doesn't have a dog in the fight. That would be me!!!
Stay Warm in a Heated Jacket
Yes, I realize you may live where it's warm right now. In fact, you could live in a tropical location where the temperature rarely drops below 70 F!
But for millions of us, we live where the snow blows. I just reviewed a marvelous heated jacket, and urge you to watch the video!
If you can't wait, just go BUY the jacket now.
Repairing Wood Rot
Unless you live in the Atacama Desert, you probably have some wood rot at your house.
How would you like to discover a really simple way of repairing the wood?
I thought so. You don't have to be a master carpenter!
Be SURE you open next week's newsletter right when it shows up!!!!!
Los Angeles Meet Up
Do you live in LA? Do you want to hang out on Saturday, February 9th, for about an hour or so? I'll be hosting a meet up in Montrose which is just northeast of Burbank.
If you want to know where and when the meet up will be, reply to this email but change the Subject Line to: LA Meet Up