AsktheBuilder.com Issue #1218 (I think)

January 29, 2023

Dear ,

This past week I was hammered by three separate snowstorms. The second-last one was supposed to be 6 inches. Mother Nature decided 17 inches would be better. Then several days ago I was greeted with 5 inches of white mushy concrete as dawn transformed to day. Many here in central New Hampshire said it was the worst crap to come out of the sky in over fifteen years. I couldn't agree more.

As such, I've been so busy dealing with snow and clearing it off my front porch and walk that I've had little time to devote to this issue.

Here's the first cut to create a pathway to the front door from the 17-inch event. Willow the dog has just consumed a crunchy piece of ice. She loves eating snow and ice. Yes, the snow on either side of Willow is between 4 and 5 feet tall. The snow on the front porch was about 6 feet tall before we got rid of most of it.

Let's get started.

Misery in Ontario

A few days ago a woman in Ontario, Canada hired me to consult with her about a poor workmanship issue. She and her husband purchased a wonderful large new home and decided to convert a basement window into a french door. They hired a remodeling contractor and didn't use the original builder.

A job like this requires some thought so that the inside of the finished door looks good.

Based on the photos that I was able to look at, the builder of the house poured an 8-inch-thick concrete wall and placed a 2x4 on top of it. The inside face of the 2x4 wall is flush with the inside face of the poured concrete.

Think what needs to happen on the inside to have the wood trim around the door look like it would in any other room of your home. 

Typically when you install either an interior door or an exterior door the face of the door frame extends 1/16th of an inch past the interior surface of the drywall.

Look at this mess. Look at where the contractor installed the door in relationship to the 2x4 wall:

In my fifty years in the building profession I don't know if I've seen a worse botch job.

Let's unpack HOW this happened so you don't get in a similar quagmire.

1. Why didn't the woman and her husband hire the builder to install the door? If he was too busy, did the husband and wife ask him who was the BEST remodeler to hire to ensure the job was done right?
2. How detailed were the plans for the job? Did the plans show a simple interior elevation drawing that would show the normal wood trim that would surround the inside of the door?
3. Did the plans show that the stonework that would surround the new door look exactly like the stonework surrounding all the other windows and doors in the home? Did the contractor plan salvage the existing stone to reuse to make it appear as if the new door was original? The remodeling contractor saw cut the stone creating the opening for the door. It looked horrible.
4. Did the homeowner provide photographs to the contractor to convey the level of fit and finish she'd expect upon completion?
5. Who's idea was it to have to step up out of the basement to get onto the outdoor patio which is HIGHER than the basement floor? Do you see a potential drainage issue here where stormwater could flow under the door into the basement?

I think you get the picture. The reason the woman is having issues is because she HOPED everything would go well. She HOPED the contractor could read her mind. She HOPED the contractor would produce the results that SHE SAW in HER MIND. Most contractors do not have ESP.

How many times have you read in past issues of this newsletter that the plans and specifications for a job should be so complete that the contractor never has to ask you a question. Read this story of the one job in my entire career where I was lucky to have such great plans and specifications.

With the magic of digital photography and copy/pasting, you can go online and find thousands of photos that communicate exactly what you want. You can include photos like this in a contract!

Imagine taking a photo of a mitered window or door trim joint where you can't put a piece of paper in between the two pieces of trim. Is that what you EXPECT of the contractor instead of a huge gap filled with spackling or wood filler? If you want precision carpentry, then include a photo of exactly what you expect to be the LOWEST level of acceptable quality.

This woman in Ontario is being run over by the contractor. He took control of the conversation. He was telling her what was going to happen, well, until the new sheriff came into town. That's me.

If you need my help, it's FAR CHEAPER to get it in the planning stage than AFTER the CONTRACTOR is on the job producing botched results as you see in the photo above.

Ice In Update

Lake Winnisquam here at my house has yet to freeze over. Here's a photo I shot just after 11 AM on Friday January 27, 2023. The ice extends from the west shore out into the water about 400 feet but it's at least 900 feet, or more, of open cold liquid water to the east shoreline. I'll keep you posted. There's a good chance it's going to freeze over in the next ten days if the forecast holds.

Old Tools

Do you know what these are? Do you REALLY know? Do you know what the original use was? These are both mine and the one on the left with the wood handle I purchased in 1976 would be my best guess. It may have been 1975.

GO HERE to watch a short one-minute historic video showing how a PRO used these tools way back when. You're NOT GOING TO BELIEVE what you see.

If anything in this newsletter helps save you time or money, maybe you want to reciprocate and buy me a popover & a cup of coffee? That would be appreciated!

Have you had enough for today? 

I'll be back next week. Do you NEED HELP with an issue at your home? If so, GO HERE.

Alright, you know how I feel.

That's all.

Tim Carter

Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

My Pronouns: Told/You/So

Winter Field Day Man - www.W3ATB.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

P.S. Did you see the latest Project Veritas video? Holy 🍅!