AsktheBuilder.com Issue #1228 (I think)

April 9, 2023

Dear ,

You might be a new subscriber. Greetings and salutations! This is a massive issue. I've got a tremendous amount of news to share and I've got a dandy used Dymo 4XL thermal 4x6 label printer I'm selling. You can save almost $300 vs buying a new one. Holy cow!

In fact, I may have something to sell in many upcoming issues as I've declared 2023 as the Year of De-Cluttering at the Carter Casa! Trust me, some tremendous bargains are to be found.

He is Risen! Hallelujah!!!

Go here for the high-resolution version of the above photo I shot on March 31, 2017 looking across Lake Winnisquam towards Gunstock and Belknap mountains.

Epic Inspirational Quotes

"It's down there and I'm in here. I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."

"Just never quit."

"They're coming after you. I'm just standing in their way."

"Ink on paper is a wonderful thing."

Let's get started.

But first, take a 30-second anonymous one-question quiz that has a direct impact on ALL of the money you have in your savings, checking, and retirement accounts. I'm talking about money you might spend on home improvements, eggs, fuel, or ????

I WILL publish the pie chart of the results as well as some interesting information next Sunday.

ATB Vocabulary Fun

Tell too many taradiddles and you'll soon be known as Ms. or Mr. Mendacious. 

The Gnawing Mouse Tale

A little over two weeks ago a chubby little mouse decided it wanted to pass through an oversized top wall plate hole in a corner of my master bedroom. A PEX water line was in its way so the little rodent patiently began to gnaw on the pipe to wiggle its way through the blocked passageway.

Instead of creating a mouse-sized Chunnel, it made a miniature Niagara Falls.

Based on the evidence, I think the little guy, who has now completed his journey within the great circle of life, chewed on the PEX for a day taking a few much-needed breaks.

Go here to read all the details and MOST IMPORTANTLY tell me if you are PREPARED to deal with an emergency water leak. I share in the column AMAZING EMERGENCY-REPAIR CONNECTORS you can use that require NO soldering or crimping. 

If you can put the cap back on a Sharpie marker, you can REPAIR a leaking water line no matter what the pipe material is. GO HERE to see them.

Once you read the story, tell me if you are positive all of the irreplaceable TREASURES in your home are SAFE.

I'm willing to bet they're not.

Chrematophobia and You

Here's a true story that happened several days ago. I've changed the name of the person in case she's a subscriber to this newsletter.

Beatrice reached out to me with a slew of questions about a new roofing project. Here's exactly what she sent to me:

"I have been reading your article, Ask The Builder, in the CT Hartford Courant for quite awhile now. I kept a few that had to do with roofing.

First and foremost, how much time do you think I'd have to spend typing all the information Bea needs to know?

Second, how many follow-up questions do you think she'll have and how long will that take to deal with?

What do you estimate this project will cost? $5,000, $10,000, $15,000?

Would you invest $115 to get expert advice as you might from a CPA or attorney BEFORE you write a check for $10,000?

Because solar panels are involved, what do you think the ramifications are of making a WRONG decision? NOTE that she said she's read my column for a while so she may have missed this VERY important column about solar panels.

I developed a product a few years ago that deals with situations like this. It allows me to TALK WITH YOU about bids on projects and go over ALL OF THE MOVING PARTS in the process.

But Bea declined to take advantage of it deciding she'll just figure it out on her own. 

She suffers from the worst form of chrematophobia.

That's the fear of spending SMALL AMOUNTS OF MONEY while not hesitating to spend LARGE sums of money.

Don't make the same mistake Bea did. The odds are in several months she'll be back begging me for help to extricate her from a nightmare that happened with the roofing job.

My Bid Review Services transform nightmares into sweet dreams.

Sewer Gas Sources

How many places in your home do you think sewer gas might seep from to overcome you with its obnoxious odor? Did you know sewer gas can make you seriously ill?

More than you might ever imagine. Do you think the sewer gas lurking in your plumbing pipes can be so bad that it turns toilet bowl water green?

You might be very interested in reading about Angel's experience with this invisible menace. Her story is a masterclass moment where she trusted a flooring contractor to do the right thing but sewer gas soon surrounded her like spirits in a cemetery.

Her contractor let her down as many do and I had to come to her rescue.

Go here to read the true tale.

Do you have sewer gas issues? Did you know that well over 50% of the people I've helped have told me they've spent HUNDREDS of dollars having plumbers come over and none of them could solve the issue.

That's why I created this very short ebook. It allows you to figure out WHERE the sewer gas is coming from and HOW TO FIX the problem. Rarely do you need the help of a plumber.

Get your copy of my Sewer Gas Ebook now before they sell out.

Don't Chainsaw Your Floor

Do you have a crawlspace? If you do and you hire a contractor to do work in it, it might be a very good idea to have them drink two cups of coffee before entering the confined space.

Read what happened to a poor homeowner in southern California who had a most unfortunate experience with a plumber who might suffer from insomnia.

FREE Project Plans

Check this out. Believe it or not, you can probably build this yourself.

You can get all sorts of free project plans from Simpson Strong-Tie. You'll be STUNNED with the assortment of plans. There are SIX different categories like Organize, Entertain, Relax, Grow, etc. 

I've used Simpson connectors for over 40 years and in my opinion they make perhaps the best framing connectors known to woman, man, or confused individuals who didn't pay attention in high school biology class. 

Share photos with me after you complete your project. Simpson is paying me nothing to tell you this. It's just me doing my job sharing useful information.

A big helping of useful information is just ahead.

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

FOR SALE

Used Dymo LabelWriter 4XL

Wholesale spring cleaning is underway as part of the remodeling work required by the mouse leak. I have for sale an amazing thermal shipping label machine we used to make the labels for the Stain Solver little guys. It prints the standard 4-inch by 6-inch labels you see on all the packages you get at your home.

If you own a small business that prints labels, you know how IMPORTANT it is to have a SPARE printer on site in case your current one craps out and you have FIFTY orders waiting to ship.

This machine NEW currently sells for $438.00 on Amazon.

I'll ship it to any USA address with the original owners manual for $165.00. You can still get the drivers for it here no matter if you have a Mac or IBM machine.

New York's Natural Gas Ban

I read a story last week about New York state implementing a ban on natural gas appliances in residential homes.

It's another example of egregious overreach of a government body trying to tell you how to live your life. They fully intend to take away from you a harmless fuel choice. There's no doubt other states will follow New York's lead. Your state could be next.

There are several things deeply troubling about this news and it should be on your radar.

Last week I pranked you on April Fools Day. I did it on purpose to show you how easy it is for people to manipulate you with things that are simply not true.

The basis for New York's action is they feel man-made climate change is real. It's not real. I created a page on my website a few years ago to share the real facts with you about climate change.

First, it's real. The climate is constantly changing.

Second, man's ability to move the climate-change needle in the past 150 years is laughable compared to what Mother Nature did just 12,000 years ago.

Keep in mind my college degree is in geology with a focus on Continental Glaciation.

Just about ALL of the media outlets don't share with you ALL OF THE FACTS about climate change. You just get spoon-fed what they want you to know so they can shape your feelings about the topic. 

How many times have I told you that a half-truth is a whole lie? If your news sources have not shared with you all of what is on this page, then they're LYING to you.

After you go to this page and consume facts you've probably never seen before, let me know how you feel about your data providers lying to you.

How hypocritical it is for New York to implement this ban! By removing gas from your list of fuels you're left with wood, coal, electricity, propane and maybe a few others. Propane and electricity are the only two convenient choices in the list.

Have you thought about how the state of New York gets its electricity? Are you sitting down? 

Natural gas produces 40.9% of the electricity in New York state. 

The Overlords telling you what to do don't think it's okay for YOU to burn natural gas but it's okay for THEM to burn it.

Don't you think it's time to WAKE UP and exit the Matrix?

Great Garden Stepping Stones

Anyone can have humdrum precast concrete patio stones you get from the big box stores. Why not have garden stepping stones that make your neighbors GREEN with envy? Like these:

Go here to see how I created them in less than one day. I'm happy to coach you over the phone if you need more help.

That's enough for a Sunday wouldn't you agree?

Do you need to talk to me? You have two choices:

1. Call 603-867-5309 - if you get an odd message go to #2
2. Go here to set up the call.

Tim Carter - Founder of www.AsktheBuilder.com

My Pronouns: Told / You / So

Secret Messages: www.W3ATB.com

P.S. 

I can fix lots of things but not broken hearts or shattered egos.

"It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes, to blind you from the truth."

           "What truth?"

"That you are a slave, INSERT YOUR NAME."

Is it time for you to exit the Matrix? Just click the red pill just below.