AsktheBuilder.com Issue #1306 (Not Sure!)

November 10, 2024

Dear ,

"You look for treasure in the wrong place, Mr. Lovett. Only life is priceless... and making each day count."

(Old Rose - Titanic 1999 Movie)

It's Morning Again in America

That was the opening sentence in a 1984 TV commercial for Ronald Reagan's Presidential campaign.

The same positive sentiment is being felt by a majority of the USA population this week. Some of those who don't agree are busy shaving their heads. Go figure...

If your new home building plans have been on the sidelines because of high interest rates, inflation, uncertainty, etc., NOW IS THE TIME to start planning for your new home!!!! Change is COMING and it bodes well for you should you want to build.

The planning process can take many months. Starting today, you might not be ready to break ground for six or seven months!

Do you want to estimate what your new home might cost to build?

I have a very cool interactive spreadsheet that gets you in the ballpark. 

CLICK HERE to purchase it. 

You just have to get one or two bids from certain subcontractors, and the spreadsheet AUTOMATICALLY FILLS IN ALL THE OTHER NUMBERS AND TOTALS THEM UP!!

The savvy person will look at ALL of the products I have here to ENSURE there are NO or MINIMAL problems during the build.

CLICK HERE to see all of my New Home Construction products.

What Mistake Happened Here?

Please look at this photo:

This is an older cement stucco wall. The house is being renovated. The homeowner is having new windows installed.

You should CHECK OUT THIS COLUMN if you're about to get new windows. It doesn't matter WHAT type of exterior you have. 

You may have brick, wood siding, concrete block, stone, vinyl siding, etc. CLICK HERE to avoid an expensive mistake.

Heated Gloves - A Great Gift Idea

I've tested heated gloves in the past. They're deliciously warm. 

Right now I'm testing Savior gloves and so far they've outperformed all others I've ever tested.

My Savior gloves fit better than any other gloves I've tried. The battery doesn't make them too heavy.

I love how you can control them with an app. The gloves sport bluetooth technology.

The problem in the past is that I'd take gloves off and forget to turn them off. The Savior app has a timer function! No more dead batteries!

I know, you may live in Florida, Southern California, Phoenix, AZ, etc. and don't need them. 

You may have relatives in a cold climate that DO NEED THEM. 

The Savior heated gloves make a great gift idea.

CLICK HERE to see an assortment of great Savior gloves. Always order one size larger than what you think your hands are.

Ask the Builder Featured on a Podcast

My Ask the Builder website was featured for about five minutes on a recent podcast.

CLICK HERE to listen. I'm sure you'll be stunned by it.

Do you feel I got a fair shake from the co-hosts?

After you listen to it, please take this short survey.

Deck Piers 101 - Pick the Right Ones

Do you wear spike heels? Have you worn them in the past? 

I stopped wearing them because they hurt my ankles and shins.

Just kidding!!! 

What do spike high heels have to do with deck piers? 

I'm willing to bet you a two-step mocha-chip hot fudge sundae from Aglamesis that you've NOT done the math.

Imagine the surface area of the tip of the spike heel is 3/8-inch in diameter. Then let's say the woman wearing them is all bundled up in a heavy winter jacket and she's carrying two heavy bags of groceries.

Let's say her TOTAL weight, including the coat and groceries, is 150 pounds

Each time she takes a step and her heel hits the floor it exerts about 1,000 PSI on the surface. WOWZA!

Now think about how much your deck weighs. It can be thousands of pounds. Many thousands of pounds.

Think about your deck's spike heels.

I'm talking about those tiny 4x4 deck posts sitting on the soil. 

Is it starting to compute as to WHY deck piers MUST BE SIZED correctly?

PLEASE CLICK HERE and check out this short column. I guarantee you'll discover something you didn't know. 

You'll save big money because your deck will be built correctly!

Reciprocity

Did you know your brain is hardwired to give back? I'm not an anthropologist, but am quite sure this switch was turned on hundreds of thousands of years ago somewhere out on the savannah.

I did take a course in Anthropology for what it's worth.

Not all of our ancestors were successful hunting each day. Those that survived discovered if they shared food they would get food the next time they had no luck hunting.

Fast forward to today. You run out of sugar, eggs, or flour. You go next door and get some from your neighbor.

Two weeks later your neighbor asks to borrow your weed wacker because his is out of string.

You immediately think, "I can't say No. He gave me the cake ingredients when I was in need. I need to RECIPROCATE."

Have I helped you this year? Have I saved you money?

You can RECIPROCATE if you shop at Amazon for Christmas gifts or for any other reason. Doing this allows me to give you unlimited access to my website.

CLICK HERE to start your shopping. 

It feels good to give back, doesn't it?

It's already shopping season. I'll put a special Reciprocity Link in each issue moving forward.

I want to THANK YOU for using the link in advance. It really helps oil the Ask the Builder cylinders.

You need to know when I send you to Amazon to purchase things I love, they pay me a small commission should you buy. This doesn't make your purchase price higher. If you buy WITHOUT using my link, you just make Jeff Bezos that much richer.

Did you know  I offer TRANSCRIBED phone calls?

Yes, there's NO NEED for you to try to remember what I say OR to take notes. Within an hour of us talking, I can often send you a transcription of the entire conversation you can print out.

Pretty cool, right?

Do you need me to come to your home? I can do that too.

Get 100+ AsktheBuilder Ebooks, New Home and Remodeling Checklists, & More for just $79.99

Visit the Ask the Builder Store NOW for Hundreds of Products

"Yeah, right. That's the way it is. 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'.

Andy Dufresne just before he escapes from Shawshank prison.

CLICK HERE to see this classic movie scene.

#DoNotComply

Once bitten, twice shy...

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

The BEST Love Story of all time - well, maybe a close second.

That's enough for a Sunday morning.

Peace out.

Tim Carter (PhD, FullyAwakeology)

Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Electromagnetic Adventures: www.W3ATB.com

My Pronouns: Told/You/So

Do It Right, Not Over!