ArcaMax

I was blessed by God to learn my craft of building and remodeling in Cincinnati. The first few years of my career had me working on houses that were close to 100 years old. I have no recollection of seeing rusty roofing nails on any of the jobs where we had to strip off roofs. I had to spackle exposed nail heads on house siding and trim, but ...Read more

Roy subscribes to my free newsletter. He reached out to me about a month ago for one of my phone consultations. He needed help engineering a drainage system around his house to stop water from infiltrating his basement. My college degree is in geology with a focus on hydrogeology and geomorphology. Hydrogeology is the study of groundwater ...Read more

Paula asked me a question about shrinkage cracks affecting her new deck. She sent me three photos showing all sorts of cracks in the handrails, railing posts, and the decking. The cracks were in brand new treated lumber installed in April of 2023. The wood has not been sealed since the day it was installed.

Paula asked, “I’m wondering ...Read more

Are you a serious DIYer? If so, you know that the quality and type of tools you use will not only determine when the project gets done, but also play a major part in the quality level of the job.

One of the biggest time savers, in my opinion, happens to be nail guns. These tools have a rich heritage dating back to the late 1700s. A nail gun ...Read more

How many times have you hired contractors in your life? My guess is quite a few. If you had to rate each experience much like you might a meal how many five-star ratings would you have doled out? While I’m not a betting man, I’d say fewer than 5%.

I’d wager most of your ratings would be in the two- to three-star range. Remember the ...Read more

I’ve been a master plumber for nearly four decades, and I used to do all the plumbing in all the houses I built and in the remodeling jobs that had a plumbing component. If you’re thinking of adding a bathroom to your existing home, I want to reassure you that it’s not as hard as you might think.

Plumbing is indeed a three-dimensional ...Read more

Ed, my golf league partner, asked me a few days ago if there was a product to fix some wood rot he had discovered at his home. You may be battling wood rot, too. In your case, it might be interior wall studs or floor joists that get wet from a plumbing leak. Or you may have some decorative exterior wood trim that’s falling apart. This happened...Read more

A week ago, my lovely wife and our 2-year-old American Dirus dog were on Mt. Desert Island in Downeast Maine. We rented a tiny cottage just 12 feet from the shoreline of Bass Harbor. If you’re unfamiliar with this part of the USA, I can assure you it’s a harsh marine environment. Anything made from wood or iron that’s not protected from ...Read more

My days have been getting busier and busier doing troubleshooting and coaching calls with homeowners just like you. Are you suffering from the heat and humidity like the young man I talked with in Chicago last week? If so, you’ll enjoy the following story. If you’re getting ready to build a new home that will have central air conditioning or...Read more

Houses are just like you and me. As they age, they develop wrinkles or cracks. Some people don’t like wrinkled skin. Just as Ponce de León was searching for the fountain of youth, many people look for products to recreate their smooth teenage skin. Home centers sell tons of crack-filling products each year that homeowners use in and around ...Read more

As I look back on the decades of giving advice to homeowners like you, one thing stands out in my mind. I’ve always tried my best to tell you the truth about how hard or easy some task might be. That’s the opposite tact of most of home improvement entertainment shows I see on TV. Most share half truths. I’m sure you’re aware that a half ...Read more

The inspiration for this column came to me one Sunday morning as I was greeting people at our church, where my wife and I are ushers. In between people dashing through the door to avoid the drops of rain falling from the steel-gray clouds, I looked across the street. A project at a multifamily building was finally completed.

The final job was ...Read more