Welcome, everyone. Welcome to AskTheContractors.com, your Home Improvement Show with information that you need to keep your home in working order. In fact, I love DIY people out there who doing their project’s themselves and as a Contractor, I want to help answer your questions for you. This week I also want to talk about ..read more

Welcome to AskTheContractors.com. Thank you so much for joining me. Our website is filled with great information. We offer everything you need to know about your home. But today I have a special guest, a candidate for the governor of California. Mr. Doug Ose. Doug, you have been around the horn quite a bit. You’re ..read more

I’m thinking about buying a small historic New England (1800) colonial in need of great repair. Want to restore it and update the inside. What do we need to look for before taking on the project and buying the home? Is it better to inspect the house with a contractor, an inspector, an Architect, or a Structural engineer first to look at the foundations? We’ve never done a project like this before. Do you pay a contractor to walk through with us first?   The house listing states that it has failed title V and needs new septic, and the listing price has been adjusted accordingly.   ..read more

Question from Roy   I’m building a sauna. I have never framed anything before but have done a bunch of reading and research on it so far. It’s 4ft x 5ft x 6.5feet (interior dimensions). All walls are load-bearing. So, I was framing my first wall and a split started to form near the end of the top plate as I was nailing in the last stud. How much of an issue is a crack or split, and what is the best option for dealing with splitting wood? This is a very interesting question about load-bearing walls. If the walls are load-bearing, then you’re going to have a smaller area to work i ..read more

Here is the question from C.H.: I have a contractor telling me that I do not need a floating cement system over an old concrete slab before installing tile on the floor. Is this true? Well, I haven’t seen your floor, but if it’s an older floor the best way to put tile over an older floor is, yes… It’s Called Self-Leveling Concrete and It’s Easy to Use. It’s very easy to use. And, you can also etch it a little bit so that when you put that tile down on its mortar base, the mortar has something to grab onto. Usually, say this as a cement floor in a garage. Well, that’s very smooth con ..read more

Are you thinking about starting a project? The housing economy is still on fire and a lot of people are going to be remodeling their homes in the next year. So that’s why you want to go to my website AskTheContractors.com. I’m your host Todd Bird. How’s everyone doing today? This is where we cut through it all in nail things down. I do remodeling... additions... kitchens… and bathrooms... I do all that fun stuff, and when you need help doing those projects go right to AskTheContractors.com. Request information from our Trusted Home Improvement Pros that we endorsed by searching our Directo ..read more

I am trying to install a faux stone veneer around a TV Mount and a Fireplace on an interior drywall wall. Here is the question from Sara: What kind of Stone should I use for this project? This is a very common question we receive with interior remodels. I am going to answer it right here with the help of our friend, Mike Dawson with Rustic Brick. (more ..read more

Question from Janet: Can you install regular windows (like the ones sold at “Big Box Stores”) in a manufactured home? Well, you know what? I am not exactly sure of the answer to that question. That’s why I rely on my website AskTheContractors.com for reliable subcontractors and contractors. (more ..read more

“My outside faucet knob broke off and when I removed the broken knob, I notice that it fit into a piece that was flat on the top and on the bottom but rounded on each side, kind of like in parentheses.  I can’t find the replacement at my hardware store since they all fit circular stems. Here is the Question from Mark: What are those stems called? And where can I find them? That’s a great question. And if you go to the website, you can actually see a picture posted of this faucet that has broken off. (more ..read more

I’m specifying recessed lighting for a home remodel using led lights that don’t have housing. They’re RAB 4″ gimbal lights and are IC-rated and have a driver box. Our electrician says we need lights with housings to pass inspections. I’m guessing he normally uses housings with exposed studs to indicate where the lights will go. Question from Ryan For these lights without a housing, can he just mount the driver box to show location for inspections and leave the connector (Romex cable with twist lock connector) dangling? If that works, what’s a good way to show the drywall guys where to c ..read more