Meghan is ending her sophmore year in college and sure knows how to make her mom and I proud. Yesterday she drove back to school after spending the weekend home to celebrate her mom's birthday. Meghan wanted to attend an important panel discussion.

If you read her first post, I think it just might raise your spirits and increase your level of hope with respect to the ever-declining moral morass we seem to find ourselves in.

I skied well until the afternoon when going down a blue/black run - Avalanche - I severely tore the muscles in my right calf. I'll be better soon and go back and tear up that run instead of it tearing me up.

The menu had a wide selection of great sandwiches that were very affordable. I had just about made up my mind what I wanted, when I saw the quick description of their Reuben.

Wow! What a sandwich. It was huge, juicy, tasty and was made with the coolest marbled bread. The dark / light rye doughs were swirled and it made a most interesting look.

I can tell you now that I doubt I will have much of an appetite for dinner as the sandwich was so filling. If you are in Reno, I suggest you stop by the Siena Hotel Casino for lunch.

Email me at: tim@askthebuilder.com

NOTE TO SELF: Find address of Ohio Supreme Court.

The skiing at Big Sky was fantastic. Dax Schieffer, the Public Relations Manager for Big Sky, was as accommodating as any PR person I have worked with. He is indeed a true professional.

Why do I say my *first* trip to Big Sky? I have done quite a bit of traveling in my life and seen all sorts of very unique places. But Big Sky, in my opinion, posesses a mystical power. You can't go to Big Sky just once. The best part is that it is a year-round destination. It has fantastic things to do in the summer as well as the winter.

You don't believe me? Well, either wait for my story or click the links. Actually, do both. Click the link now to experience Big Sky Resort with your browser! Just wait till you go there in person.

Well, that is me this morning. I have the absolutel worst case of facial sunburn I have ever had. In fact I am going to head off to the Big Sky Resort First Aid station to see if they have some magical cream to help me.

The skiing yesterday was magnificent. It was a bluebird day with not a cloud in the sky. In the rush to get on the hill, I forgot to apply the sunscreen I packed. My wife Kathy appropriately has labeled me Idiot Man.

As for Big Sky Resort, I can't say enough great things about it. In fact, I may have to invent a new word to describe the overall beauty of the place. I got a few photos this morning at sunrise that I will post within a week.

If you want a vacation destination anytime of year, Big Sky is the place. Click the provided links to see what you can do here year-round.

I thought about his request for a moment and couldn't come up with any quick references to trade publications that have tackled the subject head on. The first thing that did come to mind is a website run by homeowners who have been victimized by poor-quality construction. It is called Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings. No doubt its acronym - HADD - is a play on MADD.

If you have been a victim of poor construction, you may want to share your story there. The facts you place on the table may help an unsuspecting homeowner in your city or town. In fact, you may become a chapter president. One woman who I have helped over the years overcome a nightmare encounter with a Michigan builder is now president of the Michigan HADD chapter.

Grassroots movements like this have huge power since they can distribute facts via the Internet. Of course that is the most important thing: tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth about what may have happened to you.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR IS BACK!
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Remember last's week's mention of Ed Littell in Arizona? You know, the guy that transforms regular fluorescent light fixtures into windows to the sky? Well, I got a great email from a woman. Here it is *unedited*:

"I believe my gynecologist has had one of these skyscapes, for years, in the fixture just above the examining table (with stirrups). Just thought you'd like to know, Tim."

Name Withheld By Requet

That email made me grin for hours. Why? Because it reminded me that there are fantastic subscribers to the newsletter who have a great sense of humor. We all need more humor in our lives - at least that is my opinion.

So, The mailbox is Open! If you have a comment of any type - positive, negative, humorous or a related story you want to share about an item in the newsletter, I am bringing back to life the Letters to the Editor Section of the Newsletter.

Email your comments to: newseditor@askthebuilder.com

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WEEKLY ASK THE BUILDER COLUMN
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Concrete Block Makes a Great Home

DEAR TIM: I know this sounds crazy but I am thinking of building a home from concrete blocks. Are there any advantages? What about disadvantages? I am concerned about safety and cold temperatures. Will the block crack if it gets extremely cold? Melissa L., Braxton County, WV

DEAR MELISSA: Surely you are acquainted with fairy tales. Believe it or not, there is much wisdom in those great stories. Read the fairy tale about the three little pigs and you will quickly learn that a house built using masonry materials resists not only the big bad wolf but also wood destroying insects, fire and much more. Open any world history book or visit Europe and you will also discover things that built with stone and masonry materials can last for thousands of years.

A home built using concrete block is nothing new. Travel to the South today and you will see many homes built using concrete block. It is an excellent choice as termites can infest and start to destroy a wood framed home that does not have adequate protection. Concrete block homes that include easy-to-install steel reinforcing can stand up to vicious hurricane winds. Fire typically does not cause a well-built masonry home to collapse. These houses can often be restored with much less effort than a wood frame home destroyed by fire.

Concrete block homes also work well in areas that suffer from earthquakes. Once again the architect or engineer simply has to specify inexpensive steel reinforcing rods that are inserted into any number of hollow voids in the concrete block. A wet concrete mixture of sand, cement and sometimes small rounded gravel is then poured into these voids. This wet mixture surrounds the reinforcing steel and once it cures and hardens imparts incredible strength to the structure.

It is vitally important that a registered engineer develop the specification for this reinforcing steel. It might also be in your best interest to have the engineer stop by the construction site as the home is being built to make sure the steel is being installed correctly. This may require more than one visit.

The thermal mass created in a concrete block home has numerous advantages. There is far less air infiltration if the home is built well. Concrete block homes are virtually soundproof if you purchase high-quality windows and doors that have excellent weatherstripping. The void space between the window and block must also be sealed well to stop air that acts as a sound-transmission conduit between outdoor noise and your ears inside the home. The thick masonry walls also help to maintain comfort within the home, especially if they are well insulated. Keep in mind that Native Americans used mud and masonry homes to stay cool in the extreme temperatures of the desert Southwest.

The disadvantages of building with concrete block are few in my opinion. There is a slight aesthetic issue. If your builder uses regular concrete block with no facing, your home will possibly look like a warehouse. You can purchase concrete block that has very interesting texture and shapes. Concrete block can be stuccoed readily and this extra masonry can be tinted to nearly any color so you will never have to paint the home.

You need not worry about concrete block and cold temperatures. If the block is well made and the builder installs it according to all industry standards, the block will withstand any cold weather Mother Nature can muster. The block and mortar will also resist repeated assaults of cold rainy weather for many years.

You should proceed with your plans to build with concrete block. There are several associations that represent the manufacturers of this material and they probably can show you any number of photographs of homes built with concrete block. My guess is you will be amazed as the block is hidden by other common building materials both inside and out. I strongly recommend that you also hire an architect and engineer who can prove to you they have designed numerous concrete block residential homes. The experience they bring to the table will be invaluable as the plans progress.

SIDEBAR CONTENT # # #

Concrete block has been used for years to build residential homes. During the 1950's in many parts of the nation, four-inch hollow block was used as the back-up masonry material for brick homes. The outside of the home was brick, but the inside rough surface was concrete block. Furring strips were nailed to the concrete block and plaster or drywall was then applied as the interior finish surface.

The positive attributes of concrete block far outweigh any negatives aspects. The biggest hurdle will be finding a builder that is familiar with concrete block. All too often certain building methods and techniques get kicked to the curb in favor of newer methods. New does not always mean better, not by a long shot. What’s more, there have been many innovations with concrete block over the years. Any decent concrete block supplier can astound you with all of the possibilities and advancements in simple concrete block.

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EXTREME HOW-TO MAGAZINE
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You should consider getting a great new magazine - Extreme How-To. I am the Editor-at-Large of this publication. Getting in on the ground floor of a new magazine launch is very exciting. You should come along for the ride!

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EMAIL Q & A
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Hello Tim,

I just built a house with a very large “cooking” masonry fireplace. The opening is 6 feet long by 4 one half feet high, the top is arched. I have days when the fireplace works wonderfully and other days you can see the smoke going up but then it swirls and comes out at the very top. If I keep a door slightly open across the fireplace for a while it does not do that. Other days I don’t have to open the door, it works great for days. Then all of a sudden the next day I will have the smoke billowing out. Why does it do it some times and not other time? Help!!

Andrea Stephens

- - -

Andrea,

Fireplaces smoke because they are not built right. There can be many different defects: improper firebox design, missing smoke chamber, chimney flue too large, chimney height too short, etc.

Many people do not realize there are distinct relationships between the width and height of a fireplace opening and the shape, size and sloped faces of the internal firebox size of the flue and the overall height of the chimney. I have covered this topic in great detail in a past column about Smoke-Free Fireplaces. A table showing the size relationships for firebox openings, the firebox dimensions, etc. are in a past Builder Bulletin.

You can use the information in the table to determine if the fireplace firebox was constructed properly. If is defective, you are going to have to bite the bullet and get the builder to do it right the second time around.

Tim
W3ATB

Several times a week I get emails from very polite people who ask me if it is okay to create a link from their website to mine. Frequently these people are employed in the real estate industry. These professionals tell me the reason they want to add the link to their website is they want to help their clients after the closing. The real estate agents recognize that home ownership involves care and maintenance of the property they just sold.

My response is always the same. I tell them I am indeed honored and appreciate the link. At the end of my Thank You! email I add a quick comment that I know how tough their job can be as I have been a licensed real estate broker in the state of Ohio for nearly 15 years. I first got a sales license in 1975 to help me save money as I bought and sold old homes during the rehab boom of the late '70s. The reply email I get back from the agents and brokers usually makes me laugh as the folks say, "What don't you do?"

To be honest, these days I don't practice real estate at all. Getting a broker's license requires lots of extra education and work and I am very reluctant to let it lapse. My license is kept active by taking continuing education classes every three years. The license will come in very handy when my kids decide to buy their first home.

If you want to create a link from your website to mine, I would appreciate it. I can provide you with a cool small photo of me dropping a plumb bob into the camera lens if you need an image. In return, I will *gladly* add a link back to your website on a special page on my website that I will title: Ask the Builder Friends.

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BRING THE SKY INTO YOUR OFFICE OR HOME
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Each week I also get new product news. Some of the press releases make me yawn. But more often than not my reaction is, "Hey, that is a great idea!" Three weeks ago I got an email *out of the blue* from Ed Littell in Arizona. He sells these very unique and colorful panels that transform your standard 2 foot by 4 foot fluorescent office lights into skylights! No, you don't cut a hole in your roof and create leaks.

Ed sells diffuser panels that replace those yellowed and cracked clear diffusers that came with your lights from the factory. These durable diffusers allow all the light from the fixture to stream into the room. But they change the look and feel of the room dramatically. Your light fixtures look like the sky when you lay on your back on a blanket. There are six different scenes and the one with the palm tree fronds reminds me of being at the beach.

You MUST go to Ed's website and see these things. Ed sent me a few to make sure I was satisfied with their quality. These diffusers are top notch in my opinion. I guarantee you these panels will generate lots of interest and put everyone in a better mood in your office or finished basement. I don't get a sales commission from Ed. I just want you to be aware of a cool product! Be sure to click the "Catalog" and "Pictures" links on the top navigation bar. If you are a dentist, these things are a MUST in the rooms where you treat patients!

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WEEKLY ASK THE BUILDER COLUMN
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<<< Toilets are Getting Better and Better >>>

DEAR TIM: I am looking at toilets for my new bathroom. Our current toilet measures 23 inches from the back wall to the front edge of where the toilet touches the floor. Many of the measurements in brochures seem to start at nearly 27 inches. Space is valuable in this small room. We also have a flushing problem with our current toilet. It seems to always require two or three flushes to rid the bowl of waste. Karen N., Williamstown, NJ

DEAR KAREN: I don’t think you are comparing apples to apples. You measured the foot extension of the toilet. The foot is the actual surface dimension and shape of where the toilet bowl base contacts the floor. Bathroom planners and plumbers are rarely interested in that dimension. The most critical dimension is the distance from the front of the bowl where the toilet seat contacts the china bowl to the back of the toilet. My guess is that if you measure your existing toilet, you will quickly discover it extends 27 or even 28 inches from the back wall.

An often overlooked measurement is the rough-in dimension of the toilet bowl. This measurement is the distance from the back of the toilet to the center of the waste outlet hole on the underside of the toilet bowl. The most common dimension is 12 inches. But many toilet manufacturers also offer two other sizes in case mistakes are made during construction or a pesky floor joist gets in the way. It is not unusual to find toilets with a 10 or 14 inch rough-in dimension. Be sure you purchase a toilet bowl that has the correct rough-in dimension to match your current drainage pipe location.

Toilet technology has made significant advancements in the past seven to ten years. In fact, certain manufacturers continue to devote significant research and development resources to toilet design and functionality. There are millions of consumers who are disappointed with the performance of toilets since the low flush water savings law was enacted in January of 1994. You are a perfect example of how that law has backfired. The intent was for toilets to save water by using less water per flush. But if you flush twice or even three times, you may end up using even more water than with an older 3.5 or 5 gallon per flush model.

Flushing toilets is all about physics and stored potential energy. The water that is at rest in the tank just before the flush has the ability to do work because of its weight and the pull of gravity once the flush handle is activated. For the flush to be complete, this water needs to enter the bowl as rapidly as possible and encounter as little friction as possible as it leaves the bowl on its way to the drain. You can buy toilets that have enormous three and one-quarter inch flush valve openings at the bottom of the tank. These same toilets have fully-glazed trapways so the water and waste slips through the toilet with minimal friction.

Certain toilets are so well-engineered they can flush solid waste with just 1.4 gallons of water per flush instead of the industry standard of 1.6 gallons of water. This small savings per flush can add up to big savings over time. A family of four using one of these toilets can save nearly 2,000 gallons of water per year. Imagine how much water could be saved if an entire subdivision or city used these toilets.

The advancements in toilet design do not stop at the toilet bowl. You or your plumber can now buy new toilets that take the hassle out of connecting the tank to the toilet bowl. In years past, I and many others struggled with bolts and washers that passed through holes in the bottom of the tank. Tighten the bolts too much and you risk cracking the china. If the bolts were not tightened enough water would leak through the bottom of the bowl.

A new tank design eliminates these holes by using a hidden steel plate on the underside of the tank. The bolts lock into the steel plate and then pass through the holes in the back of the toilet bowl. It is an ingenious concept that will save both time in installation and service calls created by leaks.

SIDEBAR CONTENT: # # #

Low quality toilets can have a hidden defect that is often very hard to see. Toilets have a colon inside of them that is simply the path of the trapway. The trapway is the internal sealed tube that connects the bowl with the drain exit hole at the base of the toilet. It serves the same purpose as the trap drains one sees under a standard kitchen or bathroom sink. This colon used to be hidden on many older toilets but it is now common to actually see the convoluted pathway the water and waste takes as it travels from the bowl to the drain hole in the floor.

Toilets that are hard to flush or that clog on a frequent basis may be the victims of poor colon design. The bends within the colon may be too tight. The actual interior size of the colon may be small. Try to buy toilets that have a two inch minimum trapway/colon or those that have even large diameter colons. Ask the plumbing supply sales person to show you different toilets with exposed colons so you can see how some have better streamlining than others. (Photo at the website column shows an exposed colon toilet. I *urge* you to click the link above to see it.)

========================
EXTREME HOW-TO MAGAZINE
========================

You should consider getting a great new magazine - Extreme How-To. I am the Editor-at-Large of this publication. Getting in on the ground floor of a new magazine launch is very exciting. You should come along for the ride! Click this link:

===================
EMAIL Q & A
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Dear Tim,

I recently had to replace the shower handle body of my shower. I cut the copper lines and re-soldered a new shower assembly in. This was my first time to ever solder anything and everything appeared to be OK. Well, until we tried to use the sink in the same room. When I turned off the water at the main, I would leave the sink on so as to help drain the water and to verify it being off. But when I turned it back on, it was very low pressure, then nothing no air no water. Later as I repaired another fixture, I turned on all faucets before turning on the water. I systematically turned each one off and I got water to return to the sink but it is still very low pressure. I have verified that the main meter was turned on fully. Any other ideas as to what happened and how to fix? I greatly appreciate any help you may offer

Kenny Anderson

- - -

Kenny,

Whenever you or someone else works on water lines in a house or out in the street, pieces of sediment get knocked loose off the sides of the pipe when the water rushes back into the pipes after the repair. The flow restrictors in the tips of faucets as well as the cartridge bodies themselves in the faucets can get clogged with these fine pieces of rock, grit and sand. Soldering flux also makes a mess of the faucet aerators and flow restrictors.

The first thing I would do is just take off the aerator tip of the faucet and turn on the faucet. Be sure you get the rubber washer out of the faucet body before you turn the water on. If you have lots of water exiting the faucet, you know exactly where the problem is. Start to carefully dis-assemble the aerator and you will find the flow restrictor and a fine mesh screen. Clean all of these components and put everything back together again. You should be back to normal.

Tim

This is a battle I can't win. The huge lumber mills control what happens to a large degree. The growing population consumes more resourses. Wood is a wonderful renewable crop resource, but plywood devours entire logs while OSB and different fiberboards eat chips and sawdust.

But in my humble opinion, plywood works better for many things. I love it for storage shelves and subfloors. It has a smoother surface than OSB. Plywood seems to hold screws better, but that may be my partiality showing.

All I can say is that if you are like me, keep buying plywood. If the mills see a demand, they will continue to make it. Economics 101 dismissed.

The mountain at Big Sky is one of the best out West for several reasons. It is by no means the oldest ski destination west of the Mississippi, as it opened for business in 1973. The resort was the brainchild of Chet Huntley, the deceased NBC nightly news announcer. He came up with the idea and was a key player in making Big Sky a reality instead of a dream. Skiing magazine lists Big Sky as the 7th best ski resort in the USA.

I urge you to call in sick to work or burn up a few of your vacation days to come out and ski with me. Late winter snow conditions can be fabulous at Big Sky and I doubt there will be anyone at the bottom of each run watching the bull wheel spin at the lifts. After all, Big Sky has 3,500 acres. That is one enormous place to ski.

If you want to meet me at the base of the hill, you better email me soon so we can hook up. Do you need lessons or equipment? Neither are a problem. Big Sky has those and much, much more. Email me at: tim@askthebuilder.com

At the conclusion of the signing process, the wonderful woman attorney who prepared the wills asked me a question. She had an upcoming party and needed a dining room table. As soon as she described her dilemma, an idea popped into my head. You must read about my solution. It is a perfect example of how my weekly columns start and typically end.

The teacher who moderates the school newspaper asked me to speak to the group of young women who produce the UA school newspaper. I was flattered.

During the first few minutes of my speech, I asked the group to ponder for a few moments and think of things they would like me to talk about. "I can talk here for hours even though I only have 45 minutes. I want you to leave with information that is important to you," I said. Several minutes later one young lady raised her hand and said, "What impact has the Internet made on writers and what will it do in the future?" She actually stole my thunder as I was segwaying into how the Internet turns writers into instant publishers.

One thing led to another and I asked these energetic and attentive students about blogs and wouldn't you know it that 50% knew about them and I believe 4 out of 30 had their own. I congratulated these forward thinkers.

I then tried to motivate the rest into action by saying, "Take out a piece of paper and write this down: www.simpleurl.com. Go there as soon as you get home and buy your actual name. You must get this undeveloped piece of real estate on the Internet. Later you can decide what to do with it."

A URL is just that - a piece of real estate in the vast Internet. One of the young women in that room today might turn out to be one of the best writers of the century. If she buys her name tonight, she will have staked a claim that could yield enormous riches in the future.

What? You haven't driven your stake into the virtual ground yet.....?

To put this in perspective, most ski resorts out West have between 1,800 to 3,500 feet of vertical fall. A friend of mine - Michael Worth - is an expert skier and he laughs about Perfect North. He could probably, no actually, ski down every run at Perfect North backwards.

I went to Perfect North to start training. In five weeks I will be with Michael at Big Sky Resort in Montana. It is important for me to get my ski legs back and be in as good of condition as possible before heading out to Big Sky. Each day I am doing some vigorous hiking in the woods around my house. I am starting to jog up and down some of the wooded hills to get my leg muscles ready for the workout Big Sky will undoubtedly deliver.

Skiing is so much fun. If you dress correctly you don't get cold. Last year I skied out West on two different occasions. The views from the slopes is unbelievable. It is an amazing experience that I hope one day you can also enjoy.