DEAR TIM: My last house had a basement that leaked water. I’m building a new home and want my basement as dry as the Atacama Desert. I’m confident that my drain tile was not put in correctly at my ...

Having spent 30+ years in residential construction, contracting, remodeling, maintenance and home repair, Deane now contributes DIY, informational and financial content as a freelance writer and ...

Q: My house foundation was poured on a sloping lot. I stopped by just after the forms were stripped from the foundation, and I think the foundation was poured too deep. The ground on one side of the ...

Let’s talk about foundation footers. They get their name from our own anatomy. Think about it. Your feet are the parts of your body that are normally in contact with the earth during waking hours.

Building on a sloping lot is somewhat common in certain parts of the country. Your builder needs to slope the ground one way or the other all along this side of the house so the rain water flows away ...

Q: The lot where I'm building my new home is quite rocky. The soil cover is perhaps only 3 feet deep. Fortunately, no blasting is required to dig into the rock. What are some of the challenges I'll ...