Q: I recently purchased your latest book. In there you refer to “tuck pointing” your brick home (I think this is the term you used, I am at work and don’t have the book here). What exactly does this mean? I have a brick home and am not familiar with this process.

A: Tuck pointing is when you fix the grout (mortar) in between the bricks in your home. Over time, the mortar gets thin in places, or pieces of it fall out. When you tuck point, you chisel out the loose mortar and then put new mortar over the old stuff, sealing in the bricks. With a brick home, you may need to do this about once every 10-15 years to keep water from seeping into your home.