Engineering

• JLC Report

  Is rain-screen siding worth the effort?; lawsuit calls LEED certification false and misleading; Maine gets its first statewide code; more

   

• Lawsuit Claims LEED Certification Is False and Misleading

  Class action suit holds that the "green" project rating system is just a marketing gimmick that harms the interests of non-LEED building performance experts.

   

• Permit Rules for Teardowns Are Tightening

  Teardowns aren't as common as they were during the boom, but they're still causing problems in some communities.

   

• Rebuilding a Church on a Higher Plane

  Builders give a hurricane-devastated structure a lift with concrete, steel, and SIPs.

   

• A New Interior for an Antique House

  Addressing structural issues first made the interior finish work easier.

   

• On the Job

  Reworking an island

   

• The Eight-Hour Kitchen Remodel

  Meticulous planning was the key to profitability on this multi-unit job.

   

• Toxin-Free Modified Wood Resists Insects and Microorganisms

  Titan Wood Limited’s Accoya pine lumber has been treated with a concentrated form of vinegar in a process called acetylation, which makes it inedible to insects and rot-causing microorganisms without adding toxins.

   

• Solid Hardwood Stair Tread Caps

  Retro Treads are solid hardwood stair tread caps designed to cover existing treads that were originally carpeted.

   

• Connecting the Dots

  Creating urban, affordable, and energyconscious developments is not just a career for Jonathan F.P. Rose, it's a lifelong passion.

   

• More Focus Needed on Data Collection

  There is a great deal we know about how to improve the efficiencies and effectiveness of building operations, but there is also a great deal we don't know.

   

• QAPs Get Greener

  Every state made a clear effort to include and support green building measures into their low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) programs in 2009.

   

• Adding Underneath a Hillside Home

  A steep slope and a tight lot call for some imaginative foundation solutions.

   

• Getting Certified for Home Energy Audits

  As the owner of a small remodeling and handyman company (nearly $1 million annual sales before the downturn), I’ve always been careful to stay focused on our core offerings — bathrooms, kitchens, basements, and small jobs ranging from two-hour service calls to week-long “honey do” lists.

   

• Installing a Green Roof

  Interlocking pre-grown panels add little dead load to the roof.

   

• JLC Report April 2010

  Skepticism greets California’s green-building code; a closer look at green paints; Hitachi recalls coil framing nailers after injuries; more

   

• An Ice Dam Analyzed (Subscriber content)

  An engineer’s report shows that in snow country, soffit-to-ridge venting is typically the most practical way to prevent ice dams in cathedral ceiling assemblies.

   

• Wrong-Side Housewrap

  Q. While preparing for an extensive remodeling project, we discovered that the housewrap was installed underneath the exterior 7/16-inch plywood rather than on top. According to the scope of work, we are supposed to install 1/2-inch foam board with taped seams over the entire exterior. Will the...

   

• Soundtrack Benefits Gulf Rebuilding

  BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, and the Dixie Chicks are among the big-time artists featured on a new soundtrack raising funds for the Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts of the United Way and Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.

   

• As Lead Rules Loom, Remodelers Aren't Ready