Other stories by Paul Fisette

• Evaluating OSB for Coastal Roofs

  After Hurricane Andrew, Florida code advisers ruled OSB sheathing inferior to plywood. Was this judgment too hasty? Here's what the experts say.

• Q&A:Causes of Attic Mold

  I've been a builder for more than 20 years and have come across my first serious mold problem ? in my own home in Maine. The house was for sale and under contract pending a building inspection. The inspection revealed mold growth on one entire underside of the roof sheathing (the other side was not...

• Q&A:Why Paper a Roof?

• Q&A: Can You Rip LVL?

  Q. The building codes don't allow you to rip graded lumber to a narrower width (to make a 2x6 and a 2x4 out of a 2x10, for example). But what about ripping LVL?

• Q&A: Insulating Basement Walls

  Q. I'm doing a basement remodel and am thinking of finishing the block foundation walls by painting the masonry with Drylok, then adhering 4-mil poly over that. Next, I plan to fur the walls with Z-studs, put 2 inches of foil-faced polyiso board between t

• Q&A: Mice and Insulation

  Q. Is there any way to can keep mice out of insulation? I am working on a remote cabin in southern Illinois, and the mice seem to come and go at will. I'm getting ready to insulate another room and I don't want to provide new places for the rodents to nes

• Q&A: Bamboo Floor Not as Hard as Claimed?

  Lightweight pneumatic hose; paint for fiber cement; wet-dry central vac; landscaping products; metal stairs; fire prevention products

• Q&A: Housewrap & Building Code

  Q. I have read conflicting reports about the use of housewrap. Does the building code actually require the use of housewrap under siding?

• Q&A: Radon Resources

• Q&A: Ice Dams in Valleys

  Q. I need to fix a problem with ice dams in a new house. The ice dams form in two valleys over a cathedral ceiling and are causing leaks. The roof is standing-seam metal, and there is not enough venting in the valley area. Is there a solution short of tea