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Q: The painted finish on my client's recently purchased stucco house is blistering and peeling, and it's obvious that the traditional three-coat stucco underneath has been patched on several previous occasions (see photo, below). The stucco is applied over wood framing, but as is common in older...
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Q: I built a lot of homes in upstate New York in the 1980s using 2x6 studs, fiberglass batts, and a poly vapor retarder for the shell. Given the rising cost of heating and cooling, the owners are asking about energy upgrades to their walls. I'd like to suggest adding 1 or 2 inches of rigid foam on...
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An engineered schedule of epoxied rebar pins reinforces the joints.
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Modular designers have shown they can provide upscale packages, but are the homes up to the challenges of coastal construction?
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A properly flashed water-resistant drainage plane is essential when installing stone veneer over a wood-framed wall.
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Adjustable rods and shelving simplify layout and construction.
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Building this elaborate entry porch off-site saved valuable time in the schedule.
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Q: I'm planning an addition for a client who wants to turn a 22-foot-high wall into a climbing wall. He would like this wall to closely resemble stone, but he doesn't want it to cost as much as natural stone. I've poured a lot of flat concrete, but I have never built something like this - so I...
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Q: On a recent project, several hundred screw pops showed up on the primed walls and ceilings. About half the boards in the house had to be rescrewed and patched, and all the drywall had to be reprimed. Although it was raining when the drywall was stocked, my drywaller says he did not use any of...