Features

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  Bidding Large Jobs

  To avoid costly errors, be methodical about the way you collect and compare prices.

   
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  Fast Closets With Melamine

  Dadoes and pocket screws make strong, tight joints, while pre-edged material saves labor.

   
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  Flashing A Flanged Window

  A few minutes of time and a few dollars of materials can prevent expensive headaches.

   
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  Installing a Wide Door In a Tall Brick Wall

  In this renovation, engineered steel braces support a solid brick wall from the outside without disturbing the interior.

   
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  Tuning Up a Pneumatic Nailer

  You can do it yourself as easily as you can drop the tool off at the tool shop.

   

Letters

• Letters

  Post-tension cables; fire damage; wrong railing test; skilled workers; radiant and geothermal; more

   

News

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  In The News

  Florida sings the blue-tarp blues; California chooses I-Codes; second-home market flourishes; GM investigated for truck-tailgate failures; more

   

Q&A

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  Q&A: Can Wind Short-Circuit a Ridge Vent?

  Q. Wouldn't a single-sided ridge vent be more effective than a standard ridge vent for a home built on a windy site? It seems that with openings on both sides of the ridge, a standard vent would simply short-circuit when the wind blows rather than draw ai

   

• Q&A: Fixing a Radiant-Tubing Leak

  Q. I have a leak in my recently installed radiant tubing, no doubt caused by freezing last winter before the system was fully operational. The tubing is a 300-foot run buried in a 4-inch concrete slab. Is there some kind of "stop leak" that can be circula

   

• Q&A: Solar Shingles

  Q. Solar modules that can be installed in place of roof shingles seem to make more sense than PV modules mounted on racks above the roof (see "Installing Solar Electric Power," 3/05). Besides being much less noticeable, it seems that using photovoltaic sh

   

• Q&A: Soundproofing a Through-Wall Air Conditioner

  Q. My neighbor has a noisy through-the-wall air conditioner that runs day and night. So that I could get a better night's sleep, I thought I would offer to build him a soundproof box he could place around the AC unit, before I resort to more drastic measu

   

Business

• Business: Looking Beyond the Bottom Line

  Looking beyond the bottom line

   

Legal

• Legal: When Can You Fire Someone?

  When can you fire someone?

   

Kitchen & Bath

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  Kitchen & Bath: Venting With Air-Admittance Valves

  Venting with air-admittance valves; undercounter appliances; showerheads

   

Products

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  Products

  Air blocker; quick frieze; decking; exterior doors; ventilation

   

Toolbox

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  Toolbox

  Fasco round-head stick nailer; DeWalt laser plumb bob; back-savers; electrical tools

   

Backfill

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  Backfill

  Great import: Yin Yu Tang