If you can afford only one machine, make it one of these.
The work goes faster if you use a laser, install anchor straps instead of anchor bolts, and measure as little as possible.
Use this layout technique to make radiused crown on site.
When you can't support brick veneer on a masonry foundation, code allows you to use steel angles bolted to the framing - with strict limitations.
Masonry techniques aren't hard to learn and can be valuable on small jobs
Strong framing and proper substrate details reduce the chances of cracking
When it comes to wiring, these tools and products can save you time and money
Painstaking layout made it possible to build this lighthouse stair with standard framing tools
You've got the skills, and financing is available. You just need to make the first move
Pocket-screw joinery and specialty moldings transform a site-built mantel into high-end millwork.
With high fuel prices here to stay, now is the time to get it right.
Learning some advanced functions will save loads of time.
Using wall panels and trusses, framing and roofing took only four days.
Spray polyurethane foam is durable, has excellent R-value, and can eliminate ponding.
A few simple tools and techniques take most of the misery out of repairing these critical plumbing fittings
Full-scale layout using actual rafters is fast and accurate
A cast-in-place concrete sill sheds water outside and protects the framing on the inside
Keep water moving and seal up the end grain for a long-lasting fence in a wet climate
You write on it like a legal pad, but it has the computing and communication power of a desktop PC
SIPs produce a tight, well-insulated shell that takes less labor to construct than an equivalent stick-framed building.
Cool tools and products from this year's event.
Look for an easy-to-load magazine and a trouble-free feed system.
Construction sites can be hazardous to your health. Nine JLC readers share their war stories.
Making parts and preassembling them in the shop cuts days off the trim schedule.
Special heating blankets were used to form the tight curves of this pool's retrofitted fiber-composite decking.
If tools have a habit of walking off your sites, you may want to consider this system.
Our annual pick of products designed to help you work smarter, faster, and better.
Retrofitting a half-ton steel I-beam into an existing house calls for careful shoring and lifting.
These guns allow you to fasten the smallest trim pieces without splitting, and they leave nearly invisible holes.
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Q: Can you skim-coat plaster over regular drywall? If not, is there a way to prep standard drywall so that a veneer plaster finish can be applied over it?
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Q: I live in northern coastal California, in the heart of the redwoods. We're currently remodeling a simple structure (in a highly visible town-square location) into an elaborately detailed storefront, in keeping with the surrounding 1880s architecture. While all the vintage storefronts (and their...
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Q: There's a framing rule of thumb I've used for years that says it's okay to offset a second-story bearing wall from the first-story bearing wall below, as long as you don't offset it by more than the depth of the joist. We use this rule for standard dimensional lumber, but would it also apply to...
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Q: Ideally, pier/beam connections are always properly aligned, with the pier at the right elevation to fully support the beam above. But in the real world, a little shimming always seems to be required. Are shims ripped from framing lumber really adequate
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Q: The proposed location for my client's new detached garage is right on top of a buried service-entrance cable. The electric meter is mounted on a pedestal about 100 feet from the house, and a conduit runs to the house through the area where the garage —
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Q: We recently completed the remodel of a 1970s relic complete with dark paneling and shag carpet. In some areas, the homeowner acquiesced and allowed us to apply new 1/2-inch drywall over the old paneling, while in other areas we simply painted over it.
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Q. Paint Over Stain? Is it okay to use an exterior latex house paint over stained wood siding?
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Q. I'm renovating an uninsulated cape built with concrete-block walls. The plans call for gutting and reframing the interior and installing shingle siding on the exterior. Because the building needs to be insulated to comply with local (Long Island, N.Y.) code, I was considering adding a layer of...
Q: The clients on an upcoming project are interested in installing fiber-cement siding, but they're concerned about how the butt joints will look. While they don't expect the tight-fitting seams characteristic of wooden clapboards, they also don't like the look of wide caulked joints. Is there a...
Q: My company is converting a garage with drywall on its walls and ceiling into living space.The joints have been taped with one coat of mud, but some of the tape is dry and loose, and the drywall's paper surface — which was never primed — has darkened an
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Q: I know that some framers are using lumber treated with SBX (sodium borate) as a substitute for ACQ because it is less corrosive to fasteners, but I'm concerned about short-term exposure to rain and the longevity of the borate treatment itself, which co
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Q: Even though I followed the manufacturer's specifications when I installed the 2-gallon thermal expansion tank and check valve for my customers' domestic hot-water system, they still complain of "clicking" noises, mainly during the heating season. Does
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Q: We recently completed a house that features vertical T&G cedar siding, but now my clients are complaining about woodpeckers making holes in the siding. Are there any simple techniques for dealing with this problem?
Q: What's the best way to detail the joint between a deck-mounted tub that lacks an integral tiling flange and the tiled tub surround so that it won't leak?
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Q: We're remodeling a 1930s vintage San Diego home and have to seismically reinforce its cripple walls with plywood, shear transfer plates, and hold-downs. Because all the framing is very dry and most of the cripples measure only 1 foot to 2 feet in lengt
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Q: My clients love the look of the original diamond-grid metal casement windows in their historic stone house, but they are not happy with the windows' performance in cold winter weather. The outswinging casements have been fitted with fixed interior stor
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Q: After stripping the original siding from a 30-year-old house, I'm being asked to re-side with 4x8 and 4x9 fiber-cement panels designed to look like stucco. The installation instructions permit caulking at the vertical joints, but call for Z-flashing at