Bending Trex
Special heating blankets were used to form the tight curves of this pool's retrofitted fiber-composite decking. Read more
DeWalt's Sitelock Alarm
If tools have a habit of walking off your sites, you may want to consider this system. Read more
Our annual pick of products designed to help you work smarter, faster, and better. Read more
Installing a Twenty-Foot Header
Retrofitting a half-ton steel I-beam into an existing house calls for careful shoring and lifting. Read more
Tool Test: 23-Gauge Pin Nailers
These guns allow you to fasten the smallest trim pieces without splitting, and they leave nearly invisible holes. Read more
In the News
Sinking homes and abandoned mines; Boston land-use regs study; storm-damage niche; more Read more
Q. A subcontractor glued down 4 1/2-inch-wide plank engineered flooring on a concrete slab-on-grade using flooring adhesive applied with a V-notch trowel. But the instructions on the bucket indicated that a 1/4-inch square notched trowel should have been Read more
Q. Are Bubble-Wrap R-Value Claims Accurate? Am I the only one confused by the claims of manufacturers of foil-covered bubble wrap and foil-covered flexible thin plastic foam? Apparently, if one is to believe the advertising, a 3/8-inch-thick roll of foil- Read more
Q. What's the advantage of using a router fitted with a template guide bushing to cut hinge mortises? Why not just use a flush-cutting pilot bit and a flush-type template? Read more
Q: While building a new home in upstate New York, we installed R-15 kraft-faced insulation in the walls, but the local building inspector then made us install 4-mil poly over the kraft paper facing. We've been told by other builders and inspectors that this is not a good practice. Is this double vapor barrier likely to cause problems later on? Read more
Q&A
What to Do About Wood Wasps?
Wood wasps don't sting or bite people, but can they cause any significant structural damage with their chewing? Read more
Design
Composing With Shingle Cladding
Any time you use shingles as siding, you face an array of design decisions: Should you weave the corners or use corner boards? Should you use patterns — and if so, where, and which ones? Would a shingle flare or bow be appropriate? Read more
Business
Management by Meeting
After years of trial and error (mostly error), I've become a firm believer in management by meetings. Whether I like it or not, my primary job as company owner is overseeing meetings. Read more
Legal
Alternative Materials and Code
I can just hear your response to that topic: "Code enforcement officers are hassling me because I want to use a wood composite they haven't seen before, but they're approving houses made of straw. Who's running the building department, the three little pigs?" Read more
Outdoor kitchens; toilets & bidets Read more
Backfill
Plumber's Worst Nightmare: A Five-Ton Tub
Architects like Roger Hopkins. Carpenters and electricians like him, too. But plumbers? They hate him. It's not that they don't appreciate his stone benches and garden sculpture — but they're the ones who have to install the sinks and tubs he carves from giant boulders. Read more
