November 2008 Table of Contents

When the shelving and closet rods are adjustable, you no longer have to worry about the perfect location for everything. Read more

To ensure a long-lasting installation, use a membrane and a movement joint. Read more

Installing insulation and ventilation under a new roof can solve heat-loss problems and prevent ice dams. Read more

Building this elaborate entry porch off-site saved valuable time in the schedule. Read more

Architectural abomination; protecting trees on site; reasons for red flags; grounding three-prong outlets Read more

Roofing nails puncture gas lines in Texas; hot countertops rattle kitchen and bath industry; dustup over drywall Read more

Q: I've completed a couple of projects with cellular PVC trim boards, and in both of them wide gaps have opened up in the joints even though we used both glue and nails during installation. Is there a way to prevent these gaps from occurring? Read more

Q: Recently I discovered that my faithful Kreg pocket-hole jig somehow got "lost" on my last job site. I want to replace it. Is upgrading to the Foreman pocket-hole cutter worthwhile, or should I just stick with the same jig? Read more

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 really don't have a clue what materials we should use. How are climbing walls normally constructed? Read more

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 the sheets that got wet. According to him, the problem was caused by shrinkage in the framing - but construction conditions were normal, with no obvious evidence of excessive moisture levels in the lumber. What happened? Read more

I specialize in custom decks. I switched to this niche last winter, when my backlog of general remodeling work dried up and I had no jobs on the horizon. The suburbs of New York City — where my business is located — were hit hard by the economic downturn; many GCs I knew were going out of business. Read more

Suppose your lead carpenter calls and says there has been an accident: One of your employees cut his finger off — and by the way, he had alcohol on his breath when it happened. What do you do? If you’re like most contractors, you fire the employee and then say to yourself, “Whew! I’m glad that’s over with.” Read more

Commercial-style range for less; slate-look porcelain tiles; lightweight thinset mortar; PEX plumbing connections Read more

Noise-muffling floor underlayment; dramatic roof windows; natural-looking composite siding; manufactured moment frame; more Read more

On past remodeling projects I Read more

Recently I tested two nailers introduced in 2008. In keeping with the trend toward more compact framing guns, the SN902XP is Senco's smallest, lightest framer yet. DeWalt's D51850, by contrast, is larger and heavier than any of the company's previous models. Read more

Power trowels are great time-savers, but some tasks — like finishing slab edges and around penetrations — have always required a hand trowel. Read more

Milwaukee's M12 Copper Tubing Cutter adjusts automatically to cut 3/8- to 1-inch-diameter K-, L-, and M-type copper. Read more

Ridgid's new Quick-Acting Vises have a trigger that frees the jaws from the adjustment screw, allowing you to open or close them quickly to suit the task at hand. Read more

If you haven't yet bought one of the new ultra-compact driver-drills or impact drivers, you can get both in Makita's two-piece 10.8-volt LCT203W combo kit. Read more

Press-on plumbing fittings install fast, don't require a dry pipe, and make torches unnecessary. Read more

Four-inch Dust Right vacuum nozzles connect to your dust-collection system, allowing you to spruce up your shop or job site without a broom. Read more

Think of the Artillery Pry Bar System as a complete demolition arsenal: blades, fulcrums, and levers of various sizes — everything you need to make a customized pry bar to suit virtually any demo job. Read more

The Metabo KHE 56 SDS-Max Rotary Hammer has vibration-dampening side and rear handles, a 14-amp motor, adjustable impact energy, electronic speed control, and a protective clutch. Read more

Plenty of business cards say “no job too small.” Builder Dan Upton and architect Jeff Shelton could reasonably have “no lot too small” printed on theirs. Not that either of them specializes in small projects — but they did complete a house on a 20-foot-by-20-foot lot in Santa Barbara, Calif. Read more

An allegorical depiction of the current economic crisis. Created by JLC illustrator Tim Healey. Read more