Framing

Forget about packing the web; fasten wood to the top, and hang the floor framing with top-mount joist hangers by John Spier

Bolted between rafters, an angled steel flitch plate can eliminate the need for rafter ties in cathedral ceilings by Michael Chandler

With a rubber membrane and careful flashing, you can create an outdoor room above and shelter the living space below by Gregory Burr

Whether it's the floor of a big house or a small addition, an accurate layout promotes smooth installation by Jim Anderson

These simple site-built beams are the backbone of the house, so make sure you build them straight and set them level by Rick Arnold, Mike Guertin

Available as single-shot, semiautomatic or full automatic, these low-velocity tools are the ones carpenters choose when driving fasteners into concrete or steel by Bruce Greenlaw

Full-scale patterns on the floor and prefabricated sections help you to build these small dropped ceilings accurately and efficiently by Ralph Holloway

Skyrocketing lumber costs make steel studs an enticing, easily installed alternative to wood by Tom O'Brien

A builder accustomed to wood framing tells about the differences between wood and steel construction by Robert McCullough

From where and how you build it, to setting the columns underneath, the process goes smoother if you have a system by Scott Knight

by Scott Gibson

Designing and building with engineered beams by Stephen Smulski

How to combine a deck with a roof that won't leak by Dan Rockhill

An ancient building method made easier by new technology by Magnus Berglund