Copyright (c) 2012 FineHomebuilding.com en-us Fine Homebuilding - "Better Than Plumb" blog entries http://www.finehomebuilding.com/blog/better-than-plumb Sat, 26 May 2012 10:47:16 -0500 Fine Homebuilding - "Better Than Plumb" blog entries http://www.finehomebuilding.com/assets/images/cs_logo_sm.jpg http://www.finehomebuilding.com/blog/better-than-plumb Tue, 04 May 2010 17:30:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/12178/tour-a-greene-greene-style-masterpiece http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/12178/tour-a-greene-greene-style-masterpiece Posted by epirnik
Tour a stunning Greene & Greene revival we've dubbed "The House That Sausage Built" in this audio slideshow featuring outtakes from our recent article and an interview with the homeowner. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/12178/tour-a-greene-greene-style-masterpiece Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:48:16 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/6034/on-stimulus-handouts-and-bargain-seeking-brides http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/6034/on-stimulus-handouts-and-bargain-seeking-brides Posted by Kevini
Some builders argue with Marc Rosenbaum when he reports the results of a blower-door test. He tells them the air changes per hour at 50 pascals, and they roll their eyes and say... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/6034/on-stimulus-handouts-and-bargain-seeking-brides Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:33:29 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/5872/is-the-leed-program-a-fraud http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/5872/is-the-leed-program-a-fraud Posted by Kevini
The LEED rating system is “a tragedy,” according to Henry Gifford, resulting in buildings that use more energy, not less, and “a fraud perpetrated on U.S. consumers trying their... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/5872/is-the-leed-program-a-fraud Sun, 01 Mar 2009 10:57:56 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/5160/the-character-of-an-old-house http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/5160/the-character-of-an-old-house Posted by Kevini
By the time I bought my old house, it had suffered much abuse and many indignities. The outside was covered with aluminum siding, the inside with wallboard. There was no plaster, no wide floorboards... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/5160/the-character-of-an-old-house Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:05:11 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4891/can-you-put-a-runner-on-winders http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4891/can-you-put-a-runner-on-winders Posted by Kevini
My dog keeps falling down the stairs. It makes an awful racket and takes a surprisingly long time. If there were a landing, it would probably stop him. But the winders act like a banked turn, and he... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4891/can-you-put-a-runner-on-winders Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:48:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4737/why-politicize-the-magazine http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4737/why-politicize-the-magazine Kevini
We’ve gotten a lot of feedback about Alex Wilson’s letter to President Obama in the latest issue, much of it negative. For example: “Not sure why you decided to politicize your... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4737/why-politicize-the-magazine Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:21:19 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4614/trade-shows-versus-the-real-world http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4614/trade-shows-versus-the-real-world Posted by Kevini
The first construction-industry trade show I ever attended was probably the National Hardware Show in Chicago, which would have been, to use my mother’s term, umpteen years ago. I had only... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4614/trade-shows-versus-the-real-world Sat, 24 Jan 2009 16:53:36 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4531/a-final-roundup-from-ibs-2009 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4531/a-final-roundup-from-ibs-2009 Posted by Kevini
Yesterday I was in Las Vegas. Today I’m back home at my desk, looking out on a snowy landscape and unsure what day it is. If I never again hear the cloying ping of a slot machine, it'll... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4531/a-final-roundup-from-ibs-2009 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:20:32 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4524/another-day-at-the-show http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4524/another-day-at-the-show Posted by Kevini
The folks at Rigid have introduced a couple of new tools that look interesting to me. One is a small cirular saw designed to cut fiber-cement siding that has a built-in dust collection... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4524/another-day-at-the-show Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:33:25 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4515/just-call-me-ken http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4515/just-call-me-ken Posted by Kevini
Okay, so yesterday I'm in the press room trying to post my blog, but feeling like a genuine reporter. Next to me is a guy named Alan Heavens, a long time reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4515/just-call-me-ken Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:23:22 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4498/greenest-siding-on-the-planet-among-other-things http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4498/greenest-siding-on-the-planet-among-other-things Posted by Kevini
Yesterday started at 6:00 am with a 3-mile run on the Vegas Strip, and it ended around 1:00 am this morning when my computer froze up as I was trying to post this blog. I lost what I had written and... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4498/greenest-siding-on-the-planet-among-other-things Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:28:44 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4379/well-at-least-its-warm-here http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4379/well-at-least-its-warm-here Posted by Kevini
I woke up to 3 inches of fresh snow in Connecticut, which made the drive to the airport beautiful. It was the light, fluffy snow that outlined every tree. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and the... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4379/well-at-least-its-warm-here Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:42:35 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4339/live-or-maybe-half-dead-from-the-international-builders-show http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4339/live-or-maybe-half-dead-from-the-international-builders-show Kevini
I just noticed that the educational seminars are being sponsored this year by Countrywide Home Loans. Am I the only one who thinks that’s a little ironic? ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4339/live-or-maybe-half-dead-from-the-international-builders-show Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:15:58 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4317/curious-about-my-window-seat http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4317/curious-about-my-window-seat Posted by Kevini
My colleague Chuck Miller said that if you're going to build a window seat, make it big enough to sleep in. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4317/curious-about-my-window-seat Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:08:24 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4246/whats-my-house-worth http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4246/whats-my-house-worth Posted by Kevini
Last week I read in the New York Times that nearly one in six homes is “worth less than the mortgage owed on it.” In this context, I’m sure that “worth” means... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4246/whats-my-house-worth Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:57:57 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4199/let-there-be-light http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4199/let-there-be-light Posted by Kevini
My wife and I bought our house—a 200-year-old story-and-a-half Cape—in the summer of 1989. We moved in and immediately gutted the place. We slept upstairs under exposed rafters and... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4199/let-there-be-light Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:12:15 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4170/dear-mr-president http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4170/dear-mr-president Posted by Kevini
By last Friday, my office looked like a tornado had struck. I had over 300 unread emails in my inbox. The latest round of budget cuts was due to the management team. The February/March issue of Fine... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4170/dear-mr-president Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:10:22 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4119/the-truth-behind-leed-inspections http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4119/the-truth-behind-leed-inspections Posted by Kevini
My friend Jim Picton recently got the final LEED inspection on the first house he has built under this progressive and, in some quarters, controversial program. It was pretty boring. . . ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4119/the-truth-behind-leed-inspections Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:55:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4117/electrical-hubris http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4117/electrical-hubris Posted by Kevini
After wiring 14 receptacles, I was feeling pretty cocky about how quickly I could do the job (never a good sign). . . ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4117/electrical-hubris Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:05:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3695/the-value-of-delight http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3695/the-value-of-delight Posted by Kevini
Like a lot of people these days, the editorial staff at Fine Homebuilding has been debating how best to survive these tough economic times. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3695/the-value-of-delight