Copyright (c) 2012 FineHomebuilding.com en-us Fine Homebuilding - Kevini's posts http://www.finehomebuilding.com/profile/Kevini Sat, 26 May 2012 10:55:50 -0500 Fine Homebuilding - Kevini's posts http://www.finehomebuilding.com/assets/images/cs_logo_sm.jpg http://www.finehomebuilding.com/profile/Kevini Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:55:19 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/14417/book-review-crafting-the-considerate-house http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/14417/book-review-crafting-the-considerate-house Posted by Kevini
David Gerstel literally wrote the book on how to run a successful construction company. It’s called Running a Successful Construction Company (Taunton, 1991), and it’s arguably the best... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/14417/book-review-crafting-the-considerate-house Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:57:37 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/12125/why-im-grateful-for-the-epas-new-lead-certification-rule http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/12125/why-im-grateful-for-the-epas-new-lead-certification-rule Posted by Kevini
Thoughts from our editor-at-large, who recently completed the EPA-mandated Renovation, Repair, and Painting training ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/12125/why-im-grateful-for-the-epas-new-lead-certification-rule Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:40:27 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11754/choosing-a-hammer-over-harvard http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11754/choosing-a-hammer-over-harvard Posted by Kevini
In 1985, Andy Hoffman had a degree in chemical engineering and a job working for the EPA. So what did he do? He became a carpenter. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11754/choosing-a-hammer-over-harvard Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:57:38 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11579/why-building-science-matters-to-builders-and-drinking-birds http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11579/why-building-science-matters-to-builders-and-drinking-birds Posted by Kevini
As energy prices rise, and as we tighten and insulate our homes to greater levels in response, the potential for negative consequences--mold, rot, and indoor air pollution, including carbon monoxide poisoning from backdrafting--also rises. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11579/why-building-science-matters-to-builders-and-drinking-birds Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:46:06 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11576/a-powerhouse-of-a-barn http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11576/a-powerhouse-of-a-barn Posted by Kevini
This 700 sq. ft. barn is Certified LEED Platinum, needs no furnace, and is equipped with LED lights that signal how much solar energy it is producing. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11576/a-powerhouse-of-a-barn Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:16:33 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11546/a-net-zero-energy-home-for-180000 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11546/a-net-zero-energy-home-for-180000 Posted by Kevini
This 1,152-sq.-ft. home in Turners Falls, Mass., produced 2-1/2 times more energy than it consumed in its first year of occupancy, earning the owners and builder a $10,000 prize. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11546/a-net-zero-energy-home-for-180000 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:31:31 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11524/sustainable-energy-conference-comes-to-boston http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11524/sustainable-energy-conference-comes-to-boston Posted by Kevini
Over 150 exhibitors and plenty of workshops are keeping our editor-at-large busy, entertained, and enlightened. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/11524/sustainable-energy-conference-comes-to-boston Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:48:23 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/9720/2009-passive-house-conference http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/9720/2009-passive-house-conference Posted by Kevini
The Passive House movement has found a new foothold in the United States...and for good reason. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/9720/2009-passive-house-conference Thu, 21 May 2009 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/7824/kevin-ireton-answers-why-would-i-quit-the-best-job-i-ever-had http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/7824/kevin-ireton-answers-why-would-i-quit-the-best-job-i-ever-had Kevini
I can think of no final gesture as editor of Fine Homebuilding more appropriate than to thank all of you who have made my work here both possible and immensely pleasurable. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/7824/kevin-ireton-answers-why-would-i-quit-the-best-job-i-ever-had 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 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 07:00:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/7512/theres-a-better-way-a-big-table-for-a-portable-tablesaw http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/7512/theres-a-better-way-a-big-table-for-a-portable-tablesaw Posted by Kevini
Fine Homebuilding's Kevin Ireton demonstrates a low-cost solution for making an outfeed table to use with your portable tablesaw. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/7512/theres-a-better-way-a-big-table-for-a-portable-tablesaw 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 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:40:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3626/the-great-home-office-debate http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3626/the-great-home-office-debate Posted by Kevini
When I turned my attention to designing the home office, I considered extending the balustrade to enclose the space, but I didn’t like the idea that the view... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3626/the-great-home-office-debate Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:15:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3702/do-we-need-a-tagline http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3702/do-we-need-a-tagline Kevini
So the other day, one of the editors suggested that maybe Fine Homebuilding needed a tagline. You know, a little phrase on the magazine’s cover that clarifies what it’s about and who it’s for. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3702/do-we-need-a-tagline Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:10:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3699/a-happy-accident http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3699/a-happy-accident Kevini
Like so many topics in these politically divisive times, patriotism is a tricky thing. Personally, I don’t think it’s determined by whether you wear a flag pin on your lapel or whether you agree with all our government’s policies. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3699/a-happy-accident Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:15:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3701/tolerances http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3701/tolerances Kevini
A skilled tradesman knows a thousand such things and has forgotten he knows them. They are so naturally a part of what he does that he takes them for granted. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3701/tolerances Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:20:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3703/the-quality-of-our-decisions http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3703/the-quality-of-our-decisions Posted by Kevini
If you know anything about building stone walls, you know that stones with flat faces are much prized. Flat faces turned outward help to make a good-looking wall. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3703/the-quality-of-our-decisions Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:20:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3709/the-wedding-gift http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3709/the-wedding-gift Kevini
When my friend Chris Green got married last summer, I gave him, as a wedding gift, one day of my labor. He is remodeling his small house to accommodate a now-expanded family, and I knew he could use some help. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3709/the-wedding-gift Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:25:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3710/my-oregon-swimming-pool http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3710/my-oregon-swimming-pool Posted by Kevini
One of the things that editing a magazine has in common with renovating an old house is that the ability to get something done depends absolutely on your ability to ignore all the other things that also need to be done. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3710/my-oregon-swimming-pool Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:25:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3714/on-message-for-our-brand http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3714/on-message-for-our-brand Kevini
I went to a brand sensibility meeting this week. It was hard for me. Generally, I’m the kind of guy who makes fun of such things, not attends them. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3714/on-message-for-our-brand Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3716/happy-landings-and-the-stairs-are-finished http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3716/happy-landings-and-the-stairs-are-finished Posted by Kevini
Well, I finally finished my staircase, and I’m as pleased as the perfectionist, son-of-a-surgeon, editor of Fine Homebuilding is likely ever to be with his own work. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3716/happy-landings-and-the-stairs-are-finished Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:55:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3983/dealing-with-mistakes http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3983/dealing-with-mistakes Kevini
The latest thing I’ve learned about making mistakes, like firing a nail through your brand-new handrail, is that they make good fodder for a blog. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3983/dealing-with-mistakes Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:25:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3985/history-and-pitfalls-of-baluster-spacing http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3985/history-and-pitfalls-of-baluster-spacing Posted by Kevini
The rest of the job went OK until I nailed in the last baluster. Because the newel post was in the way, I held the nail gun at a different angle. Whoops. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3985/history-and-pitfalls-of-baluster-spacing Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:35:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3989/escaping-through-back-doors http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3989/escaping-through-back-doors Posted by Kevini
Our art director, Bob Goodfellow, calls these solutions “back doors," the tricks of the trade that help you escape when you’re trapped by a problem. Bob knows a lot them. He used to be a boatbuilder, and then moved on to stairbuilding. His knowledge of woodworking is one of the major reasons that Fine Homebuilding is as good as it is. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3989/escaping-through-back-doors Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:40:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3994/whats-right-with-this-picture http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3994/whats-right-with-this-picture Kevini
The phone rang just as I was getting ready to leave work last night. The caller ID told me it was Mark, a guy I’d been avoiding for a week. Mark is a builder in Vermont, a longtime reader, and a former author for the magazine. He had previously left me a message saying how disappointed he was with the photo on Fine Homebuilding’s current cover. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3994/whats-right-with-this-picture Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:40:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3992/painting-stairs-is-no-fun http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3992/painting-stairs-is-no-fun Posted by Kevini
Last weekend, though, I spent two days with a paintbrush in hand, priming and first-coating as much as possible. I learned how tedious it is to paint risers, cutting in against varnished treads. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3992/painting-stairs-is-no-fun Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:45:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3998/the-greenhorn-construction-company http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3998/the-greenhorn-construction-company Posted by Kevini
A half-dozen of us from the employment agency were working at the condo project, doing odd jobs to finish up the construction. We shoveled and raked and threw debris in the Dumpster. Behind the condos were small storage sheds where I nailed on my first roof shingles. I remember one of my fellow workers watching me, then saying, “Slow down. We’re getting paid by the hour.” I was so naïve as to be shocked by the suggestion. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3998/the-greenhorn-construction-company Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:50:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4000/going-solar http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4000/going-solar Posted by Kevini
As the price of oil rises, you don’t hear as many complaints about the high cost of solar power, but you still hear them: “Solar is too expensive. It doesn’t make sense. The payback period is too long.” ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4000/going-solar Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:55:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4002/recycling-windows-is-a-leap-of-faith http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4002/recycling-windows-is-a-leap-of-faith Posted by Kevini
Saturday was the first day of summer, and I finally took down the storm windows in the living room and swapped them out for screens. The windows are casements with interior storms and screens, so it’s an easy-enough chore. I don’t have to drag out a ladder. I actually look forward to this semiannual ritual, this changing of the guard, because it makes me think about where those windows came from and how they got here. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4002/recycling-windows-is-a-leap-of-faith Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:45:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3995/new-gutters-for-an-old-house http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3995/new-gutters-for-an-old-house Posted by Kevini
So last year when I took down the plastic gutters to have my house painted, I never put them back up. It was time for new gutters, and of course, I lusted after copper, which you see a lot of in this part of Connecticut. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/3995/new-gutters-for-an-old-house Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:55:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4005/me-and-my-big-mouth http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4005/me-and-my-big-mouth Kevini
A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in my office when the phone rang. We have those caller-ID phones, so I looked to see who was calling. It was the president of our company. She seldom calls me, and she never calls to chat. So naturally I assumed the call must be about something bad, and I considered not answering it. But of course, she knows where I work. I answered the phone... ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4005/me-and-my-big-mouth Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:00:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4006/advertising-complicates-things-like-my-life http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4006/advertising-complicates-things-like-my-life Kevini
I’m having a bad week. It’s my own fault; I understand that. I let the little things, like emails, get to me. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4006/advertising-complicates-things-like-my-life Fri, 23 May 2008 11:00:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4007/im-not-the-expert http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4007/im-not-the-expert Kevini
Last week, I taught a class called “Editorial Roles Outside of the Office.” The idea was suggested by a colleague who had heard me talking on a local radio show. She wondered what that was like and what other kinds of things editors did besides making magazines. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4007/im-not-the-expert Thu, 08 May 2008 11:05:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4008/figuring-it-out-as-you-go http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4008/figuring-it-out-as-you-go Posted by Kevini
When I built my addition, I set it two steps lower than the main house to keep its mass from overwhelming the original building. But I know from reading Fine Homebuilding all these years that short runs of stairs can be dangerous. People don’t see them easily and tend to trip. So I thought I’d be clever and install a little light in the wall over the steps. I went to the lighting store and ordered what’s called a “theater light.” Problem solved—until it was time to run baseboards and skirtboards along the wall. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4008/figuring-it-out-as-you-go Thu, 01 May 2008 11:10:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4011/on-the-road-to-new-energy http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4011/on-the-road-to-new-energy Posted by Kevini
Last week, I drove to upstate New York on business. I had reserved one of our company cars, a Chrysler Sebring, for the trip. But when I went to pick up the keys, I learned that we sold the Sebring and bought a Prius. Two of them, in fact. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4011/on-the-road-to-new-energy Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:15:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4015/how-green-is-green-enough-or-you-cant-please-everybody-part-ii http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4015/how-green-is-green-enough-or-you-cant-please-everybody-part-ii Kevini
Perhaps if you had simply said that Fine Homebuilding isn't green enough, I could not have argued. I don't think any person, group, or company can defend the claim that they are green enough. None of us is. We've all got to do better. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4015/how-green-is-green-enough-or-you-cant-please-everybody-part-ii Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:20:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4016/you-cant-please-everybody http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4016/you-cant-please-everybody Posted by Kevini
“Dear Sirs. Despite being longtime subscribers, we are canceling our subscription to Fine Homebuilding. We are very disappointed in the direction your magazine is headed..." ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4016/you-cant-please-everybody Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:20:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4018/nailing-down-editorial-integrity http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4018/nailing-down-editorial-integrity Kevini
Recently somebody stopped me in the hall and told me that one of our advertisers, Maze Nails, is celebrating its 160th year in business. That any company has been in business so long is remarkable, but that a building-products company, making something as prosaic as nails, should survive for 160 years is extraordinary. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4018/nailing-down-editorial-integrity Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4019/this-nesea-is-no-monster http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4019/this-nesea-is-no-monster Posted by Kevini
For the first time in 20-plus years of living in Connecticut, I took a train to Boston. It cost $11 for parking, $63 for the actual fare, and another $2 for the MBTA Silver Line to my hotel. The trip took about five hours, counting my drive to New Haven, where I caught the train. I could have driven to Boston in three hours for about $15 worth of gas. I was inspired to complicate my trip because I was attending the 33rd annual conference of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, otherwise known as NESEA. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4019/this-nesea-is-no-monster Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:05:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4022/a-little-constructive-criticism http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4022/a-little-constructive-criticism Posted by Kevini
We all need friends—and bosses—who will tell us the truth even if it’s not what we want to hear. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4022/a-little-constructive-criticism Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:05:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4024/can-you-be-passive-aggresive-with-yourself http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4024/can-you-be-passive-aggresive-with-yourself Kevini
As the months went by, and the late-February deadline approached, I considered and rejected other possible authors and topics until eventually, there simply wasn’t enough time left to find an author and then develop, write, and edit an essay with that person. Only one option remained. I would have to write the essay myself. And I wonder now (this is the passive-aggressive part) if that hadn’t been my goal all along. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4024/can-you-be-passive-aggresive-with-yourself Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:10:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4025/knee-surgery-and-the-builders-show-dont-mix http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4025/knee-surgery-and-the-builders-show-dont-mix Posted by Kevini
For some time now, I have been putting off calling an orthopedic surgeon about the pain in my right shoulder—even though four years ago I tore the rotator cuff in my left shoulder and learned that if I had come in sooner, I might have been able to avoid the invasive surgery and its lengthy recovery period. But when my knee started to hurt, too, I finally gave in and called. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4025/knee-surgery-and-the-builders-show-dont-mix Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:10:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4236/first-occupants http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4236/first-occupants Kevini
Those of us who build and remodel houses are also the first to occupy them. You can’t help it. The guy rolling joists into place gets the first view from the deck. Later, sitting on sawhorses and upturned drywall buckets, he and his crew eat the first meals in the house. They play the first music (framers like rock and roll), spill the first blood, have the first arguments. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4236/first-occupants Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:05:00 -0500 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4237/a-little-help-from-my-friends http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4237/a-little-help-from-my-friends Posted by Kevini
Being an editor at Fine Homebuilding has its pluses and minuses. Among the pluses is the fact is that you get to meet the best craftsmen in the country and visit the houses they build. The downside is that doing so can make your own home pale by comparison. ]]> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/4237/a-little-help-from-my-friends