25 Years of Milestones

From OSB and cordless drills to The Home Depot and HGTV, here's a look at how the past quarter-century has shaped the home-building industry

When the first issue of Fine Homebuilding hit the newsstand in 1981, framers drove nails with hammers, architects drew plans with pencils, and toilets drank 3.5 gallons of water every time they were flushed. Over the past 25 years, more has changed in home building than the cover of our magazine: A movement of do-it-yourselfers was born, water-based finishes were forced to perform, and drills evolved into a cordless species. This article takes a look at the events, the people, and the innovative tools and materials that have changed the way we build houses as we move into a new millennium.