BrianP

Great video, Matt. There are a few slight variations on this approach, but it is the most widely accepted best practice in the industry.

I may have missed this at the beginning, but did you do something to slope the sill?

Also, I assume that you spray a bead of foam around the perimeter at the inside of the opening where it prevents infiltration but doesn't stop drainage. But perhaps you can comment on the air sealing questions.

I'm not sure where I picked up the term, but I've always called the jig that Suburbangeorge describes a "shooting board."

I have an 8 footer, a 4 footer, and I make custom boards all the time. I just made one recently to cut a piece of marble with a masonry blade, which cuts a thicker kerf than my wood blades.

They're so fast to set up that I use one for just about every cut, even when cutting a piece of OBS roof sheathing, where a precise line is not too critical. Of course, I'm typically working on my own house and can afford the time.

There are dedicated track saws from Festool, DeWalt and others that provide perhaps more precision for the same task, as well.

I bet Mike has a reason why he doesn't use one or didn't use one here. Maybe he'll chime in.

Also let me know if Suburbangeorge's description of the jig is confusing. If it helps, I'll shoot a quick video of how to make a shooting board for a sidewinder or worm-drive saw.

Mewtzo and willf,

I wish I could answer either of your questions in a way that you could run out to a home center this weekend and upgrade the insulation in your basements, walls, ceilings, and/or roofs. Unfortunately, energy-retrofits are complicated affairs.

There are some weekend projects you could tackle, like weatherstripping drafty doors and windows and insulating exposed rim joists. We have a bunch of good videos and articles on the former project (search "weatherstripping") and here's a good story on the latter project:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/articles/best-way-to-insulate-a-rim-joist-with-expandable-foam-kit.aspx

Beyond those type of things, upgrading your insulation is a matter of prioritizing your efforts and spending and choosing materials wisely.

Two common rules of thumb are to start with the attic (or roof) and to air seal before insulating. Here is a project that will make a big difference in your homes performance, but remember to focus on the details, just blowing a pile of loose fill insulation into your attic isn't enough:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/articles/attic-insulation-upgrade.aspx?ac=fp

Old walls are tricky to insulate well without opening them up, but there are options that will be an improvement over no insulation. This article will help you get started:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/articles/new-insulation-old-walls.aspx?ac=fp

Again, unless you are using spray foam, you have to air seal before you insulate. And you always have to be mindful of how your upgrades will change the way other aspects of the house perform.

For example, if you did choose to fill existing walls with pour in foam, not only would you be air sealing and insulating, but you may be creating a vapor barrier. Now that your once leaky house is tight, you need to have a strategy to manage moisture so you don't end up with mold and rot.

As you can see, I can't even scratch the surface of these issues here, but there is a lot of good information on our site, and others (check out www.greenbuildingadvisor.com) to help get you started.

Studio513,
Thanks for your thoughts. One way we can connect readers and manufacturers right now is in our Q&A department. Believe it or not, we don't get as many questions from readers as we'd like. And often they're too specific to the reader's project to be useful to others, so we don't use them in the column. If you have specific questions for a manufacturer that would help you understand why they do certain things, please send them to fh@taunton.com with Q&A in the subject line. By the way, doors seem to always interst our readers.

Brian

Pablo,
I have nothing to explain that I didn't say in my letter.

I've been working on FHB for about 8 years and was recently asked to replace Kevin Ireton as editor when he left the magazine. I have some ideas for new features and departments (have you seen How it Works?), and thought I'd use this platform to hear what readers are liking and what they are not so excited about.

Clearly you're not interested in the basics. Is there anything in the new issue that you do like?

Thanks for the comments, everyone. It's just as good for us to hear specific article ideas like gtmtx suggests as it is to hear ideas for new columns and overall thoughts about the magazine.

This is not the first time that we've been asked to publish the country of manufacture of the tools we review. I'll look into why we don't do it.

Thanks for the heads-up bk24, I have been reading the feedback on Breaktime as well.

Great Post Chris.

You're likely right that those opposed to mandatory fire sprinklers are actually opposed to the addition costs of building a house. There is also a good chance that they are simply opposed to anything "mandated."

Given home fire sprinkler’s established safety record, and the simplicity of the multi-purposed systems you describe in the story (sprinkler water and potable water in one), I voted "Absolutely."

I would also be willing to bet that if you looked more closely into the range in costs, and maybe you have, that you would find they are lower in markets where installations are more common and more expensive where installations are rare. In which case, if sprinklers become required in more areas, costs will drop.

I know that unreasonable codes can be problematic for builders and can drive up construction costs unnecessarily, but if they are in fact written for homeowner’s safety, this one seems more than reasonable.

gman,
What was boring about the issue? The topics? The way they were presented? Both? What are you interested in seeing in FHB?

If you have a minute to elaborate, I'd like to hear more.

Thanks,
Brian

You make a good point, Mr. Fournier, which is that a house is a system. New homes must be designed and built with this in mind and just as important, remodelers must be mindful that an upgrade, as simple as a new bath- or range hood-fan, can affect how other parts of the house, the heating system or chimney for example, are performing.

Offcuts is getting close, Greengiant. I'm not sure it's one word, but this is the web, so who cares.

How about The Editor's Punch List?

Sawdust was one of my early ideas, too, Jerry. But I couldn't connect it to anything more descriptive, so I gave up on it. Now that you mention it, I'll revive it on the list of possibilities.

For hollow-core doors, Gary Katz doesn't use any shims:

http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/how-to/articles/setting-prehung-doors.aspx?nterms=61630,93208&ac=fp

Again, Nice work, Fastedie.

Great minds think alike, Harold. I'm hoping I can photograph some of Dan's countertops that have been installed for a few years while I'm in Austin. But I'm not sure yet if it is going to be possible; we're still working out the timing and logistics of getting everything done in a couple of days. I'll keep you posted.

Nick, I'm sure we'll learn about hardness when Dan discusses choosing a wood species in the story. I know he makes counters out of just about everything, but that only means he's willing to give his clients what they want. It doesn't mean all woods are created equal. We'll talk pros and cons for sure.

I feel like an undermount sink would be a no-brainer KV, for easy clean-up and because there's no rim for water to get trapped under and rot the top, but I'll ask Dan, he's the expert.

Thanks everyone,
Brian

Good Question Rancho. Dan and I talked a little about how to protect the top from appliances installed beneath it, but we didn't get to cooktops. I'll find out, though.

Bill,
I had a feeling that someone might complain that they didn't have a year to wait for this story (not that your really complaining), but that's the reality of making a magazine; for a number of reasons we have to plan issues well ahead of time. Maybe I'll post a post-photo shoot blog with some of Dan's tips when I get back from Austin. But I can't give it all away online! And don't forget to post photos in the gallery when you break ground in April.

I'm with Robyn; more info and photos please.
Brian P, managing editor