tag: windows

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Design: Playing with Scale

RYagid, senior editor | August 5th, 20111 comment

Create contrast with scale to design interesting, beautiful homes

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Once upon a time there was a shed. It sat amongst the trees on the edge of a beautiful green kingdom. It wasn't a normal shed and by shed standards was strange and awkward. The queen did not want the...

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PODCAST: Air-Tight Window Installation

DanMorrison, Executive editor, Fine Homebuilding & Green Building Advisor | July 11th, 20111 comment

Windows represent the biggest potential holes in the building envelope. Think about it: the rough openings are just big holes — until you actually plug the opening with a window.

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Bathroom Design: Skylights Make the Space

RYagid, senior editor | July 11th, 2011

Use this natural light source to transform dark bathrooms into bright bathrooms that feel larger

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Simple Steps for Window- and Door-Framing Layout

FHBdotcom, editor | July 8th, 20111 comment

Learn a few measuring shortcuts that make accurate rough-opening layouts a snap

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Does It Pay to Use the Most Energy-Efficient Windows?

ScottG, contributing writer | March 16th, 20113 comments

High-performance windows aren't cheap, but many experts say the energy savings and increased indoor comfort justify the cost. Is this really the case?

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Door-trimming jig

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 2011

The hinge side of a door must be trimmed to width at 90°. The latch side is usually trimmed at 5° off vertical for a beveled edge. Making these long cuts straight and smooth is easy with this...

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Sill seal

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 20112 comments

I came up with a solution for weatherstripping a door bottom where a thick rug prevents a spring-loaded bottom sweep from retracting. I used a length of vinyl bulb weatherstripping, intended for a...

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Easy door buck

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 2011

Building a door buck (FHB #8, p.35) is a good idea if you find yourself dealing with a house full of door hanging from scratch, but for a quick setup, the answer is right in your toolbox. I use two...

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Frictionless hinge

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 20111 comment

For me, the most .frustrating part of making and installing a heavy, handmade entry door has been finding the right hinges. Even with a good set of heavy butts, the hinge barrels begin to grind down...

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Hinge-mortising jig

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 20112 comments

I use a router and a jig to mortise hinges in doors and casement windows. By using a 1/2-in. diameter hinge-mortising bit and a standard round-cornered hinge, I achieve a consistently clean fit that...

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Radiused window casings

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 2011

Recently, while building a half-circle window, I needed a way to make the casing and interior stops. Instead of transferring the curves from templates onto the stock and then joining these pieces, I...

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Offset jig

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 20111 comment

Whenever I install door or window casings, I use the jig shown here to make sure that I get an accurate 1/4-in. reveal. It's made of two square pieces of hardwood, 1/4 in. thick, that are glued...

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Installing a new threshold

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 2011

It's important for a door to fit snugly against its new vinyl-gasket threshold, particularly if the system you're using doesn't include a door-bottom sweep. But fitting an old door with one means...

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Holding a level plumb

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 20111 comment

I use a 6-1/2-ft. spirit level to plumb and straighten interior door jambs. In order to leave both hands free to handle the shims and to drive nails, I wedge the level against one of the jambs to...

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Plumb-bob anchor

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 20111 comment

Whenever I'm hanging a door with wood jambs, I use a chisel or utility knife to lift a small sliver in the center of the head jamb. Then I use it to anchor the string on my plumb line, as shown...

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Drilling foam-core steel doors

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 2011

I had to drill holes for deadbolt locks in some steel doors that had foam cores, and I almost destroyed the first couple of doors using a standard hole saw because the 1/4-in. pilot bit would wander...

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Locating latches

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 20111 comment

Here's a fast, accurate method that I use for locating the centerpoints for door latch and dead-bolt mortises. First I center a hole for a 6d nail in the end of a short piece of dowel (a 1-in. dia...

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Better backing for doors

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 20111 comment

If you think about how most doors are mounted to most jambs and visualize the relationship of hinge-to-door and hinge-to-jamb, you may see some room for improvement. Standard butt hinges, heavyduty...

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Chiseling hinge mortises

FHBdotcom, editor | January 31st, 2011

I typically use a router and a template to cut mortises or to enlarge existing mortises for new door hinges. But for small jobs where it doesn't make sense to cart along a lot of gear, I use a...

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