Home-Building Cyclopedia

Get clear explanations of the essential concepts in residential design, construction, and remodeling.

What is a Home Energy Audit?

This thorough evaluation of your house's energy health will help you choose the right upgrades to make it more comfortable, healthy, and affordable to live in.
Garage-Door Openers Are Getting Smarter

Selecting the best garage-door operator now means choosing mount location, battery power, lighting capabilities, and more.
Radiant Heating and Cooling

Radiant floor heating is quiet and unobtrusive, but there are several things to consider when deciding if it's right for your home.
How to Find Air Leaks in Your House

A blower door isn't just for measuring how tight a building is—you can also use it to search for gaps and holes that need air-sealing.
Paints and Stains

Your project is nearing completion, and now you have to decide how you will protect it.
Net-Zero Homes

High-performance features reduce energy consumption, but family habits are everything.
Fiber-Cement Siding: An Attractive Alternative to Wood

This manufactured siding material is more rot resistant and holds paint better than wood siding, but installing it requires a bit more effort.
Net-Metering is How Most Solar-Powered Homes “Store” Electricity

Homeowners who install solar panels can get credit or money from their utility company for the power they send back to the grid if their state has net-metering rules in place.
Choosing Disposable Gloves

The choice depends on what you're handling and how much you're willing to spend.
What Happens When Building Materials Don’t Like Each Other?

Be sure to research compatibility before mixing construction materials, because seemingly innocent pairings of different materials can lead to problems.

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In every issue you'll find...

Home-Building Cyclopedia

What is a Home Energy Audit?

Garage-Door Openers Are Getting Smarter

Radiant Heating and Cooling

How to Find Air Leaks in Your House

Paints and Stains

Net-Zero Homes

Fiber-Cement Siding: An Attractive Alternative to Wood

Net-Metering is How Most Solar-Powered Homes “Store” Electricity

Choosing Disposable Gloves

What Happens When Building Materials Don’t Like Each Other?

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Easy Router Jig for Perfect Hinge Mortises

What to Look for When Buying an Old House

Podcast 386: Job-Site Protection, Failed Floor Tile, and DIY Spray Foam

HVAC System for a High-Performance Home

Podcast 385: PRO TALK With Shop Teacher Roy Horne

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

Issue 302 - October 2021

Issue 301 - Aug/Sept 2021

Issue 300 - July 2021

Issue 299 - June 2021

Issue 298 - April/May 2021