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Tips & Techniques

Tips & Techniques is a collection of methods, tools, and jigs that our readers have devised to get things done on their own construction projects.  Email photos and descriptions of your tips to us at [email protected]; post them with the #FineHomebuildingTips hashtag on Instagram; or upload them to FineHomebuilding.com/reader-tips for a chance to have them featured in an issue of Fine Homebuilding Magazine. Plus, we pay for any tips we publish.

Want to see a new Fine Homebuilding tip in your inbox every day? Then sign up for the Tip of the Day newsletter!

  • Durable Chalklines

    Chalk layout lines are invariably erased by brooms, rain and shoes -- especially on concrete. If you like to do your layout well in advance of the work it will…

  • Stringline anchor

    When it comes time to frame a house, I like to do the layout by myself. The solitude affords me time to work out the kinks in the plan without…

  • A quieter fan

    In the dead of a hot summer night, when I'm trying to fall asleep, the last thing I want to hear is the whole-house fan in our attic resonating throughout…

  • Stringing wedges

    Like Benny Soto (see From Boulders to Building Blocks), I use steel wedges to split sandstone boulders into building blocks. But our leafy groundcover sometimes makes it tough to find…

  • Painted-trim prep

    Sometimes when a house interior needs repainting, the woodwork is too rough to take a new coat of paint, but not bad enough to warrant stripping. Under these circumstances, I prepare…

  • String snare

    The time-honored way to connect stereo speakers or TV antennae is to drill a small hole in the floor, and then run the wires across the basement ceiling. That's fine…

  • Stack Painting

    Save yourself time and make a tedious task easier.

  • Door-Pull Jig

    Whenever I need to install pulls on cabinet doors, I begin the job by making a jig to locate the screw holes. The jig (see drawing) is a piece of…

  • Perimeter insulation detail

    The drawing shows a detail that we (at the Colorado Mountain College Solar Program) have developed to insulate foundations in cold climates. Although it uses a standard 8-in. wide concrete-block…

  • Deck jack

    If you've ever struggled to achieve a tight fit with T&G decking without marring the material, you might be able to use this tip. Instead of using pry bars or…

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Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 332 - July 2025
    • Custom Built-ins With Job-Site Tools
    • Fight House Fires Through Design
    • Making the Move to Multifamily
  • Issue 331 - June 2025
    • A More Resilient Roof
    • Tool Test: You Need a Drywall Sander
    • Ducted vs. Ductless Heat Pumps
  • Issue 330 - April/May 2025
    • Deck Details for Durability
    • FAQs on HPWHs
    • 10 Tips for a Long-Lasting Paint Job
  • Issue 329 - Feb/Mar 2025
    • Smart Foundation for a Small Addition
    • A Kominka Comes West
    • Making Small Kitchens Work
  • Issue 328 - Dec/Jan 2025
    • How a Pro Replaces Columns
    • Passive House 3.0
    • Tool Test: Compact Line Lasers

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