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  Podcast 225: Live from the Builders’ Show: Pioneer Builders

  Patrick and Rob talk business with Tim and Bryan Uhler from Pioneer Builders

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  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.

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  How to Use a Pocket-Hole Jig

  Create strong, flush joints in your carpentry projects with this simple tool and its accompanying pocket screws.

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  Building a Concrete-Free “Slab”-on-Grade Foundation

  Northern Minnesota designer Randy Williams omitted the concrete under the floors in this new house—a growing trend among builders of energy-efficient homes.

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  True to Tradition

  Laura Medicus Interiors brings elegance to a historic working kitchen.

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  Changes to the Building Codes

  Code expert Glenn Mathewson explains how changes are made to the International Residential Code, with a chart detailing the code-development process.

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  Windows in Thick Walls

  Thick-wall assemblies offer better comfort and energy efficiency, but installing windows presents a challenge for builders.

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  Working With Wood Gutters

  Builder Scott McBride recounts his time cleaning and rebuilding wood gutters, including the advantages to wood gutters and the key to wood-gutter longevity.

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  To Vent or Not to Vent?

  I recently purchased a 1930s-era home that has a low-pitch hip roof over an enclosed porch that has been opened up to the living space. The roof is unvented and,…

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  Exterior and Interior Finishes in the Kentucky Fine Homebuilding House

  Photographs of the finished build showcase a mix of modern and traditional elements in both the private spaces and open areas for entertaining.

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  Easy Shingle Cutting With a Pneumatic Cutter

  Hand-held pneumatic roofing cutters make fast, easy work of what is typically a frustrating, knuckle-scraping job.

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  Better Fit for Baseboard

  A drywall screw acts as an adjustable shim for making tight inside corners on trim.

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  Video: Sharpening on the Go

  Building Skills video: Watch this durable, portable, and affordable sharpening method that’s ideal for remodelers.

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  Micro-Adjust Deck-Baluster Spacing for an Eye-Deceiving Layout

  No math, no measuring—just a simple jig made from an elastic band is all you need to lay out a good-looking deck railing.

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  Why I Build: Brent Kelosky, Wood-Flooring Specialist

  A second-generation flooring contractor explains how a job well done is as much about the way you run your business and treat your clients as it is about your level of craftsmanship.

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  Balancing the Elements

  These three separate outdoor spaces provide examples of ideal fire feature placement while highlighting expansive views.

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  Top 4 Things We Learned in 2018

  Let's recap the year's lessons about business, marketing, web design, and social media.

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Other Recent Blog Posts

• 

  Podcast 225: Live from the Builders’ Show: Pioneer Builders

  Patrick and Rob talk business with Tim and Bryan Uhler from Pioneer Builders

• 

  Podcast 224: Botched Drywall, Bow-Roof Cabins, and a Baseboard Radiator Hater

  The crew hears from listeners about tile showers, heat-pump water heaters, and Finex panels before taking questions on fixing bad drywall, making a bow-roof watertight, and revamping hydronic heat.

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  Podcast 223: Live from the Builders’ Show: International Brand Ambassador

  Carpenter Elly Hart talks about transitioning to a career in the trades.

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  Podcast 222: Live from the Builders’ Show: A Conversation About Low-Maintenance Siding, Trim, and Roofing Materials

  Justin Fink and Ben Bogie chat with experts from Boral about a wide range of manufactured exterior materials—particularly Boral’s poly-ash TrueExterior line.

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  Podcast 221: Live from the Builders’ Show: Straight Talk about the Construction Business

  Patrick and Justin talk with Home Advisor's economist Mischa Fisher about the skilled trade gap and what we can do about it.

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  Podcast 220: Live from the Builders’ Show: Matt and Kiley Chat with the Inventor of Warmboard and Trade-School Students

  Warmboard inventor and CEO Terry Alsberg sits down to talk about his product’s origin story and comfortable heating, and two students from SUNY Delhi talk about what they’re doing in trade school and about their participation in NAHB’s Residential Construction Management Competition.

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  Podcast 219: Live from the Builders’ Show: Mike Guertin and Addison Oliveira

  Mike and Addison discuss their experience at IBS and share some of the gear and products that caught their eye while walking the show floor.

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  Podcast 218: Live from the Builders’ Show: A Conversation with Architect Steve Baczek

  Steve joins Patrick and Rob at the Fine Homebuilding booth to talk about building materials, building science, and sharing knowledge within the building community.

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  Using Metal Studs to Level a Sloping Ceiling

  Metal studs are light enough to go up quickly, but sturdy enough to support a new drywall ceiling.

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  Podcast 217: Architecturally Correct Trim, Keeping a Cabin Warm, and Fixes for Butchered Floor Joists

  The crew gets feedback on door bevels and heat-pump water heaters before taking questions on matching moldings to a house style, converting a seasonal cabin to year-round use, and what to do about Sawzall-wielding plumbers.