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Issue 200

On the Cover

Every House Needs an Energy Audit

Inspecting a house for inefficiencies is the first step toward optimized comfort and minimized utility costs.

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Features

  • Tool Test: 16-Ga. Finish Nailers

    The right tool can improve the speed, accuracy, and quality of your trimwork.

  • Frame a Classic Shed Dormer

    If you start with a full-scale layout on the subfloor and plan for the finished details, the framing is relatively painless.

  • Glass-Block Shower on a Curve

    This shower-stall alternative lets in the light, offers privacy, and makes a small space feel roomy.

  • Custom Cabinets
    A Faster, Easier Approach to Custom Cabinets

    Create kitchen cabinets, pantries, and more with a slick hybrid design and problem-solving pocket-screw joinery.

  • adding attic insulation
    Unfinished-Attic Insulation Upgrade

    Seal air leaks first, then blow in extra insulation for an energy-saving improvement that offers a great bang for the buck.

  • An American Bungalow: Before and After

    Transformed into a classic Craftsman home, this Sears kit house lives, looks, and performs better than ever.

Article

  • flawless wood floors
    11 Wood-Flooring Problems and Their Solutions

    For flawless wood floors, avoid these installation and finishing mistakes

  • Tubular Skylights Should Leak Only Sunlight

    Mike Guertin demonstrates his step-by-step process for bringing the sun's rays into a dark hallway

Cross Section

  • Should you switch heating fuels?

    BuildingGreen.com has an interactive online calculator to make comparing fuel costs simple

  • New code requirement for fire sprinklers

    The International Code Council, the governing body responsible for the International Residential Code (IRC), recently approved a proposal to require fire sprinklers in all new one- and two-family homes and…

  • Five Things You Didn't Know About Paint

    Stats on everything from paint sales and components to factories and labor costs 

Tools & Materials

  • New 12-in. miter saw leads the field

    12-in. sliding compound-miter saw (6955-20) by Milwaukee

  • Fireplace draft stopper

    3-Ply poly Chimney Balloon keeps hot air where it should be 

  • Alternative to anchor bolts

    Titen HD screw anchor by Simpson Strong-Tie

Letters

  • Reader Feedback: Issue 200, Dec 2008/Jan 2009

    Bad, not big, homes are the problem I love and applaud the concepts behind architect Sarah Susanka’s approach to home design: optimizing function, utility, cost, and energy consumption to fit…

Finishing Touches

  • Kindling Creativity

    A fireplace not only adds warmth to any room, it also sets the tone

What is the Difference

  • What's the Difference: Safety glasses

    Should you wear glass, plastic, or polycarbonate lenses?

  • Trowels for Tile: Square-Notch, U-Notch, or V-Notch?

    Select the trowel based on the size of the tile being used and the substrate material.

  • What's the Difference: Paintable Caulk

    Does price matter, or is a latex caulk by any other name still the same?

Building Skills

  • Wrapping cords and hoses

    Learn how to avoid twists and kinks that can cause damage

Master Carpenter

  • Dress-up-cabinet-face-frames-with-a-mitered-integral-bead
    Dress up cabinet face frames with a mitered integral bead

    For consistent results, rotate the stock, not the saw, and cut opposing pieces at the same time 

Great Moments

  • Trimming the Tree

    When all else fails, an unlikely tool gets the job done

Drawing Board

  • Designing stairs for an addition

    Start with a top-down approach, then choose a shape that lands in a good spot

Video

  • 3 Ways to Wrap Cords and Hoses

    Maintain the quality of cords and hoses, and avoid kinks and tangles by using proper wrapping technique 

  • Video: Add a Mitered Integral Bead to Cabinet Face Frames

    This detail softens the edge while creating a deep shadowline.

  • How to Add Blown-in Fiberglass Insulation

    Watch Mike Guertin blown in fiberglass insulation, an affordable way to increase R-value in homes with empty attics.

  • Video: Using a Pocket-Hole Jig

    A pocket-hole jig makes cabinet assembly fast and easy.

  • Cutting Curves with a Wet Saw

    Cutting the outside radius is easy, but the inside radius requires a few extra steps and some skill.

  • Cutting Curves in Marble with a Ring-Blade Wet Saw

    This specialized tile saw makes quick work of shaping stone and glass tiles.

  • 16-Ga. Finish Nailer Roundup, Part One

    Rick Arnold lists his top-four must-have features that distinguish one nailer in a market of many

  • 16-Ga. Finish Nailer Roundup, Part Two

    Secondary features worth considering when choosing a finish nailer

  • Using a Moisture Meter
    Video Vault: Using a Moisture Meter

    An accurate moisture meter is the most important tool a wood-floor installer can use.

  • Video Vault: Plywood Sheet-Metal Brake

    Give your brake a break with this improvised custom-flashing device

  • Drywall Cutting-Tool Protection Strips
    Drywall Cutting-Tool Protection Strips

    Try this ingenious alternative use for paper-face metal drywall tape when cutting against a finished surface.

  • 16-Ga. Finish Nailer Roundup, Gun By Gun

    Rick Arnold reviews the top features of more than a dozen 16-ga. finish nailers

  • Tool Review: Milwaukee's New 12-in. Miter Saw

    Finish carpenter Kit Camp revisits the "best overall" in the 12-in miter-saw category

  • Tubular-Skylight-Basics
    Tubular Skylight Basics

    Mike Guertin explains the ins and outs of how tubular skylights work.

  • Installing a Tubular Skylight: Step 1

    Locate the skylight's position, then mark and cut the opening in the roof

  • Installing a Tubular Skylight: Step 2

    Proper flashing ensures a long life for the skylight and the roof

  • Installing a Tubular Skylight: Step 3

    In this final step, Mike Guertin works his way from the top down to connect the tube and let the daylight in

  • Build Like a Pro: Adding Blown-in Fiberglass Insulation

    Less dusty than cellulose, blown-in fiberglass increases R-value and installs quickly

More? View Past Issues

Ask the Experts

  • Direct Water Into Gutters
  • How to Stop Drywall Inside Corners From Cracking

Readers Tips

  • Plywood sheet-metal brake
  • Improvised radiant floor
  • Drywall cutting-tool protection strips
  • Roll-Up Boardwalk
  • SIP Attic-Access Panel
  • Get a grip on window installations

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 320 - Dec 2023/Jan 2024
    • How to Reuse Salvaged Wood
    • Chainsaw Retrofit and Energy Performance
    • Maximize HVAC Efficiency
  • Issue 319 - November 2023
    • Nearly Net-Zero ADU
    • An Easy Approach to Coffered Ceilings
    • Understanding Types of Roof Vents
  • Issue 318 - October 2023
    • Make Mudsills Square and Level
    • Turn Up the Heat With Induction Cooktops
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: Lloyd Alter
  • Issue 317 - Aug/Sept 2023
    • Finishing Drywall With Seamless Results
    • A Flat Roof in a Cold Climate
    • Compact Cordless Shop Vacs
  • Issue 316 - July 2023
    • Timber-Framed Solar Canopies
    • Build a Transom Above a Stock Door
    • Understanding Toilet Design and Efficiency

Fine Homebuilding

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