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Issue 256 – Dec 2015/Jan 2016

On the Cover

Build a High-Performance Exterior Door

This beautiful door is ideally suited to energy-efficient homes and can be made with common building materials.

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Features

  • building a house

    Perfect Roof Rafters

    Focus your efforts on the pattern rafter, and the rest of the roof falls into place easily.

  • Flawless Two-Piece Baseboard

    If you dial in your measurements and fine-tune your cuts, you won’t need the painter to make your work look good.

  • Detailing Walls With Rigid Foam

    Navigating the challenges of exterior insulation isn’t the nightmare you might think it is.

  • Reinventing the Farmhouse

    An architect uses the site itself to guide his take on a traditional style.

  • Guide to Gas Fireplaces

    An industry veteran explains how to get the right gas fireplace for your home.

  • The Precut Porch

    A detailed SketchUp model and cutlist allow much of this portico’s prep work to be done in the shop.

    Article

  • Is Solar Power the Solution?

    Solar panels might be a wise investment in light of a generous federal tax credit set to expire by the end of 2019.

  • Tool Test: Hammer Drills and Impact Drivers

    The tools in these brushless combo kits work hard and run for a long time between charges.

    Finishing Touches

  • Parallel Parking

    June and Mark Kohler found a lot to love about the property they purchased to build their home. Its park-like setting with commanding views of a reservoir was breathtaking, and…

    What is the Difference

  • What's the Difference: Linoleum vs. Vinyl

    Resilient Flooring

    Building Skills

  • Using a Drywall Router

    Learn how to make quick, clean, and accurate cuts.

    Drawing Board

  • Pinch Points

    Many production builders in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s minimized construction costs by keeping the size of their houses as small as possible while still trying to include all the…

    How it Works

  • Ice Dams

    Ice dams are not a roofing problem; they’re an air-sealing problem.

    Project Gallery

  • Great Porches

    Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of speaking with architect and author Rick Pratt. As the chair and secretary of New Jersey’s Hightstown–East Windsor Historical Society, Pratt contacted me…

    Energy Smart Details

  • Insulating Unvented Roof Assemblies

    If you plan to insulate a sloped roof, you need to decide if you want a vented or an unvented assembly.

    Tailgate

  • Tailgate: Charlie Myers, Vo-tech Teacher

    This educator at the Woonsocket Area Career and Technical Center in Rhode Island prepares students to pursue the trades and more.

    Video

  • Behind the Scenes: How Fine Homebuilding Articles are Captured

    Join Project House host Justin Fink for a behind the scenes look at how the articles you see in Fine Homebuilding are developed and photographed on the job site.

More? View Past Issues

    Ask the Experts

  • Attaching a Deck

  • Site Planning

  • Cape Dormer Eave

  • Is Sheathing Structural?

    Readers Tips

  • Invisible Drywall Patch

  • Drywall-Bucket Door Rest

  • Reinforced Valley-Rafter Shingles

  • Removing Fence Boards

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 297 - Feb/Mar 2021

    • Foundations for Success
    • Staircase Renovation
    • Ditch the Hose
  • Issue 296 - Dec 2020/Jan 2021

    • Insulating Glass Keeps Getting Better
    • Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb
    • Making Sense of Minisplits
  • Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths

    • Condo Kitchen Reimagined
    • Row-House Remodel
    • Rise of the IAQ Monitor
  • Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020

    • Schoolhouse Reimagined
    • Tool Test: Folding Sawhorses
    • A Better Way to Build Tall Walls
  • Issue 293 - Aug/Sept 2020

    • A Practical Guide to Fall Protection
    • Installing Frameless Cabinets
    • Make Any Tablesaw Safer

Fine Homebuilding

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