Issue 256 – Dec 2015/Jan 2016

Build a High-Performance Exterior Door

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

Subscribe View the Digital Issue

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.

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.

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…

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…

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…

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: 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.

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.