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Issue 286 – Oct/Nov 2019

On the Cover

How to Choose the Right Replacement Windows

Learn what details and conditions to look for in an existing home to see if an insert replacement window makes more sense than removing and replacing the entire original window.

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The Magazine

Features

  • Patching a Hardwood Floor

    2 Methods for Patching a Hardwood Floor

    Learn professional techniques for evaluating damaged flooring, removing individual boards, and installing seamless repair patches.

  • How to Install Built-up Crown Molding

    Use these time-tested design principles and basic carpentry techniques to create beautiful layered crown and cornice trim details that will dress up any room in your house.

  • home elevator

    Retrofitting a Home Elevator

    Powered by suction, pneuamatic vacuum elevators are a low-maintenance, compact alternative to conventional lifts, plus they have a much more modern look.

  • how to fix a sagging floor

    Clever Fix for a Sagging Floor

    Learn how to level floor framing in an old home by lifting joists with temporary walls, installing a midspan beam, and adding new studs to distribute the load down to the foundation.

  • Kentucky House- Fine Homebuilding House

    Updating a Traditional Design With Modern Elements

    Modern accents and a monochromatic color scheme enliven the traditional design of this 19th-century-inspired home

  • Fine Homebuilding Issue #286 Online Highlights

    Here are the digital extras from Fine Homebuilding’s November 2019, Issue #286: Exterior and Interior Finishes in the Kentucky Fine Homebuilding House On page 8 of issue #286, we featured…

    Tips & Techniques

  • Create the Perfect Caulk Joint

    Masking tape and solvents are the key to a clean bead of sealant.

  • Clean Copes

    A specialty woodcarving tool works better than the typical utility knife does when cleaning up molding joints.

  • Ladder Helper

    This homemade rack conveniently holds small workpieces when working up high.

  • Driver-Bit Storage

    Make a simple pocket for keeping several bits handy by wrapping a piece of a bicycle inner tube around the base of your cordless drill.

  • Keep Out Sewer Gases

    A drink cup beats a pile of rags if you need to temporarily plug a plumbing drain pipe when replacing a toilet.

  • Open Out-of-Reach Windows

    A DIY extension handle works well for window cranks that can't be operated from the ground.

    Know the Code

  • A New Old Way to Vent a Kitchen Island

    The combination waste and vent system is a simpler alternative to island fixture vents and air-admittance valves, and a recent code change may make it more popular.

    Tools & Materials

  • Heavyweight Portable Tablesaw

    Heavyweight Portable Tablesaw

    The sturdy and powerful Grizzly G0870 10-in tablesaw is a workhorse on the job site.

  • Drawer Front Installation Clamps from Powertec

    Clever Clamps

    Powertec's Drawer Front Installation Clamps make simple work of this often frustrating task.

  • Semi-Pro Paint Sprayer

    Semi-Pro Paint Sprayer

    The Wagner Flexio 3000 spray rig is a good alternative to professional painting equipment when you want a faster, smoother job than you can get with a brush or roller.

  • Stress-Free Sander

    Stress-Free Sander

    The Makita XOB01Z 5-in. cordless random-orbit sander is well balanced and more convenient than its corded counterparts.

  • Toilet tamer

    Toilet Tamer

    Oatey LiquiLock powder makes removing an old toilet less of a mess.

  • Versatile Electrical Box

    Unlike typical work boxes that have one connection method or another, Carlon's Zip Box Blue electrical boxes have a 3-in-1 mounting system so you don't ever have the wrong type for the job at hand.

  • Thermally Broken Studs

    Tstuds are a new energy-efficient framing product that look like vertical trusses made from two thin boards joined by a series of angled dowels.

  • Hinges for Thin Door and Drawer Fronts

    Blum Expando T hinges have a unique pressure-fit mounting system that only requires 1/4-in. penetrations into cabinet doors and drawer faces.

  • A New Line of Push-to-Connect Fittings

    SharkBite launches a professional series of plastic fittings that is claimed to speed up PEX-to-PEX rough plumbing jobs.

  • Polymer-Modified Wood

    Lignia polymer-impregnated pine decking is an attractive new alternative to pressure-treated lumber.

    HOUSES by Design

  • Row House Revived

    A major remodel of the back of this 1890s brick home brings in more light and makes a better connection to an existing rooftop deck.

  • back-to-plumb-and-in-plane

    Back to Plumb and in Plane

    Creative framing and trim details straighten out the kinks during the remodel of a crooked old timber-frame farmhouse in Vermont.

    Building Matters

  • How to Install Doors in Thick Walls

    Superinsulated walls make it challenging to install standard-size door jambs and sills. Energy-efficient-home designer Michael Maines offers some workable solutions.

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