FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Main Menu
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Main Menu Subscribe

Issue 297 – Feb/Mar 2021

On the Cover

Foundations for Success

Getting a first new home out of the ground can be a challenge, so we've assembled some pro tips for making the job go as smoothly as possible.

Subscribe View the Digital Issue

The Magazine

  • Subscribe
  • Renew Subscription
  • Gift Subscription
  • Online Membership
  • Magazine Index
  • View Past Issues
  • View the Digital Edition Archive
  • Contact Customer Service
  • Author Guidelines
  • Advertise

Features

  • staircase renovation

    Staircase Renovation

    Loose, tilted flights signal trouble underfoot, but even major problems can be fixed with screws, blocks and braces.

  • Ditch the Hose

    Ditch the Hose

    Battery-powered cordless framing nailers are almost good enough to replace pneumatics—for some, they already have.

  • Successful Floors With Trusses

    Successful Floors With Trusses

    Quality at the plant is hit or miss, so a flat floor means tweaking trusses on the job.

  • Sidewall Shingles With a Flare

    A slight curve adds charm, and also a bit of complexity, to the process of siding with cedar shingles.

  • drawing of author Mike Litchfield

    The Fine Homebuilding Interview: Mike Litchfield

    A founding editor of our magazine and a pioneering how-to journalist takes us back to where it all began.

  • EPS foam raft

    High-Performance Raft Slab

    This versatile frost-protected shallow foundation is adaptable for different wall systems and climates.

    Article

  • 40 years of Fine Homebuilding Magazine

    Celebrating 40 years of Fine Homebuilding

    FHB editorial director Brian Pontolilo introduces our 40th-anniversary issue of the magazine and reflects on how our industry and our magazine have changed and how they've stayed the same.

  • The Slow Evolution of Paint

    The Slow Evolution of Paint

    As manufacturers tinker with chemistry to improve durability, ease of application, and hide, the distinction between water- and oil-based paints is blurred­—for the better.

  • Site-built sawhorses

    Readers' Letters: 9 Ways To Build Sawhorses

    From simple, site-built work surfaces to carefully fabricated shop furniture, homemade sawhorses are popular with our audience of builders, remodelers, and homeowners.

  • Fine Homebuilding Issue #297 Online Highlights

    Fine Homebuilding Issue #297 Online Highlights

    Here are the digital extras from Fine Homebuilding’s February/March 2021, Issue #297: On page 8 of issue #297, we featured a number of online extras and urged readers to check…

    Tips & Techniques

  • FHB's 40th Anniversary Tips Video Contest

    Record yourself demonstrating a favorite tip from the Fine Homebuilding archive to win a cordless compact router kit.

  • tunneling under slab

    Timeless Tip: Tunneling Under Slabs

    Use standard plumbing parts to quickly dig a narrow hole under a slab.

  • door control

    Temporary Door Control

    Use this simple trick to hold doors closed during construction before installing locksets.

  • scribing

    Scribing Made Simple

    Use a washer and a pencil to scribe moldings quickly and easily without marring a finished surface.

  • Shim Storage

    Shim Storage

    A finish screw keeps shims in an organized, easily separated stack.

  • old hand saw

    Deck-Board Cleaner and Scrapers

    A cheap, used handsaw is an inexpensive tool for preparing a deck for stain.

  • shingle holder

    Shingle Holder

    A ledger strip with a rabbet along one edge keeps sidewall shingles from falling before they're fastened.

    Know the Code

  • Protecting Foundations From Frost

    Protecting Foundations From Frost

    Code-offered alternatives to digging below the frost line.

    Tools & Gear

  • Straight-Hole Jig

    Straight-Hole Jig

    Ideal for cabinetwork, these drill guides have a V-groove that centers the guide on 90-degree corners and curved edges.

  • fine chalk line

    Clever Dry Line

    Lightweight, compact, and a cinch to position, this stringline may be an essential if precision is your goal.

  • Tough, Basic Work Pants

    Tough, Basic Work Pants

    These Dickies pants have a useful sacrificial double knee and no unecessary bells and whistles.

  • Better Hammer Tacker

    When that old slap stapler just isn't making the cut, this tacker is worth the additional cost in exchange for durability.

    HOUSES by Design

  • Celebrating Efficient Post-and-Beam Construction

    Celebrating Efficient Post-and-Beam Construction

    An old barn is transformed into a high-performance home that highlights the structure's original framing.

  • High Design at Home in Nature

    High Design at Home in Nature

    A net-zero home sited to connect to its rural setting earns LEED for Homes certification.

  • Retrofit of a Timber-Frame Farmhouse

    Retrofit of a Timber-Frame Farmhouse

    A design/build team performs a small miracle on a dilapidated 1850s home.

    Other

  • Old-World Craftsmanship

    A custom New York mill and a German flooring company partners to offer sustainably harvested wood from Germany's Bavaria region, hand-finished using only ingredients found in nature.

  • wood post sleeves

    Longer-Lasting Wood Posts

    These plastic resin sleeves encase a buried portion of a post or pole to protect the wood from decay.

  • steel-framed windows

    Phenomenal Fenestration

    These steel-framed windows are corrosion resistent and support expansive panes of insulated glass.

  • lime paint

    Luxurious Lime Paint

    This line of mineral-based paint refracts light to create a luminous glow with a rich matte texture.

  • car charger

    Fast, Flexible Car Charger

    With 9x faster speeds than its competitors, the ChargePoint Home Flex makes charging an electrical vehicle at home faster and more convenient.

  • water-resistive barrier

    Peel-and-Stick Drainable Housewrap

    Benjamin Obdyke’s new self-adhered HydroGap SA is easy to apply solo and sits tight over every surface and around every corner.

    Building Matters

  • Mike Guertin presenting at conference.

    Building a Knowledge of Building

    Print and online publications, internet discussion boards, and an extensive network of tradespeople are all sources of tips, tricks, and techniques of the trade.

    Keep Craft Alive

  • Josh Salinger, Construction Business Owner

    Keep Craft Alive: Josh Salinger, Construction Business Owner

    After scaling up and feeling disconnected from the process, a Portland, Oregon, builder refocuses his company with a commitment to building better homes and better relationships.

More? View Past Issues

    Ask the Experts

  • Is There Environmentally Friendly Spray Foam Insulation?

  • How To Get Pet Stains Out of Oak

  • Handling Asbestos Tile

  • Do Dryers Need Three- or Four-Pronged Cords?

  • Wet-Room Drainage

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

Follow

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Manage Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • CA Privacy Rights

© 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Account

  • Log In
  • Join

    Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

    Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

    All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

    Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

    More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

    Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 52%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in