Expert Home Improvement Advice
Farmers Porch When I designed our new house my wife only had a couple of must haves. The biggest wish on her list was a full length farmers porch. I was skeptical at first because I wasn’t exactly sure how our large colonial style home would look with such a large porch on it. As…
Framing Window Openings One of the most basic framing techniques involves framing window and door openings. Understanding the anatomy of a framed window opening will help you properly frame both window and door rough openings. The adjacent diagram shows a traditionally framed window opening from a recent project. Each of the major components are labeled…
Framing Rough Openings Framing rough openings for windows and doors (standard door and windows openings) is really straight forward if you follow some simple dimensional rules. For standard wood framed construction the rough openings for doors and windows is typically the actual unit size plus 2-1/2 inches in height and width. Standard Door Rough Openings…
Door Glass with Built In Blinds I’ve written several articles about doors with built in blinds and how wonderful they are for exterior doors like paired French Doors. Today I want to discuss how these same doors can also be used for interior applications. At work we’re currently in the process of building a large…
Grace Flashing Solutions One of the most important and difficult components of construction is proper flashing to keep rain, snow and ice out of buildings to prevent water damage and premature rotting of wood framing. On one of our current projects at work the guys have been building an addition for a school that has…
Using Prefabricated Wall Panels I’ve written about using prefabricated wall panels before and how they can save time on a job. Today I wanted to show an example of a job that really benefited from the use of prefabricated wall panels. Today one of our crews set wall panels on the 2nd floor of a…
DeWALT 18V Cordless XRP Hammerdrills Recently the folks at DeWALT sent us two of their Cordless XRP Hammerdrills to evaluate. We tested the DCD970KL 1/2″ (13mm) 18V Cordless XRP™ Li-Ion Hammerdrill/Drill/Driver Kit and the DCD950KX 1/2″ (13mm) 18V Cordless XRP™ Hammerdrill/Drill/Driver Kit. The XRP series cordless tools from DeWALT are premium cordless drills built for…
New EPA Lead Paint Laws Effect Remodeling Projects The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has new lead paint laws going into affect on April 22, 2010. The new lead paint laws require any renovation work performed on houses built before 1978 to be performed by a certified contractor. Obviously his new law is causing some…
How To Insulate Basement Walls Insulating a basement properly is rather challenging in cold climates. In this article I'd like to discuss how to insulate basement walls in cold climates. Insulating basement walls in cold climates is a great way to keep your home warmer and drier. However, special care should be used when insulating…
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Tips for Deck and Fence Projects With Spring finally here many of us are considering deck and fencing projects. Maybe you're considering having a new deck or fence built. Maybe it's time to refinish your deck or add some new decorative touches to your tired deck. Spring is the perfect time to plan these projects…
New DEWALT Job Site Table Saws Models DWE7480, DWE7490X, and DWE7491RS DEWALT recently introduced a new line of portable table saws that include significant updates and features. The new line includes 3 new models; DWE7480 - 10" Compact Table Saw, DWE7491X - 10" Table Saw with Scissor Stand, and DWE7491RS - 10" Table Saw with…
I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I run their design-build division that specializes in custom homes, commercial design-build projects and sub-divisions. I'm also a licensed civil and structural engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural design and home construction. My hope is that I can share my experience in the home construction, home improvement and home renovation profession with other builders and home owners. I'm also the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Tool Box Buzz. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or you'd like to inquire about advertising on this site.
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