Roof framing, window options, and a mechanical advantage add up to lower bills and a higher quality home
Framing
Wall cabinets have a quiet and important job description: Hold heavy glassware and ceramics up in the air. Do not peel away from the wall—just sit there and look pretty.
The demo digs deep into the house to repair the rubble foundation and rework the workflow
A no-nonsense approach to efficient deck building
How to draw and manipulate multiple sets of structural engineered lumber
If you have kids, build this fort. If you don't have kids, build. Build like crazy because once you have kids, it will take twice as long to build anything.
The lead extends like a razor knife, and stays razor sharp
Traditional shipbuilding lives on in coastal homes
Plywood and paint make extinguishers what they ain't
Our Latin America Editor is on the ground in Ecuador and sending updates on construction technology, codes, and temporary housing
Carpenter's squares are ubiquitous on jobsites, but the jumbo-jumbo written on them is Greek to most carpenters. Thanks, calculator.
Recycling revisited and repurposed for reuse
A short film illustrating the path from forest to finished frame
For three years and a day journeymen walk, work, and sleep under the stars
A few really cool tricks and a Master Class at the end
I spotted this interesting roof construction in Cuenca, Ecuador: Branch logs as rafters; purlins of split branch logs with thin brick overlaid in two strata
The air sealing process for a high performance home with double-stud walls.
A subjective exploration of 11 'lightweight' heavy hitters
A: Neither. It is a physics problem. The solution lies in carpenters and drywall installers working together