Justin, Patrick, and Matt discuss how power tool preferences differ from one coast to the other, consider less expensive alternatives to cedar, and do a deep dive on troubleshooting a problematic attached garage.

Question 1, from Tim: A builder I’m working with in Austin recently blew his budget because cedar prices jumped on him (he had all-cedar trim, fascia, and fence). Now he’s talking about using pine as an alternative, which sounds like a bad solution to me.

I’ve only tried milling my own cheap/rough lumber for simple woodworking projects so far, but can’t see this working for trim or even a decent fence.

I would love to hear you guys riff on cedar prices, and using cedar and alternatives in general. Basically, what’s up with cedar prices, and what are good cedar alternatives?

Question 2, video from Cooper:

Question 3, from Ben: I can’t believe this has never come up on this show, but let’s hear some East Coast vs. West Coast framing discussion!

Do you all prefer sidewinders or worm drives? Stick nailers or coil?

This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Benjamin Obdyke.

Benjamin Obdyke would like to use the special occasion of their 150th anniversary to thank the nuisances that builders and homeowners despise. Their premium products protect from those pesky things like rain, snow, humidity and the neighbor’s sprinkler system. Take HydroGap, a drainable housewrap that eliminates moisture from your wall assembly. Or Cedar Breather, an underlayment for wood roofing that allows continuous airflow behind shingles or shakes. One man’s headache is another man’s successful business. To build better with Benjamin Obdyke, visit benjaminobdyke.com.

We hope you will take advantage of a great offer for our podcast listeners: A special 20% off discounted rate to subscribe to the Fine Homebuilding print magazine. That link goes to finehomebuilding.com/podoffer.

The show is driven by our listeners, so please subscribe and rate us on iTunes or Google Play, and if you have any questions you would like us to dig into for a future show, shoot an email our way: [email protected]. Also, be sure to follow Justin Fink and Fine Homebuilding on Instagram — and “like” the magazine on Facebook. Note that you can watch the show above, or on YouTube at the Fine Homebuilding YouTube Channel.

The Fine Homebuilding Podcast embodies Fine Homebuilding magazine’s commitment to the preservation of craftsmanship and the advancement of home performance in residential construction. The show is an informal but vigorous conversation about the techniques and principles that allow listeners to master their design and building challenges.

Links for this episode:

• All FHB podcast show notes: FineHomebuilding.com/podcast.
• #KeepCraftAlive tee-shirts support scholarships for building trades students. So go order some shirts at KeepCraftAlive.org.
• The direct link to the online store is here.