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John Carroll

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In the late 1960s, while still in high school, John Carroll spent two summers nailing asphalt shingles on the roofs of new houses in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. After acquiring carpentry and masonry skills, he became a general contractor in 1977. He is a frequent contributor to Fine Homebuilding and has written three books on building, all published by The Taunton Press (Measuring, Marking & Layout (1999), Working Alone (1999), and The Complete Visual Guide to Building a House (2014). He lives in Durham, N.C.

  • Expanding an Opening in a Masonry Wall

    If the brick or block is laid in a running-bond pattern, it forms a corbelled arch that can often hold itself up with minimal bracing during construction.

  • White Dust on a Brick Fireplace

    Are stains on brick and mortar a sign of water damage?

  • Two Styles of Cornice Return

    Framing this classic detail capped with a hip roof or a shed roof is easier than you think.

  • A No-Math Approach to Valley Plates

    Whether you're tying in new gable dormers or adding a chimney cricket during roof framing, giving the valley jacks a place to land is an easy task with these step-by-step instructions.

  • How to Pour Concrete on a Slope

    Use a low-slump concrete when pouring a walkway that slopes downhill.

  • Saving a Stone Foundation

    Dry the soil next to the foundation to prevent or slow further erosion.

  • Take the Fear out of Brick Veneer

    Basic masonry skills are all a remodeler needs to remove and replace bricks and mortar.

  • How to Repair Broken Bricks

    Learn to assess the extent of damage in a brick wall, repoint mortar joints, and even make color-matched repairs to damaged bricks.

  • Short Handle Mortar Hoe Review

    This short handled morter hoe from Bon Tool Co. has rounded corners allow clean scraping from the corners of a wheelbarrow or mortar pan and the length of the handle is just right for use without having to "choke up"

  • Smaller, better mortar hoe

    Short handle mortar hoe

Page 2 of 5 Previous
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