Concrete and Masonry - Page 34 of 47

Foundations hold up the house, hold back the earth, and keep out the water. If they're not level and square, you may end up custom-cutting every rafter.

Start with a sturdy wood underlayment, and plan the layout to get cut tiles in the back.

When we need to mix 60-lb. bags of ready-mix concrete, we make it easy on ourselves with the following procedure. We begin with a 5-gal. joint-compound bucket with about 3…

Creating straight, level, and sturdy footings is the first step in building a long-lasting home. Here's how to do it right.

Q: I’m moving from Colorado to California soon. While living in Colorado, I’ve really enjoyed having a basement with lots of extra space for storage. However, I’ve never seen a California…

Q: My house has a brick veneer that has been painted a couple of times by previous owners, and I would like to return the brick to its original finish…

Handsome, safe and durable driveways provide room for parking, turning and play, and are built on a stable, well-drained base.

Q: I’m building a house that will have a furnace and two fireplaces, each with separate flues and all sharing the same chimney. The fireplace flues will each be 16 in.…

Q: Our house has a textured-concrete walkway, and we would like to add a similar surface to an existing poured-concrete porch. Every contractor we’ve talked to wants to tear the old…

Homeowners rarely see their chimney caps, and few people have ever called me to repair them. But when I'm asked to inspect a roof or an attic, I generally find myself looking down at the top of the chimney.