Skills and Techniques - Page 534 of 644

When building decks, I sometimes come across a severely bowed joist. Rather than live with it, I make a straight cut across its top, as shown in the drawing. Some builders…

Whether vinyl, silicone or bronze, an airtight seal is your best defense against the weather.

To support a temporary 7-ft. high retaining wall in clay, my excavation contractor recommended 16-ft. long 6x6s. He sharpened the ends of the posts with a chainsaw. Then he used…

An earthy alternative to the cold, austere look of marble, limestone is easy to work with and maintain.

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…

Q: I am aware that the use of polybutylene water piping has been banned in most jurisdictions. However, when purchasing toilet and sink supply tubes recently, I noticed that these parts…

Q: I work with a Habitat for Humanity group building small homes with truss roofs. I wanted to attach the nonbearing interior walls to the trusses to help keep the…

Bandages, bee-sting medicine and everything else a carpenter shouldn't leave home without.