Issue 201
Features
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Warm Floors on a Tight Budget
Using factory-assembled pieces and swapping a boiler for a water heater can lower the cost of radiant-floor heating systems.
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Rebuilding a Brick Chimney
Temporary repairs are the common solution to a failing chimney, but often a better choice is tearing down and rebuilding.
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Opening up a Small Kitchen
When you can't add on or bump out, open the kitchen to adjacent spaces and keep the layout simple.
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Prepping for Spray Foam
Getting ready for a foam-insulation crew means doing a lot more than you’d think.
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Air Hoses: The Lifeline of Your Pneumatic Tools
The right one should fit your tools, your budget, your work, and even the weather outside.
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Same Space, Better Kitchen
Smart design and clever techniques drive this remodel.
Article
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Exploiting the Elements of Passive DesignThis home uses five systems to reduce its environmental impact, lower its operating cost, and improve its connection to the land.
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Trimming the RooflineClean lines and durable details depend on careful framing and a systematic installation sequence.
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Build a Proper First-Aid KitWhen home-building accidents happen, off-the-shelf kits just don’t cut it. Here’s what you really need.
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A new Rocky Mountain highBoulder County launches Build-Smart, a new residential building-code program
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Inspired InlaysWhether sophisticated or whimsical, simple or elaborate, the inlay process begins in the mind of the artist
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Cracking upI hadn’t painted the bedroom in … well, I don’t even remember. I hoped it had been more recently than 21 years ago, when I moved in and my dad…
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Jigs for Jambs (and Other Door-Hanging Devices)Measuring and cutting jigs make for fast, accurate, sturdy door-hanging.
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Small-Scale Drywall TexturingFor quick texture touch-ups, grab a plastic bottle, some joint compound, and an air gun.
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Outlets in brick walls
Q: I live in an old house and want to install outlets in the baseboards of a second-floor bedroom that has no power. I already ran a 20-amp home run…
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Maple flooring over radiant heat?Q: I am planning to install 3/4-in. quartersawn maple flooring over a radiant-floor heating system. I ran 2x4 sleepers on the flat every 18 in. over the 3/4-in. plywood subfloor…
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Modifying a Drawer for a KeyboardI usually make the cabinets for my projects, but when this kitchen job came along, I was overbooked. Because we had a tight budget, I sent the client to a…
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Straightening a Warped Cabinet DoorAny threaded rod from your local hardware store will do the trick.
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Garage-Header Installation Made EasyLeverage your truck's rack for support so you can handle heavy beams with ease.
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There's a Better Way: Cutting Rigid InsulationTeamed up with a straightedge, a sharpened putty knife cuts through foam like butter
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Engineered lumber goes outdoorsAvailable in headers, beams, and posts, iLevel makes Wolmanized PSLs that resist rot and insects
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Vapor-smart insulationCertainTeed's DryRight insulation features R-values ranging from R-13 to R-19 and keeps wall cavities dry and mold-free
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High-pressure framing nailer excels, but at a costMax's Powerlite HS90 is smaller and lighter than the competition without sacrificing power, so what's the catch?
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Smooth cutterThe new Bosch jigsaw blade makes a cleaner cut than other stamped-metal blades
