The Journal of Light Construction articles from August 2002

The Journal of Light Construction archives from August 2002

Not so fast, sherlock. (Letters).
August 1, 2002... To the Editor: I love a mystery such as the collapsed glazing issue (Notebook, 5/02). I immediately recognized the oval condensation area in the photo as being like others I've seen in the home inspection business. I've never known what...

Water heater abuse. (Letters).
August 1, 2002... To the Editor: Regarding the story on the exploding water heater (Notebook, 4/02): What causes such calamity is continuing neglect and ignorance of pressure and temperature relief valves, which were invented by the Watts Co. in the 1940s....

Architectural abbreviations. (Letters).
August 1, 2002... To the Editor: Regarding the question concerning construction abbreviations (On the House, 4/02): A good website for both abbreviations and symbols is www.americantech.net/pdf/resources.cfm. It's in PDF format and gives permission to print...

Valve for artesian well. (Letters).
August 1, 2002... To the Editor: Regarding the drawing in the July Letters column, showing the "correct" installation of the ball valve near the pressure tank: There is one situation where you might want to put a cutoff on the well side of the line. An...

Use caution in bid language. (Letters).
August 1, 2002... To the Editor: Thanks to Rick Stacy for the excellent article on presentation of bids (Strictly Business, 5/02). I have a couple of suggestions. First, be very cautious about making performance promises. Rick includes "Install...

Asphalt shingle quality. (Letters).
August 1, 2002... To the Editor: Regarding the question about the differences between 20-year, 25-year, and 30-year shingles ("Asphalt Shingle Q&A," 5/02), Carl Cash responds that "a shingle's duration depends on a number of factors, including the direction...

A crisis in liability insurance? An emerging "hard market" makes coverage more costly--if you can find it. (Notebook).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... In the past year or so, more and more builders around the country are finding themselves faced with sharp increases in their general liability and worker's comp insurance premiums. Worse, some insurers are refusing to renew existing policies,...

California court upholds construction defects arbitration. (Notebook).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... A recent ruling by a California appeals court may give the state's builders a better chance of enforcing purchase and sale contracts that require purchasers to submit to binding arbitration over any construction-defect claims. Although such...

Garage-door orientation in Farmers Grove, Texas, must be determined statistically. (Off Cuts).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Garage-door orientation in Farmers Grove, Texas, must be determined statistically, according to a recent city council ruling. In September of 2001, the Dallas suburb enacted an ordinance "to prohibit garage doors on the front half of the lot...

Arsenic in pressure-treated lumber is suspected in an arsenic-poisoning case. (Off Cuts).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Arsenic in pressure-treated lumber is suspected in an arsenic-poisoning case, according to the New York Times. When a Mississippi homeowner became seriously ill with arsenic poisoning, her husband was investigated for attempted murder. The case...

An Arizona company is manufacturing green insulation from blue jeans. (Off Cuts).(Bonded Logic Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... An Arizona company is manufacturing green insulation from blue jeans. Bonded Logic, Inc., in Chandler, Ariz., processes post-industrial blue jean scrap material into an environmentally friendly batt insulation. The ASTM-approved UltraTouch...

Home Depot has barred the U.S. government from doing business with its 1,400 stores. (Off Cuts).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Home Depot has barred the U.S. government from doing business with its 1,400 stores, according to a story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Home Depot's corporate management has reportedly instructed store managers not to take government credit...

One of the nation's largest production builders has begun using dry framing lumber in all of its houses. (Off Cuts).(Centex Homes)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... One of the nation's largest production builders has begun using dry framing lumber in all of its houses. According to Random Lengths, Centex homes stopped using green framing in April as a result of customer concerns about the mold that often...

Roof Tile Institute releases updated installation guide. (Notebook).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Clay and concrete tile roofs are very popular in many western states, but until recently, roofers looking for a single, authoritative handbook on best installation practices, industry standards, and relevant code requirements were out of luck....

California study evaluates fire resistance of outdoor decking. (Notebook).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... What happens to outdoor decking materials in the event of a wildfire? Although none of the major building codes addresses that question, it's an important one in many western states, where fires are common and new development in wooded areas at...

Spending time or wasting time? (Business Tune-Up).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... When business people talk about spending time, that's literally what they're doing. A person who earns $50,000 a year and wastes 30 minutes a day looking for lost files, hidden supplies, and misplaced phone numbers costs himself $3,074.40 a...

Making a Dutch door. (Q&A).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Q. I'm trying to find plans for cutting a solid door slab and making a Dutch door. Any help would be appreciated. A. Finish carpenter Dave Frane responds: The upper half of a Dutch door can be operated without opening the lower half. Dutch...

Felt or rosin paper under strip flooring? (Q&A).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Q. I'm using a new floor finisher, who's known as the best in this area. He saw that we had installed oak and ash floors over rosin paper and insisted that we should have used 30-pound felt. He says the rosin paper will degrade over time and...

Construction performance guidelines. (Q&A).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Q. The article "A Simple Time & Materials Contract" (11/01) mentions the Residential Construction Performance Guidelines. I have been unsuccessful in finding this book; where can I get it? A. You can buy the book from the NAHB Home Builder...

Durable exterior ceilings. (Q&A).(economical alternative to drywall )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Q. Patio covers are standard features of nearly every home built in the Phoenix area. Standard construction is wood frame with a drywall ceiling, taped, textured, and painted. Within ten years, the taping and texturing start to separate from...

Shower pipe knocking. (Q&A).(problem with a shower valve )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Q. I am having a problem with a shower valve in a bathroom remodeling project. When you turn the water all the way to hot and then back off to around the middle of the temperature range, you get a pulsating water flow from the shower head and...

Do your materials meet code? (Legal Adviser).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... A client, Ed, is starting a company that will use recycled plastic to manufacture building products, which we'll hereafter refer to as "stuff." A builder looking at Ed's display in a product show asked if his stuff meets code. Ed called me...

Building kitchen cabinets in place: use production methods to create a vintage-look kitchen on site.
August 1, 2002... Even with the vast selection of ready-made cabinet styles on the market, sometimes the only way to get the look you're after is to build them yourself. I've been called on more than a few times to construct a kitchen from scratch as part of a...

Retrofitting basements; where lots are small and permit restrictions are tight, adding on often means adding down.
August 1, 2002... Historically, few California houses have had basements. Virtually all of the tract houses put up during the post-World War II housing boom were built on slabs or stem wall foundations, and so are most of today's new houses. But in the past few...

Portable miter-saw stands: look for stability, easy setup, and a well-designed stop.
August 1, 2002... I use a miter saw almost every day, but until recently I'd never owned a really satisfactory stand. The homemade stands I've tried over the years were invariably heavy, bulky, and difficult to move around, so I usually found myself setting up...

Choosing vinyl windows: vinyl windows are inexpensive, durable, and never need paint.
August 1, 2002... Vinyl windows first showed up in the U.S. in the 1960s, but they didn't gain widespread acceptance until the 1980s. Recently, vinyl overtook wood as the most common window material in the U.S. Vinyl windows now account for about 40% of total...

Shopping for a generator; get the features you need and don't scrimp on the size.
August 1, 2002... Generator users want dependability and power. The generator is the only power source out there, and it needs to work or the job comes to a halt. Often, workers beat up on this critical tool like it owes them a gambling debt. Then they expect...

Working with mirrors. (Kitchen & Bath).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Whether you simply hang a small oval in a gilded frame over your sink, or cover every available inch of wall with plate-glass mirrors, a bathroom doesn't look complete until the mirror is hung. As part of our glazing business in Brewster,...

Designing with Engineered Wood. (Resources).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... For more than 50 years, and in several organizational forms, APA--The Engineered Wood Association has provided technical leadership in the manufacture and use of structural wood composites. During this period, APA has published countless...

Metal madness. (Products).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... A quick and easy way to cut steel framing, conduit, and uni-strut without a purpose-built chop saw has been elusive until recently, when several manufacturers introduced cordless metal-cutting saws. Milwaukee's newest cordless saw (model 6320)...

Doorable holder. (Products).(advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Holding a door on edge for planing or hinge prep has fostered the improvisation of many job-site stands. Those of you ready to trade up from your shag carpet 2x4s can now look for Trojan's new DH-1, an adjustable door holder that can...

Great arch. (Products).(advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Circle-top and arched openings are pretty easy to make on paper, but when it comes to making them in the field, the process can grind to a standstill. The Easy-Arch should help you keep things moving when a designer throws you a curve. The...

Surface saver. (Products).(advertisement)
August 1, 2002... If you've had a less than positive experience protecting finished surfaces with red rosin paper or poly drop cloths, Clean & Safe promises to help you protect surfaces without the headaches of other surface protectors. Clean & Safe drop cloths...

Speedy dormer solution. (Products).(advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Trimming out a doghouse dormer requires more skill and time than many other job-site tasks. If you're looking to speed up the process, a Style Solutions Easy Dormer Trim Kit could help out. The kit includes a pediment for over the window,...

Gone fishin'. (Products).(advertisement)
August 1, 2002... With plenty of cool features, the Ideal Zoom fish tape makes the process of pulling wire about as much fun as hooking a big one--almost. The translucent Tuff'R case allows the user to see how much tape is left in the spool without the holes...

Saddle up. (Products).(advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Trex Co.'s decking is made primarily from recycled grocery bags and shrink-wrap that would otherwise end up in landfills. It's truly maintenance free and doesn't splinter or crack like wood decking. The deep tan of Saddle brings the total...

Smarter than your average vent. (Products).(advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Builders in flood prone or coastal communities can attest to the awesome power behind rushing water. That power washes away buildings and causes billions in property damage annually. Damage to buildings in flooded areas can be greatly reduced...

Lighten up. (Products).(advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Customers who need some additional light in a dark room or hallway will like Hy-Lite's new one-piece acrylic insert for interior doors--and builders might like how easy it is to install. The obscure acrylic block unit allows light to pass...

Tape measure spirograph. (Products).(advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Now you can make circles, arcs, and parallel lines with your tape measure and C.H. Hanson's newest marking tool. The Pencil Boy attaches to any smooth-sided tape measure and holds a pencil so you can use your measure as a large compass or...

Shower System. (Products).(advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Replacing a bathtub with a step-in shower usually involves a little framing and the replumbing of the waste and supply lines. Swan's bathtub-size Retrofit Shower System eliminates both steps because it's an exact replacement for a standard...

Little loader. (Products).(advertisement)
August 1, 2002... It might be the ultimate sandbox toy for grownups. The small size of the Finn Eagle skid-steer loader--36 inches wide--allows users to get into spaces only a shovel and wheelbarrow could go before. The Eagle has more than 40 attachments, and...

Cordless rotary hammers. (Toolbox).
August 1, 2002... My company specializes in commercial office retrofits in New York City and residential construction and renovations in the surrounding suburbs. It seems like we can't open a gang box without having to drill, chip, or fasten into concrete....