The Journal of Light Construction articles from August 2005

The Journal of Light Construction archives from August 2005

TW-60.
August 1, 2005... A flexible, self-adhering rubberized asphalt sheet waterproofing membrane ideal for below-grade waterproofing applications such as foundation walls, tunnels, earth shelters, ICF forms, and similar structures, or for above-grade uses on balcony...

TW moisture wrap.
August 1, 2005... Designed for use as an above-grade moisture/ air barrier suitable for application in cavity wall construction, the sealing of window and door perimeters, and the sealing of wall joints, corners, and other terminations. Circle #119 or go to...

TW Flash-N-Wrap[R] 40 TW Flash-N-Wrap[R] 25.
August 1, 2005... A reflective sheet membrane well suited for application in cavity wall construction and sealing window and door openings. Other uses include gutter repairs and flashing of vents and HVAC units. Circle #120 or go to www.rs.ims.ca/jlc ...

TW-thru-wall.
August 1, 2005... A flexible, self-adhering rubberized asphalt in-wall flashing membrane designed for use with concrete, masonry, gypsum, or wood wall construction. Circle #121 or go to www.rs.ims.ca/jlc [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The good in New Jersey.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... As a frequent reader of your publication, I was a bit surprised at the article regarding the New Jersey Commission of Investigation report "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (In the News, 5/05). Although scandal sells, fair and balanced...

Snow-covered vent pipes.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... After reading the article "Carbon Monoxide Death Spurs New Look at Old Problem" (In the News, 4/05), I felt I had to comment on the importance of having a CO detector. I live in a condo complex and we just had an instance this past winter where...

Still confused about the safety factor.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... Regarding Rick Barta's thoughtful observation on overbuilding (Letters, 4/05) and Joe Loferski and Frank Woeste's response, I'm a little confused. Apparently the authors believe contractors should overbuild by 250 percent the numbers in the...

Quality manufacturer.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... Last year, I finished construction on a home where we installed a Siemens surge arrestor in each distribution panel. When the indicator lights on one of the units didn't work properly, I mailed the unit to Siemens, along with a brief note and a...

Correction.(Letters)(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2005... We inadvertently ran the wrong photo with our description of KitchenAid's Double-Drawer refrigerator in the June Kitchen & Bath section. Here's the correct photo.

Helping the homeless, one sales contract at a time: by adding a "transfer fee" to the price of each new home, Lennar Corp. funds shelters for California's homeless.(In the News)
August 1, 2005... When families in Orange County, Calif., buy homes in a Lennar Corp. development, they're also helping to provide shelter for the area's homeless. Starting with a few Southern California markets, Lennar has added an innovative fund-raising...

California workers' comp rates have dropped by nearly 30 percent since Jan. 1, 2004.(in the news)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... California workers' comp rates have dropped by nearly 30 percent since Jan. 1, 2004, according to an article in the June 30 Sacramento Bee. The decrease follows extensive workers' comp legislation passed by the state over the last two years....

Supreme Court ruling expands eminent domain.(In the News)
August 1, 2005... In a June 23 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the city of New London, Conn., could take the land of Susette Kelo and eight other property owners through the power of eminent domain (see In the News, December 2004). Unlike eminent...

A second life for old latex paint.(In the News)
August 1, 2005... In keeping with the construction industry's ongoing quest to recycle and reuse, a small number of companies are decreasing the flow of leftover paint into landfills by consolidating or reprocessing it for commercial and consumer use. No...

DeWalt's model D55143.(In the News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Three-Gallon Hand-Carry Oil-Free Air Compressor is the subject of a June 21 recall by the company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The 185 recalled compressors use defective wiring insulation that poses an electric-shock hazard....

Housing market soars, affordability declines, says Harvard study.
August 1, 2005... Fueled by low mortgage rates, an increasing demand for housing from growing Hispanic and Asian populations, and general job and income growth, the current housing boom should remain strong into the next decade. That's the forecast from the...

Architect works graveyard shift.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... With the help of a former employee, architect Emil L. Larson continued to work even from the grave, John Pavlovich, a draftsman for Larson some 30-plus years ago, allegedly renewed the architect's license and used Larson's seal and designs to...

Q. Fixing a bowed basement wall.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A foundation wall in my customer's two-story home has a 2-inch bow in the middle of its 53-foot length and two stress cracks located 10 feet from either end, all probably caused by backfilling while the concrete was still green. As far as I...

Q. Prepping for wallpaper.(Q&A)
August 1, 2005... The last time I was asked to remove wallpaper and repaint the wall, much of the paper facing on the sheetrock underneath came off, too, resulting in a lot of extra wall prep. What caused this, and what's the best way to prepare drywall for a...

Q. Nailing into MDF.(Q&A)(medium density fiber)
August 1, 2005... My company installs prefinished millwork in a commercial environment, so we rely heavily on MDF-veneered products. Is there a fastener we can use in our pneumatic nailers that will prevent--or at least minimize--the "mushroom" that occurs when...

Slick pocket-door trick.
August 1, 2005... I frequently get requests to fix pocket doors that have come out of the track and are difficult to operate. I used to be reluctant to take this kind of job; I could replace the wheels on top of the door, but I couldn't guarantee that would take...

Smooth tube piers.(A.H. Harris and Sons )
August 1, 2005... Tube-formed concrete piers are standard for supporting decks. Often, the paper form gets left in place, and when it's stripped it leaves a characteristic spiral imprint on the concrete. When the piers are tucked away under the structure, no one...

Who pays when the design doesn't meet code?(Legal)
August 1, 2005... Let's suppose you're hired by a local restaurant to build a deck off the dining room so that customers can eat outside and enjoy the view. Your bid comes in at $30,000, and the owner accepts it. After it's built, you call the building...

Protect yourself with a job journal.(Business)
August 1, 2005... In 1988 I went to work for a large commercial-residential electrical contractor. One of the first projects I worked on was a program to document what was happening on site. Under this system, every site employee, from superintendent to...

Framing a barrel-vault ceiling: to simplify the layout, think in terms of a hip roof.
August 1, 2005... The company I work for builds spec homes. One of the ways we dress them up is by adding barrel-vault ceilings. Except for the layout, these impressive architectural details are not that hard to frame. A carpenter and helper can do it in four to...

Buying a compact excavator: ownership can reduce your dependence on subs and create new sources of revenue, but be sure to consider all the costs.(Cover Story)
August 1, 2005... As a custom builder, I used to take on about three new homes or large additions a year. Most of our work was done by my employees, but like most builders I hired subcontractors for special tasks. Using subs has many advantages, but maintaining...

Safety lessons: experience may be the best teacher, but when it comes to matters of job-site safety, sometimes it's better to learn from someone else's. Here are 11 cautionary tales from JLC readers.
August 1, 2005... Fined for Falling Off the Roof by Mark Parlee The odds of surviving a 25-foot fall, I've heard, are one in 100. My own 32-foot tumble happened in August 1993, when we were sheathing the 4/12 truss roof of a three-story apartment my company...

Fast box newel: this carpenter-friendly design eliminates most of the nail holes.
August 1, 2005... Recently, I completed a Craftsman-style stair and balustrade in natural oak for one of my regular contractor customers. Ready-made box newels are available in this style, but the size options are limited. The job called for a...

?Habla Espanol? The ability to communicate in Spanish could become your most valuable job-site tool.
August 1, 2005... Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, learned to speak Spanish as a baby; I learned English later, when my family immigrated to New York City. My mother spoke both languages at home, so I grew up bilingual. Nevertheless, my first encounters with...

Hot-water recirculation retrofit.(Kitchen & Bath)
August 1, 2005... For many homeowners, having to wait while the water flowing from the faucet or showerhead gets hot can be more than a minor nuisance. In large homes with long runs between the water heater and master bath, it can take more than a minute....

LED to light.(Kitchen & Bath / Bathroom Lighting)
August 1, 2005... Night-vision goggles don't make practical sleepwear, which is why the NL-04 and NL-05 High/Low LED Night Lights are such a great solution to a dark bathroom. Each lamp provides constant low-level illumination until its sensor detects movement;...

Glass drops.(Kitchen & Bath / Bathroom Lighting)
August 1, 2005... Whether installed suite-style with a matching glass vessel lav by the same maker, or used as color accents in another decorative scheme, these individually blown glass Pendant Lights lend a bathroom good task lighting and a classy presence....

Suite selection.
August 1, 2005... Part of a coordinating suite of bathroom accessories that includes rings, bars, hooks, mirrors, and more, the Empire Single and Double Lights feature blown-glass shades and are rated for maximum-100-watt incandescent lamps. Metal finish options...

Compact unit.(Kitchen & Bath / Cooktops)
August 1, 2005... For kitchens in which every inch counts, the 23-inch-long by 20 1/4-inch-wide KM360G four-burner gas cooktop delivers high performance within a compact footprint. The stainless-steel unit boasts a 10,200-Btu burner, two 6,000-Btu burners, and a...

Stainless or porcelain.(Kitchen & Bath / Cooktops)
August 1, 2005... The stainless-steel surface and continuous grates on the snappy-looking Architect Series five-burner gas cooktop make for efficient cooking and cleaning. Burner output ranges from 6,000 to 14,000 Btu. The unit retails for $979; a similar model...

Smart burners.(Kitchen & Bath / Cooktops)
August 1, 2005... This electric cooktop's sensor technology automatically adjusts its three-element burner to the size of the cookware and then shuts the burner off when the cookware's removed. Once the pan's replaced, the burner resumes its previous setting....

Introducing induction.(Kitchen & Bath / Cooktops)
August 1, 2005... There's a new kind of heat out there and it's pretty cool. Literally. The Diva Induction Cooktop uses magnetic induction to warm a container and its contents. While the cooking surface itself remains cool, water boils in half the time required...

Triple tight.(Products / Replacement Windows & Doors)
August 1, 2005... When a replacement window's energy efficiency is the primary concern, consider a triple-glazed unit. Uniframe Maxuus 10 from Great Lakes Window provides up to five times the energy efficiency of standard insulating glass and helps reduce sound...

Real-wood replacement.(Products / Replacement Windows & Doors)
August 1, 2005... Vinyl replacement windows are easy to install and maintain, but they're not right for every project. Replacement wood sash kits with insulating glass are available from several manufacturers and often look more appropriate on older homes. The...

Quick fix.(Products / Replacement Windows & Doors)
August 1, 2005... Replacing an aluminum patio door in masonry and stucco applications is a tough prospect. You have to remove the old frame, integrate the new unit into the home's drainage plane, and then patch up the exterior. Now, with Milgard's Z-Bar Frame,...

Idea book.(Products / Interior Millwork)
August 1, 2005... So you suspect that your plain-jane trim packages just don't appeal to high-end clients--but you're not sure how to create a cohesive look on your own. Check out Princeton's Simplicity System. This 59-page design book with color photos explains...

Holey molding.(Products / Interior Millwork)
August 1, 2005... Outwater's ornately carved Pierced Mouldings make it easy to jazz up an interior trim package, a custom mantel, or a set of built-ins. Available in maple, cherry, and oak in five profiles, the paint- and stain-ready 2-foot-long sections connect...

No-rot wainscot.(Products / Interior Millwork)
August 1, 2005... Got a homeowner who's looking for a low-maintenance, moisture-resistant alternative to traditional beaded fir or pine? If so, you might suggest the PermaPorch Ceiling from HB&G. The defect-free 5 1/2-inch-wide by 12-foot-long panels are an...

Choice slate.(Products / Slate & Tile Roofing)
August 1, 2005... Slate roofing generally ranks as one of the most expensive roofing materials available, but when its long-term durability is considered, the cost is actually quite competitive with other premium roofing products. And nothing can reproduce the...

Hand-crafted tile.(Products / Slate & Tile Roofing)
August 1, 2005... Tile-maker Stuart Matthews spent more than 20 years selling and marketing clay and concrete roof tiles before becoming so dissatisfied with the white-bread offerings of major makers that he started his own tile manufacturing and importing...

Avalanche protection.(Products / Slate & Tile Roofing)
August 1, 2005... While assembling this collection of products, I spoke with two industry experts who emphasized the importance of installing snow guards on slate and tile roofs in northern climates. Not only do snow guards reduce injuries and property damage...

Lighten up!(Products / Slate & Tile Roofing)
August 1, 2005... Slate roofs are extremely heavy--up to 1,000 pounds per square. So if your customer wants a slate roof on a building that wasn't built for it, look to Majestic Slate Colonial Tiles. Made from EDPM rubber and TPO plastic, they weigh a mere 246...

Lightweight concrete.(Products / Slate & Tile Roofing)
August 1, 2005... Its durability, fire resistance, and good looks make concrete tile a favorite roofing material in hot climates like Southern California--but the product is so heavy it's sometimes unsuitable for reroof applications, especially if a lighter...

Made in your shade.(Products / Slate & Tile Roofing)
August 1, 2005... Looking for a clay roof tile with a little extra color and pizzazz? Ludowicrs 40 standard roof-tile hues range from the subtle--Vermont gray, desert sand, beach brown, aged oak--to the jaw-dropping: midnight black, Hawaiian gold, royal Persian,...

Bosch RS20 reciprocating saw.(Toolbox)
August 1, 2005... When I got my hands on the new Bosch $20 reciprocating saw a few months ago, the first thing I noticed was that the cord was missing. The folks at Bosch didn't forget the cord--they just got rid of it. The design resembles that of the 1677MD...

Tight-space power trowel.(Toolbox / Concrete Tools)
August 1, 2005... If you're hoping to spend less time finishing concrete slabs but don't want or need a monster-sized power trowel, take a look at the newest Whiteman model. At 24 inches, the CA-4-4H is well-suited to residential work. Powered by a 4-hp Honda...

High-flying groover.(Toolbox / Concrete Tools)
August 1, 2005... West Coast builders and concrete finishers may be familiar with airplane-style groovers, but they're a rarity up here in New England: When I saw the Marshalltown 4097 at the Hardware Show, I had to ask what it was. I was told that this tool's...

Switch fitter.(Toolbox / Concrete Tools)
August 1, 2005... Finding volunteers to make concrete and masonry cuts with a heavy, hard-to-start cutoff saw might be tough, but you could probably entice one of them with a brand-new version from Makita. The company has introduced four new gas-powered cutoff...

Batt plan.(Toolbox / Knives)
August 1, 2005... I've used Hanson's 03020 Insulation Knife and found that it makes cutting fiberglass insulation about as painless as possible. An extendable snap-off blade penetrates even the thickest batts, and a toothed wheel on the bottom of the housing...

Multi-tool for crunch time.(Toolbox / Knives)
August 1, 2005... There's no question that any multi-tool can save time and trips to the truck, but most models I've seen are better suited to backpacking than to building. One exception is the Crunch from Leatherman. Designed around a pair of stainless-steel...

Stay sharp.(Toolbox / Knives)
August 1, 2005... Lenox's introduction of the Gold Blade may not be quite as exciting as previous company milestones--the company cut a jumbo jet and a railroad car in half with a recip saw to publicize other tool debuts--but this utility blade does have plenty...

Who says there's no free lunch?(Backfill)
August 1, 2005... Many contractors prefer diesel trucks. Gary Gerber is no exception--his service truck has a diesel engine. But Gerber never takes his truck to the gas station. It runs on biodiesel fuel made from used cooking oil. This is not as strange as...