The Journal of Light Construction articles from July 2006

The Journal of Light Construction archives from July 2006

Cloister to chaos.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... With condescension dripping off each word, Peter Jessop eloquently defends as a "good business decision" the speaking of Spanish by employees (Letters, 3/06). Apparently the cloistered environs of New England have yet to devolve into the...

Cost of day laborers.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... I agree with Mr. Rose (Letters, 4/06) about day laborers. The biased press won't tell the whole story of illegal immigration. Here in Arizona, where the federal government is determined to place the gateway for unhindered illegal...

Achilles heel.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... The article "Detailing Rain-Screen Siding" (3/06) certainly shows how to provide great protection for the vertical face of the house sheathing. But what about the bottom edge? The destructive capillary action the authors describe would be...

Guardrail codes vary.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... In the article "Making Guardrails Look Good," (Design, 5/06) the author refers to a contemporary cable rail. I've tried to use this type of horizontal design several times, both as shown in the article and in a welded spiral staircase....

Vinyl sunburst.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... A while ago I built a wood-siding sunburst over a front entry door; recently I was asked to add one to my latest remodel, a vinyl-sided home. Is it possible to do a sunburst in vinyl? Are there any plans? Raoul Piche Shirley,...

Theft an increasing problem.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... Like other builders, I'm interested in protecting my job sites from theft. Lumber has walked off the job for years, as have windows, doors, appliances, and hvac units. But only recently have I heard of contractors losing copper wiring and...

Collapse of abandoned mine sinks Indiana home: old "roof-and-pillar" coal mines present a hidden hazard.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... Old mines lurk below millions of acres across the U.S.; some have been out of use for so many years they don't appear on any modern maps. All too often, unlucky homeowners learn about abandoned mines only when one collapses under their...

The probability of an earthquake striking the San Francisco area in the next 25 years is 62 percent, according to the U.S. Geologic Survey.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... The probability of an earthquake striking the San Francisco area in the next 25 years is 62 percent, according to the U.S. Geologic Survey. Yet 86 percent of homeowners in California, Reuters reports, have no earthquake insurance. A study...

Rising gas prices are changing the way home buyers think about their daily commute.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... Rising gas prices are changing the way home buyers think about their daily commute. According to the online real estate site HomePages.com, more than 40 percent of home buyers now consider a short commute to be an important factor in deciding...

It's a boomer boom for remodelers: a recent NAHB poll finds that baby boomers (age 46 to 64) continue to be the nation's best remodeling customers.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... It's a boomer boom for remodelers: A recent NAHB poll finds that baby boomers (age 46 to 64) continue to be the nation's best remodeling customers. Of all the remodelers surveyed, 91 percent had provided service to boomers. Compare that with...

The Campbell County Commission had a devil of a time this spring approving the name for a new subdivision in Gillette, Wyo.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... The Campbell County Commission had a devil of a time this spring approving the name for a new subdivision in Gillette, Wyo. The moniker "Sinnerville" --in honor of developer Jason Sinner--generated some heated debate, with one commission member...

Maine and New Hampshire are enacting stricter VOC regulations for architectural and industrial maintenance coatings.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... Maine and New Hampshire are enacting stricter VOC regulations for architectural and industrial maintenance coatings. The new limits, based on Ozone Transport Commission recommendations, went into effect on January 1 of this year in Maine and...

"Building Homes of Our Own" is a new educational computer game created by the NAHB and a team of educators.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... "Building Homes of Our Own" is a new educational computer game created by the NAHB and a team of educators. Playing the role of builders, students choose a site, get a building permit, build a house, and place it for sale. As in the real world,...

The start of 2006 marked a battle for supremacy among building-supply companies.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... The start of 2006 marked a battle for supremacy among building-supply companies. The sale of Lanoga to Fidelity's Pro-Build Holdings, along with Stock Building Supply's purchase of Home Lumber Co., has weakened 84 Lumber's dominance. Striking...

Minnesota passed notice and opportunity to repair (NOR) legislation in May, joining 29 other states with similar laws.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... Minnesota passed notice and opportunity to repair (NOR) legislation in May, joining 29 other states with similar laws. Homeowners in Minnesota must now give builders 30 days to inspect a problem and offer a solution before filing a lawsuit.

Mississippi has elevated home-repair fraud to a felony from a misdemeanor in response to an increase in complaints after last year's hurricane season.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... Mississippi has elevated home-repair fraud to a felony from a misdemeanor in response to an increase in complaints after last year's hurricane season. The state has made a number of arrests since last September on repair-fraud charges, but...

Marcio Lira, the owner of a Connecticut masonry firm, now faces a manslaughter charge for his role in a 2005 trench collapse.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... Marcio Lira, the owner of a Connecticut masonry firm, now faces a manslaughter charge for his role in a 2005 trench collapse. Ademilson Vieira had been repairing a retaining wall when a section of the unprotected trench collapsed, killing him....

The license of Virginia contractor John Edward Callahan was revoked in May after he used untrained homeless men to remove large amounts of asbestos and dump it in curbside trash.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... The license of Virginia contractor John Edward Callahan was revoked in May after he used untrained homeless men to remove large amounts of asbestos and dump it in curbside trash. Although Callahan's advertising claimed otherwise, he was not...

Study says regulations jack up housing costs.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... Massachusetts builders have been saying for years that Boston-area housing costs are high because of land-use regulations, not because of a land shortage. Now they have an economic study to back up their anecdotal evidence. "Regulation and...

Storm damage creates business niche.(In the News)
July 1, 2006... Last year, Tennessee restoration contractor Mike Dugan began making plans to open a local office in Nashville, some 200 miles west of his Memphis headquarters. He had good reason to believe the process would go smoothly: The Nashville office...

Remodeling in post-World War II suburbs.(RESOURCES)
July 1, 2006... It's no secret that the post-World War II housing boom left a legacy of homes now in need of modernizing. Frequently, these old places are torn down and replaced with oversized McMansions. Some homeowners, however, are bucking the trend and...

Q. Fixing voids in engineered flooring.(Q&A)
July 1, 2006... Q. A subcontractor glued down 4 1/2-inch-wide plank engineered flooring on a concrete slab-on-grade using flooring adhesive applied with a V-notch trowel. But the instructions on the bucket indicated that a 1/4-inch square notched trowel should...

Q. Are bubble-wrap R-Value claims accurate?(Q&A)
July 1, 2006... Q. Am I the only one confused by the claims of manufacturers of foil-covered bubble wrap and foil-covered flexible thin plastic foam? Apparently, if one is to believe the advertising, a 3/8-inch-thick roll of foil-faced bubble wrap can give you...

Q. Hinge mortise templates.(Q&A)
July 1, 2006... Q. What's the advantage of using a router fitted with a template guide bushing to cut hinge mortises? Why not just use a flush-cutting pilot bit and a flush-type template? A. Gary Katz, a finish carpenter in Reseda, Calif., and moderator...

Q. Double vapor barriers.(Q&A)
July 1, 2006... Q. While building a new home in upstate New York, we installed R-15 kraft-faced insulation in the walls, but the local building inspector then made us install 4-mil poly over the kraft paper facing. We've been told by other builders and...

Q. What to do about wood wasps?(Q&A)
July 1, 2006... Q. We recently built a custom home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; construction began in the fall. During the warming months of spring, when the homeowners moved in, they began noticing perfect 1/4-inch-diameter holes in the drywall, as if...

Hanging a pergola ledger.(On the Job)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... As a deck builder in California, I often get asked to build a pergola in conjunction with a deck project (1). Most customers want the pergola to hang right off the existing fascia, rather than have posts next to the house. But there's usually a...

Quick barrel ceiling.(On the Job)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... The carpenters on this remodeling job in Berkeley, Calif., could have used 2x4s to frame the barrel-vaulted ceiling of a stairway. But rather than fuss with the many compound cuts wood framing would have required, they saved time by using...

Storage for rent.(On the Job)
July 1, 2006... Full-size semitrailers work great for job-site storage--as long as you can get a tractor trailer onto the site. Recently, smaller storage units--like the one shown here--have become more common, especially on tight sites or in suburban...

Composing with Shingle cladding.(Design)
July 1, 2006... Exterior shingle cladding, widely used on late-19th-century Shingle-style homes, remains a versatile siding option today. You can create patterns by using shaped shingles of by modifying the coursing. Shingles are particularly adaptable for...

Management by meeting.(Business)
July 1, 2006... After years of trial and error (mostly error), I've become a firm believer in management by meetings. Whether I like it or not, my primary job as company owner is overseeing meetings. To be effective, I need to make sure that each one adds...

Alternative materials and code.(Legal)
July 1, 2006... There was an interesting article in our Sunday paper the other day about houses built of straw bales. I can just hear your response to that topic: "Code enforcement officers are hassling me because I want to use a wood composite they...

Bending Trex: special heating blankets were used to form the tight curves of this pool's retrofitted fiber-composite decking.
July 1, 2006... Clients, I've found, often make requests that force us to think outside the box. In the project shown on these pages, for example, a concrete deck surrounding the homeowners' in-ground pool had caused their barefoot grandchildren too many...

Innovative products 2006: our annual pick of products designed to help you work smarter, faster, and better.
July 1, 2006... Every day, JLC's editorial mailbox overflows with press releases for new building products. We sift through them for our monthly products columns, and once a year we select the most promising ones for this collection. We look for items we think...

23-gauge pin nailers: these guns allow you to fasten the smallest trim pieces without splitting, and they leave nearly invisible holes.(Tool Test)
July 1, 2006... The first time I saw a cordless drill, I knew it would change my life. It was clear to me after driving only one screw that I'd never be able to live without this tool. Twenty-three-gauge pin nailers may not inspire the same broad...

Installing a twenty-foot header: retrofitting a half-ton steel I-beam into an existing house calls for careful shoring and lifting.
July 1, 2006... As framing and finish subcontractor working in the suburbs north of New York City, I get my share of interesting remodeling projects. One recent favorite was a two-story addition on the back of a conventional two-story colonial. The first floor...

DeWalt's Sitelock alarm: if tools have a habit of walking off your sites, you may want to consider this system.
July 1, 2006... Last year, while our company was building a large custom home, someone got in over the weekend and stole tools from one of our subs. We were lucky the thief didn't get any of our stuff--we had ladders, staging, and some stationary shop...

Upwardly mobile.(Kitchen & Bath / Outdoor Kitchens)
July 1, 2006... This Epicure Outdoor Grill Cart resists the elements with heavy-duty stainless steel construction. Concealed rotating and locking casters provide full patio mobility, while two drawers and two side shelves offer generous storage space. A...

Multi-fuel cooking.(Kitchen & Bath / Outdoor Kitchens)
July 1, 2006... Propane or charcoal? Settle the argument once and for all with a unit that uses both--and then some. The Vidalia Grill Model 628 is one of four models designed to burn not only charcoal and propane, but also natural gas and wood. A...

Shipshape storage.(Kitchen & Bath / Outdoor Kitchens)
July 1, 2006... Solid, 3/4-inch-thick marine-grade polymer Wer/Ever cabinets endure permanent outdoor installation without warping, swelling, cracking, or discoloring. Base and wall cabinets come in five different colors with several door styles, and are sized...

Gray-water flush.(Kitchen & Bath / Toilets & Bidets)
July 1, 2006... Here's a novel solution for a tiny powder room, as well as a way to conserve fresh water: Replace the existing tank top of virtually any standard toilet with a Toilet Lid Sink. Water that fills the tank for flushing is first routed through the...

Hygienic stomper.(Kitchen & Bath / Toilets & Bidets)
July 1, 2006... Incident studies show that every year ah average 7.3 million squeamish Americans fall, sometimes fatally, while trying to flush the toilet with their foot. Okay, there's no such study. Nonetheless, the Foot Flush pedal, which converts almost...

Hang it.(Kitchen & Bath / Toilets & Bidets)
July 1, 2006... Because its tank and carrier system install within the stud cavity, the space-saving Kimera In-Wall Mounted Toilet projects only 21 1/2 inches from a 2x6-framed wall. Features include a wall-mounted actuator for flushing and a rim height of 15...

Clean finish.(Kitchen & Bath / Toilets & Bidets)
July 1, 2006... With its heated seat, slow-close lid. internal water heater, and optional warm-air drier, the Feel Fresh Bidet N Wash Hygiene System is replacing the regular seat on many a domestic toilet. An included tee-fitting picks up the water supply, and...

Shine on.(Products / Panels)
July 1, 2006... In hot climates, radiant barriers can significantly reduce cooling costs by reflecting much of the heat that would otherwise soak into a home's interior spaces. According to its maker, foil-backed Thermostat Radiant Barrier Sheathing reflects...

Tall order.(Products / Panels)
July 1, 2006... Since most new homes have 9-foot ceilings on the first floor, traditional 8-foot sheathing panels just don't measure up. One solution is 1/2-inch-thick FiberBrace sheathing, which now comes in 10-foot lengths for taller walls. It satisfies...

Green board.(Products / Panels)
July 1, 2006... More and more home-building and remodeling clients want assurance that the wood products used in their homes come from sustainably managed forests. That's the impetus behind the various third-party agencies--most notably the Forest Stewardship...

Old school.(Products / Metal Roofing)
July 1, 2006... Long ago, terne metal--an alloy of lead and tin--was the classic tin-roof material. It fell out of favor when cheaper materials were invented and the risks of lead exposure became widely known. Terne II offers the look of a traditional tin roof...

Wood replacement.(Products / Metal Roofing)
July 1, 2006... Living beneath a wood roof in Western wildfire country could interfere with a good night's rest, seems to me. Gerard's Shake Roofs look like cedar shingles but carry a Class A fire rating and a 120-mph-wind warranty. Made from 26-gauge steel,...

Featherweight.(Products / Metal Roofing)
July 1, 2006... Clay-and-concrete tile roofing is durable, fire-resistant, and attractive, but at 1,000 pounds per square it can really stress a structure during high-wind and seismic events. Customers looking for a lightweight alternative that doesn't...

Smart insulation.(Products / Insulation)
July 1, 2006... Smart Insulation. Vapor retarders are designed to prevent moisture from getting inside wall cavities--but they also prevent it from getting out. CertainTeed's MemBrain is different: Its permeability increases with humidity. Ordinarily, the...

Stone-coated foam.(Products / Insulation)
July 1, 2006... Stone-Coated Foam. Making exposed polystyrene foundation insulation look good is one of the challenges faced by builders and remodelers every day. An easy way to deal with this problem is to use FP Ultra Lite Foundation Insulation Panels....

Crack Filler.(Products / Insulation)
July 1, 2006... Crack Filler, When it comes to boosting a home's thermal performance, nothing beats gun-dispensed spray foam. Hilti's CF 812 and CF 810 are compatible with the industry's first specification (ASTM C1620-05) for aerosol-foam sealants. The...

Bosch gravity-rise table-saw stand.(Toolbox)
July 1, 2006... When I started out as a carpenter, my meager wages meant living in one of Pittsburgh's least-desirable neighborhoods; leaving tools in my truck overnight wasn't an option if I ever wanted to see them again. As a result, I made it a point to buy...

Ridgid Pro Pack vac.(Toolbox)
July 1, 2006... As the owner of a handyman and custom-carpentry service, I use a compact vacuum to clean up small messes every day. Since I do such a wide variety of tasks, the machine needs to pick up everything from plaster crumbs to bent finish nails--and...

Smooth saw.(Toolbox / Tile Tools)
July 1, 2006... With its industrial-quality 1 1/2-hp motor and water-cooled bearings, the TP1020 is designed for long life and smooth operation. It can cut 20-inch tiles straight I and 14-inch tiles on the diagonal. Other features include a removable water...

Spray booth.(Toolbox / Tile Tools)
July 1, 2006... Trekking outside every time you need to use a tile saw can get a little old, especially in the winter. On the other hand, making cuts indoors means figuring out a way to manage a fog of tile slurry and piles of razor-sharp fragments. With the...

Out with the grout.(Toolbox / Tile Tools)
July 1, 2006... Frankly, I think J prefer undergoing major dental work to removing grout from installed tile. If you share my frustration with grout saws and other time-consuming methods, check out the new Grout Removal Attachment (RZ-GRK) from RotoZip, which...

Sight work.(Toolbox / Levels)
July 1, 2006... Sight work. Having trouble seeing the vials in your spirit level? Empire says the blue vials in its True Blue levels are easy to see in most job-site lighting conditions. One of the line's newest offerings, the box-beam e70, boasts...

Good value.(Toolbox / Levels)
July 1, 2006... Good value. With Irwin's Strait-Line Box Beam Levels, you get what I consider to be a really good deal. The sturdy aluminum frames--available in lengths up to 8 feet-have some nifty features, including adjustable vials and keyed slots that...

Fine woodwork.(Toolbox / Levels)
July 1, 2006... Fine woodwork. There's just something cool about a good-looking wood level. Take the Big Johnson. Wrapped with 16-gauge stainless-steel bindings, the walnut-and-maple laminated frame bears yellow vials with tempered-glass lenses and rubberized...

Plumber's worst nightmare: a five-ton tub.(Roger Hopkins and his works)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Architects like Roger Hopkins. Carpenters and electricians like him, too. But plumbers? They hate him. It's not that they don't appreciate his stone benches and garden sculpture--but they're the ones who have to install the sinks and tubs he...