The Journal of Light Construction articles from October 2002

The Journal of Light Construction archives from October 2002

Tie progress payments to start of events. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... To the Editor: I agree with the basic premise concerning progress payments presented in the article "Why Wait to Get Paid" (Legal Adviser, 7/02). However, I believe there is one flaw: The author suggests that the progress payment be tied...

It's your birthday, too. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... As you probably noticed from the cover, JLC turns 20 this month. In the 12 years I've been here, the magazine has changed size five times and changed hands twice. It's also changed appearance, going from black-and-white to color and adding many...

Sealing Dutch doors. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... To the Editor: I've been a custom door maker for 32 years and would like to add an important point to Dave Frane's response about making a Dutch door (Q&A, 8/02). I've done quite a few Dutch doors and they present a particular in an...

Is felt bad for you? (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... To the Editor: I read with interest Howard Brickman's answer to the question of asphalt-saturated felt vs. red rosin paper. His points are well taken and are the ones I've heard consistently before from flooring professionals. However, I...

Bad gas a myth?(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... To the Editor: I found the article "Shopping for a Generator" (8/02) very informative. However, I would like to challenge the statement that gas can "go bad during a period of non-use" and cause a generator to die. I believe that's a myth...

Price clarification.
October 1, 2002... The suggested list price for the Rainbow Attic Stairs mentioned in the September Products column is $600. Contractor pricing may vary by region. KEEP 'EM COMING! Letters must be signed and include the writer's address. The Journal of...

How long can housing stay hot? Fears of a "housing bubble" are probably unfounded, but local deflation of housing prices can't be ruled out. (Notebook).
October 1, 2002... Throughout the recent recession and the current period of sluggish economic growth and bad news from Wall Street, housing has been the brightest spot in the nation's economy. According to the National Association of Realtors, housing-related...

Thai ties find new life as flooring. (Notebook).(AsiaRain Inc. recycles hardwood railroad ties)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Recycled railroad ties have long been used for landscaping and other rough projects, but a California company has recently taken recycling to a new level by milling salvage ties into finish flooring. The catch: These aren't ordinary creosoted...

A new antimicrobial paint. (Off Cuts).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A new antimicrobial paint from the New York-based Alistagen Corp. is said to be 99.9% effective at killing and preventing the growth of more than 20 microbes, including mold. The paint costs $69 per gallon and is available in ten stock colors,...

The Florida Home Builders Association. (Off Cuts).(vocational guidance)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Florida Home Builders Association has announced that it will work with state and regional work force development boards on a new effort meant to encourage high school students to consider careers in home building. The Get Into Building...

Home safes are emerging as a trendy home accessory. (Off Cuts).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Home safes are emerging as a trendy home accessory, according to the Wall Street Journal. Concealed safes are popular, and one manufacturer has launched a line of minifridge-sized Home Appliance safes in a range of decorator colors.

Brick production in 2002 was among the highest in 30 years. (Off Cuts).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Brick production in 2002 was among the highest in 30 years, according to figures released by the Brick Industry Association. Nearly 80% of the brick was used in single-family residential construction, with the South Atlantic region being the...

Developers in Noblesville, Ind., must conceal the back yards of properties that can be seen from main roads. (Off Cuts).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Developers in Noblesville, Ind., must conceal the back yards of properties that can be seen from main roads. In July, the city council unanimously passed an ordinance requiring builders to orient homes so their front facades face the road, or...

Most U.S. homeowners have positive perceptions of treated wood. (Off Cuts).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Most U.S. homeowners have positive perceptions of treated wood, according to a recent Louisiana State University study summarized in the lumber industry newsletter Random Lengths. Despite the press surrounding the recent phaseout of CCA-treated...

Stanley to stay put. (Notebook).(Stanley Works)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Stanley Works has abandoned its plan to reincorporate in Bermuda (see Notebook, 4/02). The proposed move, which the Connecticut-based tool and hardware manufacturer announced in February, would have saved the company an estimated $30 million...

Fake gates yield real benefits. (Notebook).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... To a developer, gates are a mixed blessing. By some estimates, homes in gated communities sell for a 10% to 15% premium over similar homes in communities without gates. But while they may attract more affluent buyers, gates also impose costs:...

Chicken fat makes a fine heating fuel. (Off Cuts).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Chicken fat makes a fine heating fuel, researchers at the University of Georgia have found. According to Energy Design Update, the researchers fired a conventional oil burner with a number of experimental fuels, including chicken fat, lard,...

Vinyl siding shipments have declined for the past two years. (Off Cuts).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Vinyl siding shipments have declined for the past two years, according to a report in the roofing, siding, and insulation trade magazine RSI. Figures provided by the Vinyl Siding Institute show that shipments declined by 6% between 1999 and...

Dunkin' Donuts will be opening full-service donut shops inside Home Depot stores. (Off Cuts).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Dunkin' Donuts will be opening full-service donut shops inside Home Depot stores, beginning late this year. A spokesperson for Home Depot said his company's research shows that professional builders often visit both chains during the morning...

Builders in Denver no longer have to landscape a new home to receive a certificate of occupancy. (Off Cuts).(Colorado)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Builders in Denver no longer have to landscape a new home to receive a certificate of occupancy, according to a temporary measure adopted by city building officials. A long-term drought, coupled with water-use restrictions, makes it pointless...

Structural panel manufacturers are producing more 4x9 and 4x10 panels of plywood and OSB. (Off Cuts).(oriented strand board)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Structural panel manufacturers are producing more 4x9 and 4x10 panels of plywood and OSB, according to the lumber newsletter Random Lengths. The trend is said to be driven by strong and growing demand for new homes with 9- and 10-foot ceilings....

Smart wiring: growth but no boom. (Notebook).
October 1, 2002... What if they gave a digital revolution and nobody came? That's the question facing entrepreneurs on the cutting edge of smart-house technology. With the collapse of the dot-com bubble, hightech hype is sounding a lot more hollow. The continuing...

International Codes continue to gain ground. (Notebook).(unification of building codes)
October 1, 2002... Efforts by the International Code Council (ICC) to unify building codes throughout the U.S. are continuing to make progress. This year, at least four states have adopted the International Building Code (IBC) as a statewide code, including two...

Using fluted masonry nails in hangers. (Q&A).
October 1, 2002... Q. I've found that fluted masonry nails work best for nailing hangers through metal gussets in truss girders (beams), but my truss engineer says he can't find a rating for them. He also cringes when I mention those 1 1/4-inch hanger nails....

Installing plastic next to wood. (Q&A).
October 1, 2002... Q. The roof details and plans for a log house we're building show that on top of the 2-by T&G decking, we should apply 6mil plastic and then a sheet of an insulated nailbase product (3 1/2-inch rigid insulation with a top face of OSB sheathing...

Nondestructive termite retreatments. (Q&A).(Bora-Care, Termidor)
October 1, 2002... Q. Ever since Chlordane was replaced with shorter-lasting insecticides such as Larsban and Dursban, it has been necessary to reapply termite treatments every five years. To reach the perimeter soil under a slab-on-grade floor, you have to drill...

Fly Ash Proportion in Concrete. (Q&A).
October 1, 2002... Q. I have an architectural client who wants to use between 35% and 50% fly ash to replace the cement content in a slab on grade, based on a recommendation from a "green" designer. The slab will be covered with a moisture-sensitive flooring. I...

Designing low-cost houses. (By Design).
October 1, 2002... I've spent most of my architectural career in conventional residential design, but for the past few years I've been concentrating on two types of factory-built housing. Working on affordable housing has given me a new respect for those builders...

Five reasons contractors lose money. (Strictly Business).(Column)
October 1, 2002... The phone is ringing off the hook, you're keeping twice as many subs and employees busy as last year, and you're booked for the next nine months. So why aren't you making any money? The answer may be simpler than you think. Here are five common...

Top five office tools. (State-of-the-Art Contractor).(Column)
October 1, 2002... When JLC asked me to contribute to its 20th-anniversary issue, I was proud but perplexed. I've been out of the trenches for six years and don't know whether the latest WiFi PDA comes with enough RAM to view a Chief Architect file, or whether...

Shedding light on radiant heat. (Focus on Energy).(radiant floor heating)(Column)
October 1, 2002... I hate to be a wet blanket about something that's really popular. But I'm about to point out some of the reasons radiant floor heating systems aren't always as ideal as people think. Radiant Floor Overview Radiant heating systems...

JLC time line: looking back 20 years.(Journal of Light Construction)
October 1, 2002... 1982 Volume 1, Issue 1, of New England Builder arrives in the mailbox * NEB covers window market, but no vinyl windows to be found * Advertiser introduces "America's most exciting new building material"--OSB * Carpenter asks, What good is a...

Best-practice construction details from two decades of JLC.
October 1, 2002... SITE WORK Building a Rural Drive To get the longest life from a stone drive, the author starts by providing proper pitch and drainage. Then, before placing any stone, he lays down Mirafi 500X road fabric, which strengthens the road and...

Prepping wood-framed floors for tile. (Kitchen & Bath).
October 1, 2002... The long-term success of any tile floor installation depends on a number of factors: the adhesive bond that secures the tiles, the setting bed on which the tiles are installed, the structure that holds everything up, and a grid of flexible...

Retrofitting a patio door. (Practical Engineering).
October 1, 2002... The problem usually starts on a nice warm sunny day when your client looks out through the window onto the garden that she carefully planted two or three years ago, now coming into full bloom. As she stands there with a cup of coffee, the...

Behind door number one. (Products).
October 1, 2002... Perching a solid-core door on your foot while you sneak in a hinge pin is a good way to mash your toes if not to hang a door. Enter the Doorminator, a heavy-duty rolling cart that makes supporting and hanging a heavy door by yourself as easy as...

Stylish rack. (Products).
October 1, 2002... If you're tired of your roof rack whistling while you drive to work, the TracVan rack system for vans and SUVs might be of interest. It has an aerodynamic shape to keep wind noise to a minimum and features wide mounting brackets and damage-free...

Fancy pan. (Products).
October 1, 2002... A preformed, ready-to-tile shower pan can save hours in installation time. Here's a new, lightweight polystyrene shower pan that won't rot or degrade, maintains a 1/4-inch-per-foot slope, and does away with many of the headaches typically...

Sweet switch. (Products).
October 1, 2002... A retrofit garbage disposal is easy enough to install on the plumbing end, but fishing a wire up to a new wall switch can take a lot of time and patience. Simplify the wiring process by mounting a Sinktop Switch on the sink deck, and save...

Family of routers. (Products).
October 1, 2002... A new collection of routers has joined the familiar yellow and black family of power tools. The new offerings include fixed, D-handle, and plunge platforms, with 1 3/4- or 2 1/4-horsepower motor packs. All have features that are meant to edge...

Hot product. (Products).
October 1, 2002... Scalding hot water in the tub or shower is serious business. The HydroGuard HT115 monitors water temperature to prevent burns. When the device senses water temperatures above 115[degrees], it reduces flow to a trickle (1/4 gpm), continuing...

Speakers for the great outdoors. (Products).
October 1, 2002... Homeowners wanting to hear their tunes or talk radio outside can now choose corrosion- and weather-resistant outdoor speakers from M&S. The speakers feature a 5 1/4-inch two-way woofer and a titanium dome tweeter and are said to be ideal for...

Got a tool vice? (Products).
October 1, 2002... If you've held out for the ultimate in multitools, the I new Vise-Grip Toolbox might be the one you've been waiting for. A small but useful set of Vise-Grips, with wire cutters on the business end, replaces the typical needle-nose pliers. The...

Cure for common rot. (Products).
October 1, 2002... Frequently, repairing even badly rotted wood is possible and less expensive than replacement, according to the maker of a two-part Advanced Repair elastomeric epoxy. According to the maker, the epoxy can rebuild rotten windowsills, columns,...

Pencil-free. (Products).
October 1, 2002... When did tape measures start looking like SUVs?" one of my coworkers asked when shown the Next unleaded measuring tape. A tiny marking wheel, similar to a glass cutter, mounted on the housing, is said to leave a mark on almost any surface. A...

High and dry. (Products).
October 1, 2002... The space under a raised deck is frequently wasted because it offers little or no protection from rain or melting snow. Dry Space, a PVC rain diverter, fits between the deck joists and catches runoff, channeling it to the outside edge of the...

Breathe easier. (Products).
October 1, 2002... Metal roofing is increasingly popular but a little tricky to vent through the ridge. Profile Vent is similar to other rolled fibrous ridge vents, but it's available in 39 different profiles to match common standing-seam and screw-down metal...

This is a stickup. (Products).
October 1, 2002... Hot-melt glue is good for temporarily securing trim before pneumatic fastening because it sets quickly and might keep you from blowing a brad through your finger. But carpenters need to move fast, corded glue gun and all. The G200K Portasol is...

Rock on. (Products).
October 1, 2002... In recognition that a radio is as much a necessity on the job as a cup of morning coffee, the Job Site Radio is designed to keep the crew rocking. According to the maker, the digital-tuning radio can take an 8-foot dive onto concrete and live...

One less Headache. (Products).
October 1, 2002... If your wobbly cab protector is giving you a migraine, consider a sturdy new one that promises to alleviate your pain. Unlike cab protectors that bolt through the top of the bed rails only, the Headache Rack is fastened to the top and inside...

Swell well. (Products).
October 1, 2002... For an alternative to ugly galvanized window wells, consider these easily installed Window Well Pictures. According to the maker, the flexible and waterproof images dress up the plain zinc finish of a standard window well by replacing it with...

Doors & windows. (Special Advertising Section).
October 1, 2002... NEW Alterna[R] The industry's first fusion-crafted exterior wood composite door. Alterna by DoorCraft[R] provides the best of wood, steel and fiberglass without the drawbacks. A beautiful entrance door with proven performance. It won't...

A Swiss Army knife of a book. (Resources).(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... Most of us own a Leatherman or Swiss Army knife. You won't screw down your next deck with either of these tools, but their usefulness is at times indispensable. Comparing Construction Principles, Materials and Methods (7th ed.) by H....

The rise of the inline saw. (Toolbox).
October 1, 2002... I grew up in the West, and there I learned early in life that wormdrives were the superior circular saw. When I was a teenager, those were the only saws I ever saw on framing sites in Colorado and New Mexico. Carpenters in that part of the...