Fine Homebuilding 2015 254

BUILD A LOW-MAINTENANCE ZERO-ENERGY HOME p.
68
FineHomebuilding
Fine Homebuilding D E S I G N • B U I LD • R E M O D E L
The best
insulation
you’re not
using?
Strategies for
weatherproof
windows
Air-sealing
for energy
savings
Tips for
trouble-free
plumbing
Tool Test NOVEMBER 2015 NO. 254
Track saws
www.finehomebuilding.com
Mineral wool makes a comeback,

and for good reason p.48
฀ ฀
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฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀
฀
O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5 N O . 2 5 4
42
LEAK-FREE
WINDOWS
ZERO-ENERGY
LIVING 68
FEATURES 74 TOOLS FOR

PRECISION CUTTING
PRO JECT HO US E
54 Air-sealing Basics 68 All-around Efficient
42 A Weatherproof Look high and low to find and Pairing a proven net-zero strategy
Window Installation plug air leaks that cost you money with conscious material choices
Layers of redundant flashing and and comfort BY STEVE BACZEK
sealant ensure that the most BY MIKE GUERTIN AND

ROBERT SHERWOOD TOOL T E S T
expensive part of your house is
also the best protected
60 Getting to Know the
74 Track Saws
BY BRIAN KNIGHT These versatile tools make fast,
Beast in Your Basement precise cuts and weigh a lot less
CO V ER S T O RY A forced-air heating system isn’t as than your tablesaw
48 Mineral Wool scary as it seems BY DOUG MAHONEY
B Y M A R T I N H O L L A D AY
Makes a Comeback
This natural spun-stone insulation is 66 Trouble-free Toilets
enjoying a resurgence in popularity— The floor, flange, and sealant can
and for good reason mean the difference between
BY MIKE MAINES
success and failure
BY MIKE LOMBARDI
54
BASIC ENERGY
UPGRADES
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6 FINE HOMEBUILDING
THE EASIEST WAY TO
EXTEND THE LIFE OF
YOUR DECK.
BEFORE AFTER
wood
BEFORE AFTER
concrete
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 7
IN EVERY ISSUE
10 ON THE WEB
12 CONTRIBUTORS
14 LETTERS
18 HOW IT WORKS
Drain-waste-vent systems
26
DOWN-AND-DIRTY
DRYING RACK
20 TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Rolling bandsaw base,
Baluster replacement,
Drying racks, Trimming
door jambs
28 T O O L S & M AT E R I A L S
Thermal camera, Hammer
ELEGANT MUDROOMS 80
tacker, USB charger, Vent
caps, Fiberglass gutters 36
DRILLS WITH
A PUNCH
36 W H AT ’ S T H E D I F F E R E N C E ?
Hammer-action drills,
Screw bits
80 P R O J E C T G A L L E RY
82 A S K T H E E X P E RT S
PLUMBING
THAT FLOWS 18
Ceiling-fan height,
Adding walls on I-beams,
Raising floors a little bit
84 E N E R G Y- S M A RT D E TA I L S
Lstiburek’s ideal
88
double-stud wall
BUILDING SKILLS
FRAME LARGE
OPENINGS
88
Installing a big beam
92 D R AW I N G B O A R D
Laundry closets
92
COMPACT LAUNDRY
96 TA I L G AT E SPACES
Katherine Boorman,
designer
98 FINISHING TOUCH
Where concrete is king
ON THE COVER: Despite falling out of favor when fiberglass insulation came to market, mineral-wool
insulation is regaining lost ground. On pp. 48-53, Mike Maines explains why this is a good thing. Here,
mineral wool is being used in its batt form to insulate an exterior wall. Photo by Rodney Diaz.
8 FINE HOMEBUILDING
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Marvin Ultimate Swinging French Doors Todd Hansen, Albertsson Hansen Architecture, Ltd.
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to it virtually any opening, and wide variety of product options to answer the most unique design challenges, we can help you exceed
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©2015 Marvin Windows and Doors. All rights reserved. ®Registered trademark of Marvin Windows and Doors.
ontheweb
W W W. F I N E H O M E B U I L D I N G . C O M
breaktime
VISIT our online discussion
group to ask a question
about any aspect of home
building. It’s free to sign up at
forums.FineHomebuilding.com.
Insulating an acrylic bathtub

SWISSCARPENTER ASKS: I’ve heard of
some plumbers filling the interior voids
of acrylic bathtubs with fiberglass and/or
spray-foam insulation prior to installation.
It sounds like a good idea for retaining
heat in the tub. Is there any downside? I
assume low-expansion foam is the way to
go to prevent bulging or cracking of the
acrylic, but I’m curious as to other people’s
experiences and techniques.
user-969819 replies: I recently tried this
TOOL TECH VIDEO: Take a Closer Look at Track Saws myself. I braced the edges and sides, filled
If you’ve ever struggled to cut down a full sheet of plywood on a portable most of the cavity with EPS, and went to
tablesaw, you may be surprised to discover how a track saw can make town with low-expansion foam just to fill
this and other tasks easier. In a new video, we introduce the basic features up the voids. It looked like it all stayed in
of track saws and explain how to use them. Simple setup and quality cuts position. But by the next day, the tub had
are just two of the reasons we highly recommend these versatile tools. sprung out in the middle by about 1 in.
FineHomebuilding.com/extras Lying on my side, I spent three hours
drilling, chiseling, scraping, and cussing to
get all the foam removed. I ended up using
a 30-in. crosscut saw to shave off layer
after layer.
How did this happen? Apparently, the
FREE eLetter Want Fine Homebuilding delivered every week? Sign up
for our free eLetters at FineHomebuilding.com/eLetter. 6-in. block of foam that was attached at
the factory to keep the front apron rela-
tively in place had a weird chemical reac-
tion with the spray foam, causing it to turn
into a massive blob.
After restoring the tub to its proper
shape, I filled the cavities with mineral-
wool insulation. My wife just took a bath
and said it was wonderful. Please, don’t
use foam.
DanH adds: Acrylic is a better insulator
than cast iron and shouldn’t really need
added insulation.
junkhound replies: “Low expansion” does
not mean “no expansion,” and there is a
huge surface area being pushed on. I tried
PROJECT HOUSE VIDEO SERIES: Weatherproof Windows
the same thing with my tub, which moved
Installing windows is an area ripe for saving energy and increasing dura-
enough to leave a puddle at the back. Like
bility. The best installations keep water out, provide an escape path for
you, I spent a few hours with a crosscut
when it inevitably leaks in, and block unwanted air movement. Watch
saw getting the foam out from under the
this three-part video series to learn how to get the job done right.
tub. My advice is to forget trying to use
FineHomebuilding.com/extras any spray foam.
10 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos: top, Patrick McCombe; bottom, Justin Fink

contributors
THE VOICES OF EXPERIENCE
Editor Rob Yagid

Executive Art Director Robert Goodfellow
Design Editor Debra Judge Silber
Project House Editor Justin Fink
MIKE LOMBARDI became interested in the mechani- Senior Editors Andy Engel
Martin Holladay
cal trades while working on a dairy farm as a teen-
Associate Editors Aaron Fagan
ager. He began a plumbing/heating apprenticeship Patrick McCombe
in 1972, earned his Master Plumbers license in 1984, Assistant Editor Matt Higgins
and now owns his own business in Danbury, Conn. Senior Copy/ Don Burgard
Mike has written for Fine Homebuilding on topics Production Editor
such as prepping and gluing plastic fittings (#229) Deputy Art Director Rodney Diaz
Administrative Assistant Maureen Friedman
and plumbing a bathroom (#234). In this issue, he
Consulting Editor Brian Pontolilo
explains how to install a toilet properly (pp. 66-67).
Editors at Large Kevin Ireton
Charles Miller
Editorial Adviser Mike Guertin
DOUG MAHONEY has been building in the Boston Contributing Editors Rick Arnold
Sean Groom
area since 2001. In that time, he has been a carpen- Gary M. Katz
ter, a foreman, and a site supervisor, mostly in high- Joseph Lstiburek
end residential construction. He also just spent nearly Contributing Writer Scott Gibson
four years completely gutting and rebuilding his Contributing Lincoln Barbour
Photographers Ken Gutmaker
100-year-old farmhouse—not an easy task with three Susan Teare
kids under the age of 6. In addition, Doug has been Brian Vanden Brink
writing about and reviewing tools since 2007. His
Senior Editor, Books Peter Chapman
review of track saws appears on pp. 74-79.
FineHomebuilding.com
Product Manager Alex Jonas
Web Producer Lisa Raleigh
BRIAN KNIGHT (“A Weatherproof Window Installa-
Video Director Colin Russell
tion,” pp. 42-47) is the owner of Springtime Homes,
Web Design Director Jodie Delohery
a custom builder based in Asheville, N.C., specializing
in indoor-air quality, energy efficiency, and building- Fine Homebuilding: (ISSN: 1096-360X) is published
science best practices. He received his bachelor’s bimonthly, with a special 7th issue in the spring and
degree from Appalachian State University in construc- a special 8th issue in the fall, by The Taunton Press,
Inc., Newtown, CT 06470-5506. Telephone (203)
tion, industrial, and appropriate technologies. Before 426-8171. Periodicals postage paid at Newtown,
starting Springtime in 2008, Brian managed construc- CT 06470 and at additional mailing offices. GST
tion projects in Asheville and in Greenville, S.C. paid registration #123210981.
Subscription Rates: U.S., $37.95 for one year, $65.95
for two years, $93.95 for three years. Canada, $40.95
for one year, $71.95 for two years, $102.95 for three
As a residential designer with a background in car- years (GST included, payable in U.S. funds). Outside
the U.S./Canada: $45.95 for one year, $81.95 for two
pentry and engineering, MIKE MAINES pays atten-
years, $117.95 for three years (payable in U.S. funds).
tion to the practical, hardworking parts of a house, Single copy U.S., $7.99. Single copy Canada, $8.99.
from materials such as mineral wool (pp. 48-53) Postmaster: Send address changes to
to spaces such as laundry closets (pp. 92-94). For Fine Homebuilding, The Taunton Press, Inc.,
design inspiration, he draws on nature and tradi- 63 South Main Street, PO Box 5506, Newtown,
CT 06470-5506.
tional, vernacular architecture. When not designing,
Canada Post: Return undeliverable Canadian
Mike likes to work in his woodshop or tend to his
addresses to Fine Homebuilding, c/o Worldwide
homestead in rural Maine. Mailers, Inc., 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON N8T
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Printed in the USA
write an article
Fine Homebuilding welcomes articles from our readers. We’ll acknowledge all
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For details, check our website at FineHomebuilding.com.
12 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos, from top: courtesy of Mike Lombardi; courtesy of

Doug Mahoney; Justin Fink; courtesy of Mike Maines
letters
READER FEEDBACK
National Ad Director, Brian Quinn

Home & Construction 203-304-3569
bquinn@taunton.com
Digital Ad Sales Manager Noelle Kennedy

Filling a floor
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
203-304-3530
nkennedy@taunton.com
Brent Kelosky wrote a fine article in the August/September 2015 issue about
Senior National Account Kelly Ames Smith
refinishing wood floors. Having done this job myself twice, I learned a great trick Manager 203-304-3840
ksmith@taunton.com
from an installer who was quite an artisan: After the final finish sanding, save all
Senior National Account Kevin Draz
of the clean, fine sawdust, which is really a powder at that point, and mix it with Manager 708-386-1450
kdraz@taunton.com
a good sanding sealer into a medium-body paste. Trowel that mixture over the
Advertising Sales Diana Mackey
entire floor and let it dry, which usually happens pretty quickly. Do another light Assistant
sanding of the floor before staining or coating with the final finish. The sanding
sealer paste will fill every crack and crevice with the exact color of the surround- Director of Advertising Karen Lutjen
Sales Marketing
ing wood and make the floor look like it did on the first day it was installed.
Senior Advertising Robina Lewis
—RICHARD STUTSMAN Marketing Manager
Malibu, Calif.
Advertising Marketing Laura Draper
Associate
Author Brent Kelosky replies: Not all floors get filled, but this is a great trick that
I have used, too. While the method works well, typically when I fill a floor, I use a Marketing Manager Matthew Ulland
premixed filler that is designed to match the wood species of the floor I am refin-
ishing. These fillers are typically available from a distributor and are manufactured Single Copy Sales
by the finish suppliers. I find that using a premixed filler is much less subject to
user error, is easier to apply, and generally provides the same results. Premixed Member
BPA Worldwide
fillers also accept stains well.
I make an exception to this approach if I am refinishing an exotic species of
wood that is not easily matched. In that case, mixing the dust and the sealer is
better than using premixed filler. Additionally, some species of wood are very
photosensitive and darken or lighten with age. Using the wood dust can work Independent publishers since 1975
Founders, Paul & Jan Roman
better in this application as well.
CEO Dan McCarthy

Chief Technology Brian Magnotta
Spray-foam safety More importantly, however, Officer
While reading a back issue the label also warns against VP, Fine Cooking John Boland
of Fine Homebuilding, I came inhalation. I once acciden- VP, Fiber Arts & Books Maria Taylor
upon the article “You Don’t tally knocked a foaming can SVP, Creative & Editorial Susan Edelman
Know Foam” by Justin Fink onto my shoulder and later SVP, Operations Thomas Luxeder
(FHB #241). While I found the came down with a rash that VP, Consumer Marketing Paula Backer
article informative, I was disap- was worse than one caused VP, Controller Wayne Reynolds
pointed to find that there was by poison ivy. I learned that VP, Human Resources Carol Marotti
no reference to safety regarding I am allergic to the family of VP, Fulfillment Patricia Williamson
this and other polyurethane chemicals used as the curing
Publishers of magazines, books, videos, and online
products commonly found on agent in polyurethane products. Fine Woodworking • Fine Homebuilding
job sites. The label on the can Exposure to isocyanates gives Threads • Fine Gardening • Fine Cooking
taunton.com
instructs users to protect eyes, me a condition called chemical-
skin, and surfaces. The user in induced asthma, which can be
the article, though, is shown fatal. I’ve noticed this reaction
without gloves. even days after commercial
14 FINE HOMEBUILDING
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Our “Go To” Source from Crown Point?
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-Architect; Brooklyn, NY
Crown Point In Our Own Home

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them in the high-end homes I build.
he it of everything is near perfect.
It looks like they hand-pick the pieces
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he fact that their cabinets always show
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Work With You Again Soon Crown Point Cabinetry. Your personal custom cabinetmaker.
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letters CONTINUED
spray foam was used on one of Draining outdoor James Hardie recommends the
my jobs. showers use of polycrystalline diamond
I think it is important for I was delighted to read the story (PCD) cutting tools. Next, the
your readers to be aware of the about outdoor showers in the article says that personal pro-
potential dangers that can result August/September issue. I’ve tective equipment (PPE) and
from using these products. I installed a few outdoor showers dust collection are a must when
avoid using them completely and would suggest that instead working with HardieTrim.
when possible, and I wear a of capping the tub diverter, as PPE and dust-collecting tools
respirator with fresh cartridges depicted in the article’s draw- can be used to manage dust, but
when I must be near them. ing, you attach a valve to it and they are not required.
—DAN QUILL make it accessible so that you Finally, on p. 63, a photo of
Southampton, Pa. can drain the plumbing com- HardieTrim is incorrectly used
pletely come winter. Otherwise, to represent the fly-ash product
Fire ratings even a little bit of water can end (see correction, below).
for exterior trim up freezing and cracking the — M AT T H E W S P E N C E R
I read with great interest Gary cap, or in some cases, cracking Technology Assessment Manager
Katz’s article “Today’s Best the entire shower-valve body. I James Hardie Building Products
Exterior Trim” in the last issue. learned this the hard way.
One comparison that I found — N I M A PA R S I
your safety missing, though, was the fire Toronto
Home building is inherently rating on each of the products. Correction
dangerous. From accidents Here in Colorado Springs, Solid gutter guards In “Today’s Best
with power tools to falls from building codes for the hillside Your article “Fixing Common Exterior Trim” by
ladders, scaffolds, and roofs, areas of the city require that a Gutter Blunders” (FHB #253) Gary Katz (FHB
builders risk serious injury and fireproof material be used for recommends PlyGem and simi- #253), our photo of
even death. We try to promote all fascia, soffit, and exterior lar gutter guards. Those prod- fly-ash trim on p. 63
safe work habits through our trim. This is a result of the dev- ucts work fine for large leaves, showed the wrong
articles. But what is safe for astating wildfires of two and but they can create a situation material. (The correct
one person under certain three years ago. worse than having no guard at material was shown
circumstances may not be —BILL ROBERTSON all if your yard includes trees in the photo on p. 64.)
safe for you under different Colorado Springs, Colo. that produce tiny leaves and/or Here’s the photo we
circumstances. So don’t try small seed casings. I’ve found should have run. We
anything you learn about here Associate editor Patrick McCombe that this small debris lies on top regret the error.
(or elsewhere) unless you’re replies: This is an important of the guards and completely
certain that it is safe for you. issue. Fire-resistant and fire- clogs their small apertures. If I
Please be careful. proof materials can minimize had it to do over, I would opt
— R O B YA G I D the damage done to structures for a solid guard system similar
editor by wildfire. Unfortunately, to the LeafGuard product.
there are no universal approvals. —ALLAN KAUTZ
States and municipalities with via e-mail
high wildfire potential deter-
mine the approved products in Trim misrepresentations
their respective areas. There is Gary Katz’s article “Today’s
more than one test for deter- Best Exterior Trim” (FHB
mining a material’s suitability, #253) is well written. However,
and just because one product it makes representations of
is approved for one location James Hardie trim products
doesn’t necessarily mean that that are not correct.
it’s approved for all areas. The First, neither James Hardie
best thing to do is to contact trim products nor its siding
your local enforcement officer products contain fiberglass.
Email your own to see if any product you’re con- Also, while the article recom-
letter to us at sidering is on your area’s list of mends carbide-tipped tools
FH@taunton.com. approved fire-resistant products. to cut fiber-cement products,
16 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photo: Rodney Diaz

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www.finehomebuilding.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 17

howit works
THE MECHANICS OF HOME BUILDING
Drain-waste-
BY JUSTIN FINK
A lthough hidden behind walls and

in floors and ceilings, the pipes
that make up a house’s drain-waste-
EVOLUTION OF THE MODERN DRAIN
Unprotected If your sink, bathtub, and other fixtures
vent (DWV) system are the balance of were connected to drain lines that followed a straight,
the plumbing equation. They are the downward-sloping path to a main sewer outlet, water or
waste would drain from each fixture with the help of grav-
exit for the water provided through
ity, air from the room would mix in and relieve the vacuum
the supply lines, they carry waste from Sewer created by the draining water, and everything would flow
the toilet, and they connect to outside gas
without trouble. The problem
air for venting sewer gas and relieving with this setup is that air being
pressure. These relatively large- Air and water mix, allowed to flow into the drain
breaking the vacuum, but
diameter pipes rely solely on gravity, sewer gas is allowed to system means that air also is
but they aren’t easily routed through enter the living space. allowed to flow out and into
the structure of a house. the room, bringing sewer gas
with it.
With three chapters in the IRC
devoted to DWV systems, not to
mention the tables and examples Trap To prevent the entry of sewer gas, every fixture is
illustrated in the appendix, there is required to have a U-shaped section of piping, known as a
trap. Located downstream of the fixture (or in the case of
a lot to know about the layout and
a toilet, as part of the fixture itself), the trap holds water,
installation of such a system. Pipe
blocking sewer gas from coming
sizes that vary based on usage; up through the fixture’s drain.
Sewer gas
routes through framing bays that Trap The problem with a trap is that
may already be packed with other as water flows through a drain
mechanicals; pitch tolerances of plus line, it creates a vacuum behind
or minus just 1⁄4 in. per ft.; fittings with it (negative pressure) and pushes
Negative pressure siphons
subtle differences in inlets, outlets, air in front of it (positive pres-
water from the trap,
allowing sewer gas to sure). The flow of this “water
and applicability; and an array of enter the living space. slug” can cause water to be sucked out of a trap that it’s
minimums and maximums to consider
passing near, and it may also cause air to push through and
when it comes to tying everything gurgle in nearby traps downstream of its path. To relieve this
together are just a handful of the pressure differential, code requires vents.
many situations, rules, and restrictions
plumbers must understand.
Trap and vent Nothing more than a connection to exte-
The stakes are high, because an rior air, a vent neutralizes air pressure within the drain lines.
improper DWV setup can lead to slow This neutral pressure can be
drains, gurgling fixtures, sewer gas Vent to achieved with lots of different
entering the living space, recurring outside air configurations: an empty (dry)
clogs, and potentially hazardous pipe that connects to the top
Trap arm
overflows. When installed well, though, of a trap arm like a snorkel, a
waste (wet) pipe that is over-
a DWV system will go unnoticed,
size in order to provide enough
with solids, liquids, and gases flowing
room for both water and airflow,
smoothly. Here’s how it works. and variations on these setups.
Pressure is equalized by the vent,
Justin Fink is Project House editor. eliminating siphonage so that the water
stays in the trap and blocks sewer gas.
18 FINE HOMEBUILDING Drawings: Christopher Mills

- vent systems Vent pipes
should be pitched
to drain accumulated
moisture.
Every DWV system is required to have

For sinks of at least one 3-in. pipe venting outside.
any kind, the
most common
branch fitting
is the sanitary
T. The vent
attaches to
the top inlet,
and the trap
arm attaches
to the branch
inlet.
To avoid bottlenecking and clogging, no

component of the drain system can be
larger in diameter than the downstream Toilets have
parts that are attached to it. their own traps
built in.
Connections in a drain line
should be made with a Y-fitting
or TY-fitting, never a 90, to ensure a
smooth and uninterrupted flow of waste. Drain pipes should be sloped 1⁄4 in.
per ft. If they are not pitched enough,
the flow will be inadequate. If they
are pitched too steeply, the water
will flow too quickly, leaving
behind solid waste
or debris.
GETTING THE TRAP RIGHT Stack
vent
Good The trap is straight below and in line with the
fixture drain, and the trap arm is sloped 1⁄4 in. per ft. The
trap arm falls no more
than the diameter of Sanitary T
Cleanouts (and
the pipe it’s plumbed Air is allowed to 18 in. of open space
enter the drainpipe. for access) are required
with, allowing ade- by code for clearing clogs.
Trap 11⁄2-in. pipe
quate room for air to water
flow in from the vent level
pipe as water drains.
Slope of 1⁄4 in. per ft.
Bad If the trap arm is too long, pitched too steeply, or con-
nected to the stack with the wrong fitting, the air intake will be
Stack
below the level of the water flow and may start to siphon water vent
out of the trap. Siphoning will continue until the water level in
the trap drops enough to let air into the
pipe, which then will leave it open for
sewer gas to enter the room. Changes from horizontal
TY- and
1 45-fittings to vertical can be abrupt, but
Slope of ⁄2 in. per ft. changes from vertical to horizontal
Trap should have a combination of TY-fittings
water and 45-fittings to avoid clogs.
level 10-ft. run
Air is not allowed to enter the drainpipe, leading to siphonage.

tips&techniques
E D I T E D A N D I L L U S T R AT E D B Y C H A R L E S M I L L E R
For video tips, visit FineHomebuilding.com
A rolling bandsaw base

I built a rolling base for my bandsaw using scrap wood and
hardware-store parts. The base is made from 2x4 studs sized
to fit around the saw’s legs. Each leg is supported by a 1⁄ 2-in.
plywood triangle fastened under each corner of the base.
The wheel assemblies are made from 2x4 scraps and pieces
of 3⁄4-in. plywood. I attached caster wheels to the bottom of
the 2x4s and added the 3⁄4-in. plywood pieces to the top of
the 2x4 sections as spacers, so the total height of the wheels
plus the wood is about 3⁄4 in. higher than the frame when
the wheels are down. The required thickness of the spacers 1
⁄2-in. plywood
triangle under
depends on the wheels used. I used door hinges to connect
each corner Off-center
each wheel assembly to the base. The vertically mounted notch cut
in plywood
length of 3⁄4-in. plywood on top of each wheel assembly is Central 2x4 bar for
two screw hooks 1
⁄2-in. conduit
notched to hold a lever made from 1⁄ 2-in. metal conduit. The
notch needs to be about 3⁄4 in. wide so that the lever can 2x4 frame Door hinge
Long screws
swing back and forth. Finally, I installed a center 2x4 rail with Conduit arm
two screw-in hooks large enough to hold the conduit arms.
Wheel in rolling position
To move the saw, I simply push down on each conduit arm
and slip it under its hook. This forces the wheel assemblies
down and raises the saw base for rolling.
—TOM SCHAEFFER
Belleville, Pa. Wheel relaxed
submit a tip Flagpole bracket holds a lamp

Flagpole bracket My garage is also my workshop, so most of my projects
Tips & Techniques is
a forum for readers involve hauling my tools to the driveway. Frequently,
to exchange informa- I am close to finishing a project as the sun sets. On one
tion about methods, of those evenings, I found myself wanting to locate my
tools, and jigs they’ve shop light in a good spot. As I looked for a solution, I
devised. We’ll pay for saw my flagpole bracket in a whole new light.
any we publish. Send The bracket can receive the free end of my shop light’s
details to Tips, Fine foot, leaving the light perched at a reasonable height
Homebuilding, P. O. above my head and inclined at an angle of about 45°.
—THOMAS S. AUCHTERLONIE
Box 5506, Newtown, CT
06470-5506, email them Leesburg, Va.
to us at FH@Taunton.
com, or upload them to Keep the bugs out
our submit-a-tip blog at When installing a soffit, staple nylon mesh or screen in
FineHomebuilding.com. advance. This prevents bees, wasps, or yellow jackets
from building nests in your eaves.
—RON C. KERR
Wellsboro, Pa.
tips&techniques CONTINUED
Leveling big tiles Bungee cords

I used to have difficulty trying to level large tiles. I tried are organized
tile-leveling spacers, but I stopped using them out of and stored in
cloth nail bags.
frustration. Then while laying some 19-in. by 19-in.
porcelain tiles, I realized that all I
needed was a hook to lift a tile that
was sitting low. In the trash, I found
Level line a piece of 12-ga. cable, stripped its
end, and bent one of the wires into
Insert hook
behind tile a little hook. I made a loop on the
that needs other end of the wire in the same
to come
forward.
direction as the hook so that I would
know which way the hook was fac-
Once tile is brought ing. I slipped the wire between the
forward, tape wire tiles, made a quarter turn so the Bungee-cord organization
to adjacent tile.
hook was under the tile, and lifted. I struggled to find a good solution for organizing
The 12-ga. wire with that small bungee cords until a friend offered me a set of cloth
hook was strong enough to pull the nail bags. I accepted them, even though I didn’t have a
tile level without a problem. Once I purpose in mind for them. And then it hit me. The bags
pulled the low tile up to level, I bent keep the cords contained but easy to access. I can easily
the wire over and taped it to the move the bags from vehicle to vehicle or to the tailgate
adjacent tile until the thinset cured. when loading and unloading gear.
—VINCENT C. PIRRONE — M AT T H E W S W E T T
Sparks, Nev. Langley, Wash.
TIP FROM THE ARCHIVES

ISSUE 173 // 2005
Fixing a bouncy floor

Ever walk across a living-room floor that flexed enough to make the record player skip a track? Although record players
may be a thing of the past, those bouncy floors are still with us. Whenever one of my customers asks me to remedy this
sort of situation, I install a 4x6 girder (or double 2x6s, if I’m working alone) to support the centers of the joists. As shown
in the drawing, the girder is attached to each joist by a double 2x12 joist hanger. This new girder runs the length of the
floor, supported at both ends, with additional posts that are added as necessary.
Joists aren’t always uniform in depth, so to make sure I’ve got solid bearing for each joist, I add shims where appropri-
ate, such as the one illustrated in the center of the drawing.
Another way to beef up a bouncy floor is to double up
each existing joist. I’ve found that this method
takes a lot more lumber than the girder Undersize
floor joists
approach. Also, there are typically
wires, pipes, ducts, and bridg-
Shim as
ing in the way. The girder solu- necessary.
tion avoids all those problems.
— D AV I D R . N I C H O L S O N
Lewisburg, Pa.
Double 2x6
Double girder
2x12 joist hangers
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For the absolute finest results from a brand you can trust, choose Sikkens ProLuxe finishes. perfectwoodstains.com
Cetol and Sikkens are registered trademarks of AkzoNobel. ProLuxe is a trademark of PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc. © 2015 PPG Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Keep your paintbrush wet Trimming jambs

I often have found myself looking around the job site Whenever I install an interior door over a floor that
for a way to store my brush temporarily in wet paint. has already been laid, there’s a good chance that the
It occurred to me recently that there’s almost always floor is not perfectly level. To accommodate an uneven
a caulk gun nearby at the painting phase. Caulk floor and achieve an even reveal at the top, I trim one
guns are large enough and have the proper side of the jamb.
strength to hold the brush, and they adapt I set up my laser level so that it casts its beam across
easily to brushes of different sizes and paint the rough opening. (Alternatively, I could use a spirit
cans of various depths. level and make a pencil mark on each side of the open-
—MIKE ALEXANDER ing.) Starting at one side of the jamb, I make a pencil
Monrovia, Md. mark on a story pole at the line. Moving to the other
side, I make another mark. The distance between the
two marks is the amount I need to trim off the high
side of the jamb.
Secure Big sound from a small speaker I align the lower mark on the story pole with the
the brush To get more bass and a fuller sound from my small bottom edge of the jamb and transfer the upper mark
between the
caulk gun’s Bluetooth speaker, I simply put it inside a 5-gal. plastic to the jamb, which becomes my cutline. If I haven’t
trigger and bucket. With the speaker facing outward, I can tilt the assembled the jambs yet, it’s simple to trim the piece
frame. bucket on a piece of scrap wood and have the sound on a miter saw. On prehung units, I simply square a
directed toward where I am working. line and trim the end with my jigsaw.
—ROB FRIEDRICH — M I K E PAT T E R S O N
Lomita, Calif. Gaithersburg, Md.
Big gap = maximum protection

The Slicker family of rainscreen systems offers the highest level of protection,
providing a minimum of 1/4 inch gap for exceptional drying performance.
Small gap = Moderate protection

HydroGap, a drainable housewrap, provides a 1 mm space which allows
the excess water to drain, reducing potential for mold and rot.
No Gap = Basic protection

A premium housewrap, such as FlatWrap HP, offers superior
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Choose the moisture protection system that’s right for you;

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and feel of any home. To uncover why skylights should be included in your home builds, visit veluxusa.com/vss.
HGTV, HGTV Smart Home, and HGTV Smart Home Giveaway logos are trademarks of Scripps Networks, LLC. Used with permission; all rights reserved. © 2015 VELUX Group
Easy baluster replacement Drying racks for finishing

Stair handrail I once had to replace a number of balusters My painting contracting business specializes in custom
in a cedar railing. The challenge was to do it homes and restorations, and we finish a lot of siding
without having to take apart the entire rail- and trim prior to installation. In order to dry large
Clamp here.
ing section to insert the tenons on the bal- deliveries, we build simple drying racks by cutting a
usters into the holes in the handrail. After 2x4 into small blocks and screwing them onto the ends
thinking of a variety of schemes, I came up of 8-ft. 2x4s. This allows large amounts of material to
Baluster cutline
with this simple system. I used a bandsaw to dry with minimal contact points.
cut a narrow and slightly irregular diagonal —TONY D’AGOSTINO
kerf in each baluster. I applied waterproof Portland, Maine
Screw here. glue to the cut surface of one of the halves
and inserted the piece into the hole in the
tread. After sliding the other half of the
baluster up and into its hole in the handrail,
I matched it up with its mate. To hold the
pair in alignment, I clamped the thin ends
Clamp here. together and drove a screw into the middle
of each baluster.
Tread When the glue dried, I removed the
clamps and cleaned up the gluelines. The
Drying rack of 8-ft. 2x4s with short blocks
balusters were ready for filling, sanding, screwed to their ends creates a stackable
and painting. drying rack.
—KEITH OJALA
Hancock, Mich.
Love where you cook!

Ready to renovate? Plan smart with trusted advice from
the people who really know kitchens – Fine Cooking
and Fine Homebuilding.
Shop the Taunton Store now for an extensive selection

of kitchen and design resources for planning a kitchen
that’s truly well done.
© 2014 The Taunton Press
TauntonStore.com/Kitchen
Taunton’s
Kitchen
I D E A B O O K OUT
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n solutio WOR
ns for yo K
ur home
There’s so much more to discover
with Fine Homebuilding.
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America’s best builders: how-to and design books,
DVDs, videos, special interest publications, and more.
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tools&materials
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY PRODUCTS
FIELD TESTED
Thermal camera
A
good thermal camera is indispensable for diag- enough space for 500 paired (visual and thermal)
nosing problems in buildings. You can use it to images. You can download the images for project files
track down leaks in roofing and flashing, pin- and customer reports using the provided USB cable.
point insulation voids, and locate air leaks. You can also Images also can be postprocessed using Flir Tools
spot leaky ductwork and faulty electrical components. software. Other features include an adjustable color
A good thermal camera suitable for these tasks used to pallet, emissivity and distance settings, onboard flash,
cost thousands of dollars, but not anymore. Now there’s and auto orientation.
the $699 Flir C2. I wish the C2 had a removable memory card and
About the size of a typical smartphone, the C2 is com- built-in WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity, but consider-
pact, is easy to use, and has excellent image quality for ing that this very functional thermal camera sells for
an entry-level thermal camera. It also has what Flir calls just $699, I shouldn’t complain. I think that plumbers,
MSX. With MSX turned on, an outline of the visual electricians, HVAC contractors, builders, and remodel-
image is overlaid onto the infrared image. The com- ers interested in expanding their diagnostic and trouble-
bined image makes it much easier to tell exactly what shooting capabilities should add a C2 to their toolbox.
you’re looking at.
The C2 comes with 165MB of storage. At the camera’s Flemming Lund, owner of Infrared Diagnostic (infrared
thermal resolution of 4800 pixels, I found this to be diagnostic.com)
28 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos: courtesy of the manufacturers

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tools&materials CONTINUED
Frustration-free hammer tacker

I f you’ve ever used a hammer tacker to fasten felt paper to a roof,
you’re probably familiar with the sound of its spring-loaded fol-
lower skittering down the roof toward the ground. This is not my
the follower never leaves the tool, so you can’t drop it. Loading it
requires no alignment of staples and guides; you hold the tacker
upside down, withdraw the follower, and drop a stick of staples
favorite sound, because it means a trip down the ladder in search into the tool’s bottom-loading magazine. Push the follower back in
of the follower while leaving the partially fastened felt paper to flap place, and you’re ready to go. The housing above the driver end
in the breeze. is reinforced with a steel plate that you can use to hammer staples
And never mind the fussy process of aligning sticks of staples to flat, and there’s a staple puller on the front. I’ve run a few thousand
fit in a hammer tacker’s magazine, particularly when it’s cold. Either staples through the thing, and it hasn’t jammed yet.
you have to try to handle the fragile staples while wearing gloves, or
you freeze your bare hands to the cold metal sides of the tool. It’s Andy Engel, senior editor
even worse when you’re trying to clear a jam in those
conditions by removing a couple of tiny cotter pins that
always seem to break or snap rings that require a tool
to remove. I’ve used tackers from several manufactur-
ers over the years and have found these problems to
be endemic to the tool—until now.
I recently tried out a Milwaukee tacker, which accepts
readily available T50 staples in lengths from 5⁄16 in. to
1⁄ 2 in. and sells for $40. The first thing I noticed is that
THE SPEED YOU NEED

Regardless of the job or project, you don’t want a construction adhesive
to slow you down. You need it to set fast, have excellent strength, and reliably
work on a variety of building materials, so you can move on to the next task
and not worry about call-backs.
Titebond Fast Set delivers the bond you want, with the strength
and speed you need.
titebond.com/FastSet
Good-looking vent caps
T he typical plastic and aluminum vent caps for clothes dryers and exhaust fans found at hard-
ware stores and home centers are not noted for their good looks or durability. If you want
a step up in aesthetics and performance, consider the roof and wall caps from Luxury Metals.
They’re available in copper, stainless steel, and galvanized steel for round ductwork from 3 in. dia.
to 12 in. dia., and for rectangular ducts from 31⁄4 in. by 10 in. to 6 in. by 10 in. The company also
manufacturers roof vents, soffit vents, and plumbing-vent flashings. Prices range from $29 for a
galvanized 4-in. round dryer vent to $139 for a 6-in. by 10-in. stainless-steel wall vent.
Patrick McCombe, associate editor
How wood you know?

W ood gutters look great on historic homes, but they need annual maintenance to keep them
free of rot. You can get the same traditional look with low-maintenance fiberglass gutters from
The Fiberglass Gutter Company in Pembroke, Mass. (fiberglassgutters.com). Available in standard
and custom profiles in lengths up to 40 ft. (longer runs can be field-seamed), the gutters are pro-
duced individually in molds made from traditional wooden gutters. Straight gutters typically sell for
$35 to $85 per ft., installed. The company also makes fiberglass gutters for turrets and curved walls.
P.M.
USB charger
I am cheap and mostly analog by nature, so I generally don’t
get all giddy about electronic gadgets. I’ll make an excep-
tion for DeWalt’s DCB090 USB power source ($29), though,
because I use it a lot.
Having to walk to the truck to charge a dying phone or miss-
ing calls because of a dead phone can be a big hit to your effi-
ciency, but you can keep your phone or tablet charged with this
great little device that slides onto a DeWalt 20v battery pack.
It has a fuel gauge for monitoring the pack’s remaining life and
two USB ports that can provide up to 1.5 amps of charging
power. When two USB devices are connected, it splits the
1.5 amps between the two devices. In addition to charging,
it keeps my phone functioning in frigid weather. Because the
device is so small and I’m not tethered to a wall outlet or exten-
sion cord, I can stash my phone wherever I find a spot that’s
safe from the hazards of a construction site.
Mark Clement, licensed contractor and co-host of the

MyFixitUpLife podcast
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FROM THE TECH are trademarks of Huber Engineered Woods LLC. Huber is a registered trademark of J.M. Huber Corporation.
CREATORS OF SUPPORT Huber Engineered Woods products are covered by various patents. See ZIPsystem.com/patents for details. This
product’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) has been certified by UL Environment. HUB 3302 08/15
Better electrical box

C onventional electrical boxes don’t do much to prevent
the movement of air through wall and framing cavities.
This air leakage wastes energy, leads to comfort complaints,
and creates condensing surfaces where mold and rot can
get a foothold. Many versions of airtight electrical boxes
designed to control air leakage are notoriously finicky and
slow to install. However, the new FastCap Air Tight Box is
the most promising way to control air leakage through elec-
trical devices that I’ve seen. Employing an adhesive flange
that adheres to both polyethylene and smart vapor-retarder
air barriers (such as CertainTeed’s MemBrain), the box has
rubber grommets that seal around the wires and built-in
square-drive screws for fastening. Currently, it’s available
only in 24-cu.-in. single-gang sizes, but the manufacturer
promises that multiple-gang and fan-rated boxes are coming
soon. The box sells for $3 each or $142 for 50.
P.M.
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what’sthe
HELPING READERS MAKE CHOICES
■ HAMMER-ACTION DRILLS
difference?
Hammer drills vs. rotary hammers
T
here are times when a HAMMER DRILL
conventional drill just As the name implies, this tool delivers a hammer-
won’t get the job done. ing action as it drills. This action is created by two
For example, when you’re internal metal disks with ridges. As the disks spin
installing a deck ledger against against each other, the ridges ride up and down
a concrete foundation and need and cause the chuck to move in and out. Ham-
mer drills can have the hammering action turned
to drill lots of holes, you need
off; with the flip of a switch and the swap of a bit,
a more specialized tool. That’s you can go from drilling in concrete block to bor-
when you might pick up a ing into wood framing. Typically, these tools can
hammer drill or a rotary ham- use up to a 1⁄4-in.-dia. bit when working on poured
mer. While the names are often concrete. A 3⁄ 8-in.-dia. or smaller bit can be used in
used interchangeably, they are block and masonry.
not the same tools. Because of the mechanics needed to create the
hammering action, a hammer drill is typically more
bulky than a traditional drill. That said, many of
Matt Higgins, assistant editor today’s hammer drills aren’t shaped and sized all
that differently from traditional drills. A standoff
handle to keep the tool steady is one telltale fea-
ture of a hammer drill.
ROTARY HAMMER
For larger holes, a rotary hammer is the go-to tool. A rotary
hammer uses a piston to compress air that moves a striker
to create the hammering action. The rate of the blows is
slower than with a hammer drill, but those impacts are
far more powerful. Think of the hammer drill as delivering
numerous jabs and the rotary hammer as hauling off with
haymakers. The power of the rotary hammer means less
work for the user, but it also means that the rotary hammer
is not suitable for use on wood or metal.
While hammer drills typically are outfitted with a standard
adjustable chuck, rotary hammers have a spring-loaded
chuck that corresponds directly to the size of the bits being
used. This means that you must use only bits that fit that
specific chuck. SDS-plus are the most popular bits and are
designed for drilling holes with diameters from 5⁄ 32 in. to
3⁄4 in. SDS-max bits step the capability up to a range of
3⁄ 8 in. to 2 in.
Since the hammering force isn’t created by a spinning

mechanism, as it is with hammer drills, rotary hammers can
be switched to hammer-only mode. This is useful for light
demolition work such as tile removal. Rotary hammers are
generally bigger, weigh more, take on bigger tasks, and
require less work from the user. They do, however, cost
more, so if the job doesn’t call for it, purchasing a rotary
hammer might be overkill and wasted dollars.
36 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos: top, courtesy of Ridgid; bottom, courtesy of DeWalt

THERE’S
NOTHING
TOUGHER.
CASEMENT
CLOSED.
Integrity employee Larry T. at the Wood-Ultrex factory in Fargo, ND.
We’re a company built on a foundation of values. An evolution of principles

established over a century ago, passed down through the Marvin family. Building
windows and doors with pride, here in America, as if they’re for our own homes.
Taking no shortcuts. Making tough windows and doors with Ultrex® pultruded
fiberglass, featuring the industry’s first and only AAMA-verified 624-10 finish.
That’s Integrity.
NEW Wood-Ultrex
Insert Replacement Casement
Visit our ALL-NEW website to see why Integrity’s Ultrex fiberglass

makes the toughest windows and doors. IntegrityWindows.com
© 2015 Marvin Windows and Doors. All rights reserved. ® Ultrex is a registered trademark of Marvin Windows and Doors
what’sthe
difference? CONTINUED
■ SCREW BITS
Phillips vs. Pozidriv
T here’s a wide variety of drive systems in the hardware world, and

most of us have a healthy collection of bits, ranging from star-drive
to square-drive to hex. It’s easy to spot the differences between most
of the styles, but two that are commonly mixed up—even by the more
experienced—are the Phillips and Pozidriv bits. Despite their similar
appearance, these two systems are not interchangeable. Here’s how to
tell the difference between them.
M.H.
Pozidriv bits have

ribs between each
part of the cross.
PHILLIPS POZIDRIV
It makes no difference when you’re tight- When trying to tighten up that previously
ening a cup hinge on a cabinet door, mentioned cup hinge with a Phillips bit, you
but the Phillips design wasn’t actu- probably should be using a Pozidriv. The
ally invented by someone named Pozidriv also has a self-centering design,
Phillips. Rather, John Thomp- but the shape is modified for improved
son sold his design to Henry engagement. The sure sign that a screw is
Phillips, who then formed a Pozidriv is the four tick marks or indenta-
new company, improved the tions around the cross. Viewed from the
design, and worked to get side, the difference between Phillips and
the drive system to become Pozidriv bits is unmistakable. A Pozidriv
the standard in numerous has ribs between each of the four
industries, especially automo- arms of the cross. This adds the
tive. The key improvements of increased grip. A Phillips bit fits
the Phillips system over the slotted in a Pozidriv screw head, but it
system are that its bits self-center will most likely cam out before
and will cam out (slip out) when a fas- the fastener is fully tight. This
tener is sufficiently seated. On a production line, can damage the fastener and
these features are huge time savers. The most common is why that cup hinge loosens
Phillips sizes are 1, 2, and 3 (from smallest to largest), up so quickly when a Phillips
and the bits typically have “ph” indicated on them. The bit is used. A Pozidriv bit does
patent on the Phillips design expired in 1966, but the not fit in a Phillips screw. Pozidriv
Phillips Screw Company has continued to improve on bits are available in driver sizes
the cruciform-shaped drive, which has led to other drive Four tick marks from 0 to 5 (from smallest to largest)
around the cross
systems from the same company, such as the Pozidriv. and have “pz” marked on them.
indicate Pozidriv.
38 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photo: Rodney Diaz. Drawings: courtesy of Phillips Screw Company.
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A Weatherproof
Window I
Layers of redundant flashing and sealant
ensure that the most expensive part of
your house is also the best protected
BY BRIAN KNIGHT
A
s the building industry tightens up on air-sealing
and improves energy efficiency, we need to be
more aware of the risks associated with air and IT STARTS WITH THE SILL
water intrusion. Materials that get wet won’t
dry out as quickly or easily as they used to do in leaky,
poorly insulated houses, and many of the materials being
used to build houses aren’t as resistant to moisture as
their predecessors. There’s no doubt that with windows
accounting for such a large part of the building budget,
and being one of the most direct connections to the ele-
ments, their installation deserves extra attention.
Windows are complicated, and so is

their installation
Compared to solid areas of wall and roof, windows and
their interface with the air barriers and water-resistive
barriers (WRBs) of a house are complicated and vulner-
able. Many builders and designers are confused about
best practices, and inferior techniques are rampant. As
windows, tapes, sealants, and WRBs evolve, so do the
installation guidelines for these products. It’s not uncom-
mon for products that are typically used together to have
conflicting installation instructions. When in doubt, I
follow the window manufacturer’s instructions as a bare
minimum, and add improvements from there.
The best window installations include redundant layers
of protection for keeping water out, incorporate measures
for blocking the air movement that can draw that water
in through weak spots, and provide an escape path for
water that enters before it has a chance to cause damage.
Not all windows are created equal, of course, and it’s
tough to predict long-term performance. But I don’t
discriminate or try to predict. Every window I install—
regardless of brand, material, or price—gets the same
belt-and-suspenders treatment to ensure that air and
water leaks aren’t going to be an issue. Create your own sloped sill. Remove stock from
the rough sill to provide drainage in the case of
leaks. Draw one line 3 in. from the outside face of
Aim for waterproof, but plan for leaks the opening, and another about 1⁄4 in. down from
We should always assume that water will find its way its outside edge. To create the slope, use an angle
into a window opening. Even if the installer does a per- grinder equipped with a rough-grit flap disk.
w Installation
Keep the transition tight. Use a rafter

square to press the tape tightly into the
corners where the sill meets the sides of the
rough opening, eliminating bubbles under
the tape that are vulnerable to puncturing.
Width plus 12. Cut a piece of

flashing tape 12 in. longer than
the width of the opening, which
allows 6 in. of tape to extend up
each side.
Continuous outside corners. You can buy

flashing tapes made for curves, but they’re
expensive. Protecto Wrap tape is far more
WATCH THE VIDEOS To see more of this installation, check affordable and has enough flexibility to be
out our video series at FineHomebuilding.com/projecthouse. stretched down onto the sheathing, where I
tack it in place with button-cap nails.

fect job with sealing and flashing, water can still leak through the
window unit itself—especially as the materials, transitions, and seal- SEAL THE SIDES, B
ants go through many cycles of expansion and contraction over time.
Gravity, capillary action, blowing rain, and pressure differences can
push and pull water into these weak points.
Water leaks from windows usually show up at the sill. Because this
is the most vulnerable area of a window, it’s also where the weather-
proofing efforts begin.
As long as there is an air gap in place, a sloped and flashed rough sill
is the best way to protect this vulnerable area. Creating a back dam
along the rear edge of the sill flashing is one way to ensure that leaks
under the window can’t reach the interior of the opening, but I typi-
cally don’t use back dams unless specifically required by the window
manufacturer. I’ve found that they can complicate rough-opening
dimensions, interfere with shimming the window off of the sill pan,
and make it difficult to air-seal the bottom of the window.
A piece of bevel siding laid across the rough sill of the opening is the
traditional choice for creating a
slope, but it requires planning
to make sure there is adequate
height in the rough opening to
fit the siding and layers of flash-
ing tape. Manufactured sill pans
are another option and are cer-
tainly better than nothing, but I
don’t like them. The ones I’ve
tried don’t have the amount of
slope I prefer; can make shim-
Easy air-sealing ming, air-sealing, and trim
opportunity installation more difficult; and
often are two halves that need to
Regardless of window brand, be pieced together and are then
material, or type, I eliminate never visible for inspection. I
the possibility of hidden air prefer to avoid questionable
leaks through joints and seams joints or seams in this vulner-
in the window frame with vapor- able area.
My favorite method is to add
permeable Pro Clima Uni-Tape
the slope right to the rough-sill Sides are simple. Cover each side of the
before the window is installed.
framing. Sloping the sill after it opening with a piece of flashing tape that
has been framed eliminates any bridges the gap between sheathing and
worry about reducing the height of the rough opening because you’re framing and that extends down to and over
the top of a horizontal piece of the same tape,
actually enlarging it. reinforcing the seam where the sill flashing
In addition to the sloped sill, the opening is protected with flashing adheres to the wall. I like Zip System Tape or
tape, with the weakest interface being the spot where the sill meets 3M All Weather Flashing Tape 8067.
the jack studs on each side. There are many ways of cutting flashing
tape to fit this situation, but I prefer to stretch the sill flashing around
the corner, eliminating the seam altogether.
If the window manufacturer allows it (some require continuous
Caulk three sides. Lay a bead of high-quality
support at the sill), install the window atop spaced shims to increase caulk along the sides and top of the opening,
the drainage and drying potential underneath the window unit and keeping it close enough to the edge so that
above the sloped, flashed sill. the nailing fin will compress it. Never caulk
The biggest obstacle in the drainage path is typically the window’s across the bottom. If the corners of the
nailing fin are designed to receive a piece of
bottom nailing fin. Do not caulk it, do not tape it, do not seal it in any manufacturer-supplied adhesive flashing, skip
way. Some window manufacturers call for a dashed bead of caulk, the caulk in the top corners, as shown here.
but I believe this is just asking for trouble. It’s also much easier to
tell my crew “No caulk at the bottom” and get consistent results
rather than “X lengths of Y diameter caulk with Z amount of space
, BUT LET THE BOTTOM DRAIN
Bottom first. Rest the window on the edge of the

sill, tip it upright, and slide it straight in against
the caulked sheathing.
Caps make a gap. To promote drainage, slide

caps from button-cap nails under the bottom
nailing fin, pressure-fitting one next to each nail.
These caps are thick enough to create a gap
but not so thick that they will complicate trim
installation.
Reinforce the fin. Zip System Tape is 33⁄4 in.

wide, which is wide enough for it to be adhered
to the sheathing, across the nailing fin, and onto
the side of the window frame.

between them” and then hope for no problems. I like to go even one
step beyond by providing a gap behind the nailing fin to promote AIR-SEAL FROM T
further drainage.
Deal with air from the inside

In an ideal world, the window unit and any manufacturer-installed
jamb extensions have airtight joints, but a builder’s best method for
assessing airtightness is the blower door, and that means the window
is already installed. I’m sure that some manufacturers seal this con-
nection, but it’s safer not to assume. I eliminate the possibility of a
leaky unit by applying tenacious acrylic-adhesive flashing tape over
any seams and joints in the window frame before it’s installed. It pays
to seal the joints in the rough opening as well to eliminate short cir-
cuits or air leakage from surrounding stud cavities. Control the win-
dow unit, control the rough opening, and then you can confidently
address the space that’s left between the two.
Canned spray foam is probably the most common way of seal-
ing between the window unit and the framing. My biggest gripe
with this method is that it’s difficult to inspect for quality without a
blower-door test. On a house I tested recently, I was surprised to find
air coming through the spray foam around windows and doors, most A conservative bead of foam. A thin bead of low-
likely in the area of a shim, which I’ve found to be the most vulner- expansion spray foam offers limited air-sealing
able leakage point. and insulation, but avoid filling the entire cavity,
especially toward the bottom, to allow for drainage
There are many variables to consider if you’re relying on spray foam in the case of water entry.
as an air barrier in this location—the size, shape, and consistency of
the bead; whether the can was shaken adequately; if the humidity is
suitable; and the texture and temperature of the substrate—so I prefer
to think of this spray foam only for insulating purposes. Backer rod
and caulk followed by a layer of vapor-permeable flashing tape is
what I use as my air-control layers.
I buy several packets of backer rod in diameters of 3⁄8 in., 1⁄2 in.,
5⁄8 in., and 3⁄4 in. to accommodate the different-size gaps I typically
encounter, and I always use a rod that is slightly fatter than the
gap being filled. For gaps smaller than 3⁄16 in., I skip the backer rod
and simply caulk the gap. In all cases, I use a high-quality elasto-
meric or polyurethane sealant made for windows and doors, such as
Sonneborne’s NP1, Sika’s Sikaflex, or Dap’s 3.0. These sealants have
better adhesion than typical silicone but still allow for plenty of expan-
sion and contraction.
Flashing tape doesn’t receive enough attention for use in this loca-
tion. It’s fast, durable, effective, and easy to inspect. Plus, it’s the one
air-sealing layer that’s guaranteed to clear the shims installed around
the window.
I prefer a tape that is vapor permeable—I use Pro Clima Uni-
Tape—to eliminate it as a potential barrier should any moisture
around the window need to dry toward the interior, but I would use
something impermeable in a pinch. Tape is typically applied to the
rough framing and the jamb-extension edge, but it’s important to
keep in mind the exposed reveals of the trim when placing the tape.
When followed by careful installation of the drywall, the exterior
trim, and the head flashing (all of which are areas that should be
handled with care to avoid damaging flashing tapes and air-sealing A caulk joint that will last. Foam backer rod cut
tapes), you’ve improved the performance of one of your building’s and pressed in around the window jamb creates a
weakest links. □ flexible base for the bead of caulk that follows it.
Use a wet finger to smooth the bead against the
backer rod, creating the ideal hour-glass shape
Brian Knight is owner of Springtime Homes in Asheville, N.C. that allows the sealant to expand and contract
Photos by Justin Fink. without cracking or debonding.
46 FINE HOMEBUILDING Drawing: Vince Babak

OM THE INSIDE Finish strong on the exterior
The exterior weatheriza-
Caulk Tape
tion—the tape, the head
flashing, the caulk, and
their integration with
the trim and the sid-
ing—is the last step in
Head
flashing a well-detailed window
with
gap installation. It’s fairly
common for people to
unknowingly seal the
crucial water exit points
while missing some of
the important leak-prone
areas. Here are some
general guidelines.
• Wherever there is
Precut flashing or a shingle-

shims style transition in which
one piece laps over
Foam
backer another, such as clap-
rod
board over the head
flashing, don’t caulk. Any
transition other than a
lap, such as a butt joint
where siding meets trim,
should be caulked.
• Whatever the mate-
Trim
rial, seal the top and
bottom pieces of trim
to the nailing fin or win-
dow frame to prevent
water running behind it,
even if the wall includes
a vented or ventilated
rain-screen assembly.
• Don’t let installers
place siding directly on
top of the head flashing,
and never add caulk in
this location. Space the
siding off the flashing
to achieve a gap of
1⁄ 8 in. to 1⁄4 in.; otherwise,
Tape is the innermost air-seal. Applied so paint can seal this water-
that it bridges the gap between rough frame Button caps
drainage pathway.
and window jamb, flashing tape provides an
easily inspectable air barrier that, like the Siding
backer rod and caulk, isn’t affected by the Sheathing
shims along the four sides of the window.

Mineral Wool
Makes a Comeback
This natural spun-stone insulation is
enjoying a resurgence in popularity—
and for good reason
BY MIKE MAINES
M
ineral-wool insulation THE OPTIONS
has been in use since the
late 1800s, so it’s nothing
LOOK FAMILIAR
new. But as the market
shifted in the 1960s to less-expensive
and better-promoted fiberglass insula-
tion, the mineral-wool industry shifted
its focus to industrial and manufactur-
ing applications, where mineral wool
became a perfect replacement for the
asbestos materials being phased out due
to health concerns. Yet over the last 25
years, the cost of energy, the public’s BATTS
Mineral-wool batts come
awareness of health and environmental
in widths and thicknesses
impacts, and building-science research typical for residential
have led to a renewed interest in min- construction, but only in 48-in.
eral wool for the residential market also. (or sometimes 47-in.) lengths,
It’s not hard to see why mineral wool and never in rolls. Batts are
is regaining lost ground. It’s got an formed slightly wider than
R-value of 3.8 to 4.3 per in., it’s chemi- typical 16-in. or 24-in. framing
cally inert, it contains almost no VOCs, cavities to create a tight
it’s fireproof, it absorbs sound, and its friction fit, and they don’t
move or change significantly
embodied energy is lower than that of
over time or with changes in
most petroleum-derived foams. Sold temperature. Mineral wool is
most commonly as batts, it’s also avail- dense, ranging from 2 lb. to
able as boards and as loose fibers for 4 lb. per cu. ft. versus 0.4 lb. to
blown installations, and it can be used 1.4 lb. per cu. ft. for fiberglass.
in all the critical locations: walls, floors,
ceilings, roofs, exteriors, and even
below grade. It is vapor permeable—
which has its disadvantages as well as its BLOWN
advantages—and is fairly easy to install Mineral wool is available
for blown installations
well. In a category that has long been
either by itself as loose
dominated by fiberglass batts, mineral fill (generally for attics),
wool is worth a fresh look. □ or mixed with a binder
and sprayed into framing
Mike Maines is a residential designer cavities or onto foam as
in North Palermo, Maine. a fire retardant.
48 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos this page: top left and right, Rodney Diaz; bottom, courtesy of Amerrock.
Photo facing page: Mark Yanowitz. Drawings: John Hartman.
l
YES, IT’S MADE OF ROCKS
Ranging from tannish-yellow to greenish-
brown, mineral wool has a matted-wool tex-
ture that’s coarser and denser than fiberglass, Centrifuge Melting
thanks to its main ingredient: rock. Part of the furnace
fibrous insulation family of products, mineral
wool is made by spinning molten basalt and/
or blast-furnace slag (a by-product of the
processing of iron ore and other minerals) to
form short, multidirectional fibers.
FIBROUS INSULATIONS
Natural fiber Spun fiber
Cellulose Cotton, Glass Mineral

(newsprint) wool, straw fiber fiber
BOARDS
Mineral-wool boards are
Rock/stone wool Slag wool
almost as stiff as rigid foam (mostly basalt) (mostly slag)
and are always about 48 in.
long, between 16 in. and
96 in. wide, and between 1 in.
to 3 in. thick. Denser than Raw fibers
mineral-wool batts as well
as rigid-foam boards, which Pleating/press machine
have a density of between
0.75 lb. and 3 lb. per cu. ft., Curing oven
these boards range from
4.4 lb. to 8 lb. per cu. ft. (and
up to 15 lb. per cu. ft. for
commercial grades). They can Cutters
be used both for interior and
exterior applications.
SUPPLY AND DEMAND Although more available than ever before, mineral wool
still competes for shelf space. Batts are typically 60% to 70% more expensive than fiber-
glass, and boards are at least 80% more expensive than rigid-foam boards.
Johns Manville 36-in., and 48-in. widths (also available is

Thermal batts (TempControl) and sound- the 1-in.-thick ComfortBoard FS firestop
control batts (Sound & Fire Block); no product, sold in 16-in. and 24-in. widths)
board insulation for the residential market AVAILABILITY Batts commonly available
AVAILABILITY Widely available at Lowe’s nationwide; board insulation typically
from the Southeast to the West Coast special ordered and only in large
COST PER SQ. FT. R-15 batts = 63¢ quantities, but internet retailer Small Planet
Workshop stocks smaller quantities
Owens Corning/Thermafiber COST PER SQ. FT. R-15 batts = 66¢ to
Thermal batts, also good for sound and fire 79¢, R-23 batts = $1.00 to $1.15, sound-
control (UltraBatt); no board insulation for control batts = 74¢ (3 in. thick), board
the residential market insulation = $1.80 (2 in. thick) and $2.79
AVAILABILITY UltraBatt distributed in the (3 in. thick)
north-central United States through Menards.
COST PER SQ. FT. R-15 batts = 77¢ to 93¢, Amerrock
R-23 batts = $1.08 to $1.16, R-30 batts = Loose mineral wool for blown installation
$1.53 to $1.58 (Rockwool Premium Plus) and FireStopTB
sprayed thermal barrier; no boards or batts
Roxul AVAILABILITY Nationwide through
Thermal batts (ComfortBatt) and sound- insulation distributors, or direct from the
control batts (Safe’n’Sound) in widths manufacturer
designed for 16-in. and 24-in. framing COST PER SQ. FT. R-38 = $2.40 installed
cavities; board insulation (ComfortBoard ($8.50 for a 30-lb. bag), which is about 30%
IS insulating sheathing) in 11⁄4-in., 11⁄2-in., higher than cellulose but less than half the
2-in., and 3-in. thicknesses, and in 24-in., cost of closed-cell foam

HOW MINERAL WOOL STACKS UP T
Although it’s not easy to do a direct comparison, mineral wool proves to be a strong c
Thermal R-value Water-vapor permeability

With R-values from 3.8 to 4.3 per in., In all its forms, mineral wool is very vapor
mineral wool outperforms the thermal permeable (30 to 40 perms). By code,
resistance of conventional fiberglass and this requires that vapor retarders be used
cellulose, and it lands in the middle of on interiors in colder climates, but it also
the pack compared to the aged R-values means that building assemblies can dry.
of foam insulation. With a very low
coefficient of thermal expansion—just 4%
to 8% that of rigid foam—shrinkage in
cold weather is also a nonissue.
Type of insulation
Mineral-wool batts High High
Mineral-wool boards
Fiberglass (batts and dense-pack)
Polyiso (polyisocyanurate) rigid foam
EPS (expanded polystyrene) rigid foam
XPS (extruded polystyrene) rigid foam
Cellulose (dense-pack and damp-spray) Mineral-

wool boards
Open-cell spray polyurethane foam (1⁄ 2-lb. density) outperform
both fiberglass
and cellulose.
Closed-cell spray polyurethane foam (2-lb. density)
Low Low
MORE POINTS OF COMPARISON

Health concerns Mold
Although mineral wool is chemically inert and contains essentially no VOCs (the products As do the manufacturers of many building
with formaldehyde binders are cured before leaving the factory), respirators and other products, mineral-wool producers exercise
personal protective equipment are still recommended during installation, as with care with the phrasing “does not support mold
installations of other types of fibrous insulation. Some people find the fibers itchier than growth.” In other words, the insulation itself
fiberglass, but others consider them less so. According to manufacturers, the fibers does not provide a food source for mold or
settle out of the air quickly due to their relatively heavy weight, so the itch factor may other fungal growth, but if temperature and
depend on the individual and whether the itch is from contact or airborne fibers. MSDS humidity levels are high enough, mold could
documents list mineral wool as “not classifiable as carcinogenic to humans.” Although still appear in framing cavities. In fact, one of
products with a mineral-oil additive may create some smoke in the presence of fire, there mineral wool’s other markets is as a growing
is no danger of the thick, toxic smoke that accompanies burning foam. medium for plants.
P TO OTHER TYPES OF INSULATION
contender in many areas.
Airflow resistance Fire control Sound control

Although dense enough that wind Naturally fire resistant and noncombustible The physical characteristics of mineral
washing (diminished insulating value due without relying on chemical additives, wool make it excellent at absorbing
to movement of air) is not a big concern mineral wool has a melting point of over sound. “Sound batts,” made somewhat
for board products or in attics, mineral 2000°F and is code approved for use as denser and in different sizes than batts
wool is still air permeable, and even when both draft stopping and as fire blocking. intended solely for thermal use, can be
it’s tightly fit, there still may be some Its flame-spread and smoke-development installed in interior framing cavities to
gaps in the installation. For this reason, ratings are low to zero, depending on the minimize sound transfer. Manufacturers
batts in framing cavities should be specific product. note that mineral wool is only one part of
combined with some form of air barrier. a sound-attenuation strategy, though; for
the best performance, refer to assemblies
Mineral wool has a melting point
rated for sound-transmission class (STC).
nearly twice that of fiberglass.
High High High
Mineral-wool
batts used in
framing cavities
require an
air barrier.
Low Low Low
Environmental impact Liquid water Pests

Considered green for its typically high recycled content Thanks both to a light- Other than its density,
(although some brands use all virgin material), fire resistance, bodied oil added during the there is nothing in mineral
low formaldehyde content, high thermal resistance, and vapor- manufacturing process and to wool to deter rodents or
permeable composition, mineral wool compares favorably the nonporous nature of its insects, and birds have
to most other insulation products in terms of environmental fibers, mineral-wool insulation been known to nest in
impact. According to a Building Green report, mineral wool’s is highly resistant to water exposed exterior mineral
lifetime global-warming potential is lower than that of most absorption. Mineral-wool fibers wool. As with most types
foam products and about the same as fiberglass. The only are stocky, allowing liquid water of insulation, care should
insulation material that scored significantly better than mineral to drain without harm, even in be taken in other ways to
wool was cellulose. batt products. keep pests out.

AT HOME IN MOST APPLICATIONS
Manufacturers and insulation contractors cite sound attenuation and fire safety as the two
major reasons for using mineral wool, but the product has plenty of thermal advantages
as well. Here’s what you need to know about installing it in various applications.
Mineral-
wool batts
CAVITY INSULATION
Mineral-wool batts can be installed in
framing cavities, but expect them to be
heavier than fiberglass and less likely to
compress. Manufacturers recommend cutting
them with a serrated bread knife because
they are not as easy to cut with a utility knife
as fiberglass batts.
Plan for permeability

Mineral wool isn’t available
with an integral vapor BASEMENTS AND FOUNDATIONS
barrier, so you have to When insulating first-floor joists, or the ceiling of a crawlspace
follow the building code or basement, keep the batts tight to the floor sheathing, and
for permeable insulation, add a vapor retarder. Because of the risks involved, avoid using
adding a Class I, II, or III mineral wool or any permeable insulation on the interior face of a
vapor retarder depending basement wall.
on climate zone. A study by the Danish Technological Institute found that mineral
wool installed below grade remained effective and unaltered
by compression over 30 to 35 years. Damp proof or waterproof
the exterior face of the concrete before installing the mineral
Mineral-
wool board wool, backfill with well-draining soil and filter fabric, and extend
over damp the insulation to the top of the foundation wall. Cover it with
proofing cementboard, stucco, or another material.
Roxul’s ComfortBoard IS is approved for use below slabs at non-
Mineral-wool
board under load-bearing locations, but it is not approved for use under frost-
slab protected shallow foundations.
Keep joints tight

Unlike foam (whose joints can be sealed with tape or spray
foam) or faced fiberglass batts (which can be stapled into
place), mineral wool relies on tight physical contact to avoid
thermal “short circuits.”
52 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photo: Rodney Diaz

Plays well with others
Used regularly in flash-and-batt Loose-fill
applications, mineral wool is a cost- mineral wool
effective companion to a thin layer of
spray foam applied against the interior Minimum 1-in.
side of wall sheathing. This approach vent space
is also appealing for its acoustical
performance, as closed-cell foam does Continuous
baffle
little for sound control.
ATTIC AND ROOF

On attic floors (above a vapor retarder in colder
climates), install batts between joist bays, then place
a second layer perpendicular to the first. Combining
a layer of 51⁄2-in. batts (R-23) and a layer of 71⁄4-in. batts
(R-30), with all seams offset, creates an attic with a nominal Soffit
vent
R-value of 53, which exceeds the R-49 minimum-required value
for cold zones in the United States (zones 6, 7, and 8 in IRC
2009, plus zone 5 and marine zone 4 in IRC 2012). Alternatively,
use the loose-blown product.
For a vented roof with a sloped ceiling below, such as a
typical vaulted or cathedral ceiling, simply allow for at least a
1-in. gap between the top of the insulation and the underside
of the roof sheathing. Best practice is to air-seal this gap by
using continuous baffles.
Unvented roofs are more challenging. The use of permeable
insulation such as mineral wool is allowed as long as an
impermeable insulation (foam) to prevent condensation is
installed either directly above or directly below the roof
sheathing. Generally, a greater proportion of impermeable
insulation is required the farther north you are.
EXTERIOR INSULATION
According to Building Science
Corporation, the water-resistive
barrier (WRB) should go on
the face of the sheathing when Heavy hanger
installing exterior mineral-wool Although commonly
board insulation. You also can use attached like rigid foam—
Mineral- a sheathing with an integral WRB, with screws driven through
wool board such as Huber’s Zip System product. wood strapping—mineral
secured
The WRB or sheathing layer is also wool tends to compress
by wood
strapping a good location for the air barrier in slightly, so creating a flat
Sound- all climates as long as the framing plane for siding takes
control
cavities allow drying toward the finesse. HECO screws
batts
between inside (i.e., no closed-cell foam). It (smallplanetworkshop.com)
floors is also a good location for the vapor designed to attach strapping
retarder, when required, as long as without overly compressing
the proportion of exterior insulation the insulation is one option;
to interior insulation keeps the vapor thermally broken fiberglass
retarder above the dew point. Keep in standoffs to support
mind that because of its lower R-value strapping are another.
per inch, a thicker layer of mineral-
wool board insulation is required to
reach the same R-value as foam.

Air
Sealing
Basics
Look high
and low
to find
and plug
air leaks that
cost you
money and
comfort
BY MIKE GUERTIN AND ROBERT SHERWOOD
W
hile you might think that air leaks are a problem only with
older houses, we’ve tested old homes that are pretty airtight
and brand-new homes that leak lots of air. Air leaks occur
wherever there is a joint, gap, or hole in the rigid building
materials that enclose a house, such as wall sheathing, framing, and drywall.
Making an existing house more airtight is pretty straightforward: Find the
holes and seal them up. Many air leaks can be found just by looking for spaces
between framing and chimneys, electric boxes and drywall, and the mudsill
and foundation. The fixes are often simple and use common materials—rigid
foam, caulk, acoustical sealant, and spray foam—which are selected based on
54 FINE HOMEBUILDING Bottom photo, facing page: Rodney Diaz. Drawing: Christopher Mills.
THE PATH TO A TIGHTER HOUSE
HOW HOUSES LEAK AIR
Warm air rises, creating a zone of higher pressure at the top
of a house that forces air out of any hole it can find. This Warm air
rises and Drywall
escaping air creates a zone of lower pressure at the bottom
escapes. is usually
of the house that sucks in air through holes and cracks. This the upper
is the stack effect. Sealing leaks at the top and bottom of air-control
layer.
the house is the most effective approach for stopping it.
The colder it is outside, the stronger the stack effect, so
air-sealing can have a big impact in cold climates (zones 4
to 8) and a lesser one in mixed climates (zone 3). It is not as
important in warm climates (zones 1 and 2).
TWO TOOLS FOR FINDING AIR LEAKS

SMOKE GENERATOR Outside
The Wizard Stick works like an air is
sucked
old Lionel locomotive, generating
inside.
vapor by heating glycerin. It runs
on 6 AA batteries and costs $25
from Amazon.com.
HOMEMADE BLOWER DOOR

Some scrap plywood and
a $150 fan create a blower
door that’s adequate for
finding air leaks.
The first-floor subfloor or

the foundation can be the
lower air-control layer.
SPRAY FOAM
Ranging in price from about
$50 to over $100, foam guns
make applying spray foam easy.
THREE MATERIALS FOR STOPPING AIR LEAKS Cans of foam for guns come in
several varieties, from minimal-
RTV SILICONE ACOUSTICAL SEALANT expanding for use around doors
Sold for use as an Meant for soundproofing, acoustical sealant and windows to gap-filling for
automotive sealant, never hardens, and it accommodates the higher-volume applications. It’s
RTV is rated to 650°F. normal movement of building materials widely available online and at
It’s more flexible than without cracking. You might have to go to lumberyards and home centers.
so-called fire caulk, a commercial drywall supplier to find it.
which tends to dry
and fall out, so it can
be a good choice for
use around chimneys.
Small quantities can be
bought at auto-supply
stores, but for caulk-
gun tubes, Amazon
.com is a good source.

SEAL THE BASEMENT WALLS OR THE
Whether to seal the foundation walls and slab
or the subfloor above depends on factors
unique to each house. When the basement
is conditioned, the foundation walls and slab
must be sealed because even though they are
underground, air still can leak through the
soil. If there are insulated foundation walls or
ducts in the crawlspace or basement, use the
wall and slab as the air barrier. If the subfloor
consists of lumber planks, which leak a lot of
air, it’s probably easier to seal the foundation
walls and slab. Bulkhead doors to the outside
are big leaks, but it still might be easier to
install a weatherstripped and insulated door
at the bottom of the stairs than to seal the
subfloor above.
CONCRETE PENETRATIONS RIM JOIST
Apply spray foam around sump-pump pits as well as The rim joist is prone to air leaks from the multiple gaps: mudsill to rim joist, rim
where utilities such as water lines, waste pipes, gas joist to subfloor, and butt joints in the rim joist itself. Install rigid-foam insulation in
pipes, and oil fills enter the space. each joist bay, and seal its perimeter with spray foam.
MUDSILL TO FOUNDATION BASEMENT WINDOWS SLAB TO FOUNDATION CHIMNEY CLEANOUT
Even mudsills set on foam Basement windows are often Seal this gap, as well as any Seal the perimeter of the
gaskets have gaps. Seal the loose-fit sashes in cast-in-place cracks in the walls or floors, door to the frame with high-
perimeter with caulk from either frames. Use foam gaskets and with masonry sealant. temperature silicone caulk. The
the inside or the outside. foam rod to block air leaks. sealant can be cut away and
then replaced when the door is
opened for cleaning.
BASEMENT CEILING the hole size and surrounding materials. The
energy savings usually pay for the cost of air-
sealing within a few years—almost immedi-
Use the first-floor subfloor as the air barrier if it’s plywood or OSB, if the ately, in fact, if you do the work yourself.
joist cavities are uninsulated, and if there are few ducts in the basement Air-sealing keeps conditioned air inside the
or crawlspace. If the basement or crawlspace is damp, has dirt floors, or house, but it also improves the performance
has walls built of unmortared stone, air-sealing the subfloor helps control of insulation such as fiberglass, cellulose, and
moisture. In houses with those issues and leaky board subflooring, seal the mineral wool by stopping air from moving
subfloor with several inches of spray foam. You may also need to dry out the through it. In addition, because moisture
foundation. In all cases, the door to the first floor requires weatherstripping. vapor piggybacks on leaking air, air-sealing
reduces the possibility of condensation devel-
oping in building cavities, which can lead to
TUB OR SHOWER DRAIN mold and decay. It’s also a first step to adding
Piece in rigid fibrous insulation to an attic in a cold climate.
foam around This type of insulation alone does not prevent
the pipes,
gluing it to warm, moist air from escaping the living
the subfloor space. Finally, air-sealing can block gasoline
with caulk or or CO fumes from an attached garage, or
sealant. Fill moldy air from a crawlspace. Air-sealing does
the gaps with
expanding make it more important to vent bathroom
foam. exhaust fans and clothes dryers to the outside.
Air moves in and out of houses due to pres-
sure differences between the inside and the
outside. The three main forces driving pres-
sure differences are the stack effect, wind,
and mechanical fans. Although wind and
fans may be important drivers in warmer cli-
mates, the stack effect is often the dominant
cause of air leaks in heating climates. The
stack effect happens when warm air rises
and escapes through holes high in the house,
much like how a chimney works. Although
it’s a weak force, it operates constantly, so it
can account for a lot of air movement and
energy loss.
Determine your air barrier

PIPE AND WIRE HOLES DUCT BOOTS Air-sealing starts with deciding which build-
Seal the space Seal to the ing planes to use as air barriers. A building
between the floor with plane can be the exterior sheathing, sub-
framing and foam or floor, or drywall. One way to visualize the
the wire or acoustical
pipe with sealant.
air barrier is to look at a section drawing of
foam or the house and find a continuous line that
acoustical encloses the living quarters. The insulation
sealant. should directly contact the air barrier. Gener-
ally that means the air barrier is the drywall
or sheathing along the exterior walls, the
top-floor ceiling or roofline, and either the
CHIMNEY
SUBFLOOR
TO FRAMING
GAPS SUBFLOOR GAPS
foundation wall and slab or the first-floor
Bridge the Apply sheathing. Once you’ve identified the air
space with acoustical
metal. Fasten it sealant or barrier, look for leaks in it and seal them up,
to the framing, a flexible starting with the biggest ones in the attic and
and seal it to caulk to the the crawlspace or basement.
the chimney joints.
with high-
temperature Finding the holes
sealant or Although a visual inspection can find plenty
fireblock caulk. of leaks, it’s easier to pinpoint them by pres-

surizing or depressurizing the house and
feeling for drafts with your hand or using a
handheld smoke puffer. The smoke moves
SEAL THE ATTIC
toward a hole if the house is being pressur- In most homes, the drywall ceiling dividing the living space from the attic is
ized, or away from a hole if the house is the best air barrier at the top of the house. Seal leaks from above, and cover
being depressurized. It’s better to pressurize attic accesses such as stairs or scuttles with a foam box such as the Battic
the house when you are using smoke inside Door or ones available at home centers. We sometimes encounter ceilings
to find leaks, and to depressurize the house covered with tongue-and-groove planks or acoustical tiles and no drywall
when you are using smoke outside the liv- behind them. These ceilings are nearly impossible to air-seal, so it’s easier to
ing space. Professionals use a blower door seal these houses at the rafter plane by spraying a layer of foam against the
for this, a tool that combines a high-capacity underside of the roof and sealing off any attic ventilation. When there is no
fan with a fabric-covered frame that fits in attic, such as with many sloped ceilings, the drywall still can be used as the
an exterior doorway. A manometer attached air-control layer, but air leaks have to be sealed from inside the living space.
to the fan measures the air-leakage rate of
the house to predict its performance or to
determine rates of air leakage and assess the
progress of air-sealing work.
Blower doors cost about $2600, though,
and they aren’t commonly available to rent.
You can sometimes depressurize a house
enough to find air leaks by turning on the
exhaust fans, central vacuum, and clothes
dryer all at once. But in very leaky houses,
that may not create a noticeable pressure
difference. Another option is a powerful DUCT BOOT RECESSED LIGHTS
(5000 to 10,000 cfm) drum fan. One can be

had for under $150 (I have a 24-in. shop fan Holes in the ceiling for duct These are notorious for leaking air. The first
penetrations are usually oversize option is to replace a recessed can with an
from Harbor Freight) and can be fit into a and can leak significant amounts airtight model or a ceiling-mounted fixture,
piece of plywood that mounts to a door or of air. Seal around them with spray but you also can build an airtight box around
window, creating a low-tech, homemade foam or acoustical sealant. lights that have thermal cutoffs as long as you
blower door. observe the manufacturer-required clearances.
Close all windows, doors, chimney damp-
ers, and attic hatches to maximize the
pressure difference. Exhausting air from
a house may suck air down chimneys, so
turn off combustion appliances such as gas
ranges, furnaces, boilers, water heaters, or
clothes dryers. Make sure that fireplaces
or woodstoves have been out for 24 hours.
Clean the ashes out of the firebox to avoid
sucking them into the house, and wash
potentially lead-contaminated dust from
around windows in pre-1978 houses. If you
have vermiculite insulation in the walls
or attic or otherwise think there may be
asbestos in the house, consult an asbestos-
abatement specialist before doing any air-
sealing. Remember to turn the appliances
back on and to relight pilot flames when the
work is done. □
Editorial adviser Mike Guertin is a FRAMING AROUND CHIMNEYS

contractor in East Greenwich, R.I. Rob
Sherwood is a senior project manager Insulate the space between the chimney and the
framing with mineral wool, then bridge the space
with Conservation Services Group in
by bedding sheet metal in acoustical sealant and
Westborough, Mass. Photos by Andy screwing it to the framing. Seal the metal to the
Engel, except where noted. chimney with RTV silicone or fireblock caulk.
58 FINE HOMEBUILDING Top-right photos, this page and facing page: Mike Guertin
Dedicated combustion air. In tight
houses, boilers and similar appliances
should be supplied with air through a
duct leading directly to the outside.
DRYWALL GAPS BALLOON FRAMES
Added up, the gaps between the wall Often found on gable walls, open stud bays Can you make a
and ceiling drywall and the top plates can
amount to a large open area. Seal gaps up
conduct air from inside the house into the
attic even when they are filled with fibrous house too tight?
to 1⁄4 in. with acoustical sealant and larger insulation. Block the bays with wood or After air-sealing, have a knowledge-
gaps with spray foam. rigid foam sealed to the framing.
able HVAC technician or energy spe-
cialist make sure that your house has
enough fresh air for your combustion
appliances. Air-sealing can tighten a
house to the point where combustion
appliances don’t receive enough make-
up air to perform well. Atmospheric
combustion appliances can be a health
hazard in a tight house. The exhaust
gases from a fireplace, woodstove,
furnace, or water heater can be sucked
down the flue by exhaust fans. Com-
bustion appliances, or the area they
UTILITY BOXES PENETRATIONS IN WALL PLATES operate in, should be outfitted with
air intakes ducted from the outside.
Foam or caulk the gap between drywall and Fill holes in the plates and gaps around Broan makes a motorized damper that
electrical boxes, duct boots, and bath fans. wires and pipes with spray foam or can be wired to open when the boiler
Seal holes in electrical boxes, or encase acoustical sealant.
or furnace fires, providing combus-
smaller boxes with expanding foam.
tion air when needed while otherwise
keeping outside air where it belongs.
Intake ducts can connect directly to the
burner on some models.
Tight houses can suffer from poor
indoor-air quality if water vapor, VOCs,
CO2, and odors build up. You may
need mechanical ventilation to bring
in fresh air and exhaust stale air. In a
balanced ventilation system, fans draw
in and exhaust air at the same rate.
CHASES AND SOFFITS
An improvement to a basic balanced
Large breaks in the ceiling drywall ventilation system is to use an energy-
often occur at utility chases, at recovery ventilator (ERV) or a heat-
corbeled chimneys, and above soffits. recovery ventilator (HRV), both of which
Block these holes with rigid materials transfer a large percentage of the
(foam, plywood, OSB, drywall), and
seal them to the surrounding framing energy from the air being exhausted
and drywall. to the incoming fresh air.

60 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photo: Justin Fink
Getting to Know
The
Beast
in Your
Basement
A forced-air heating system
isn’t as scary as it seems
BY MARTIN HOLLADAY
M
any different appliances can be used to heat a house, including boilers,
water heaters, heat pumps, and woodstoves. According to the Depart-
ment of Energy (DOE), however, most homes in the United States are
heated by forced-air furnaces.
A forced-air furnace is connected to ducts that deliver heated air to registers through-
out the house. Different types of furnaces are manufactured to burn a variety of fuels,
including natural gas, propane, oil, and firewood. The most common furnace fuel in the
United States is natural gas.
Even though the smallest available furnaces are often too big for a high-performance
home (see “Heating Options for a Small Home,” FHB #217), furnaces still have virtues
that are hard to ignore. They are inexpensive, widely available, and easily serviced by
local HVAC contractors. For many North American homes, they are a logical way to
supply space heat.
A furnace is only as good as its installation, though, and research has shown that new
furnaces and their distribution systems (ducts) often aren’t sized correctly. According to a
2013 report prepared for the DOE, the problem is even more widespread when it comes
to replacement furnaces. An oversize furnace often costs more than a right-size furnace,
and improper duct installation results in reduced operating efficiency.
Efficiency drives the decision

When it comes to fuel efficiency, furnaces are grouped based on their annual fuel-
utilization efficiency, or AFUE. These efficiency ratings are calculated using a laboratory
method that tells you how much of the fuel going into the furnace is being converted
to usable heat. AFUE is expressed as a percentage, and higher is better. Residential fur-
naces in the United States are divided into just two main categories: medium-efficiency
furnaces (80% to 82% AFUE) and high-efficiency furnaces (90% to 97% AFUE). The

CHOOSE AN EFFICIENCY
Understanding AFUE
The efficiency of a furnace is calculated What’s calculated What’s not calculated
using a laboratory procedure that measures • Heat losses up the chimney • Electricity use (energy
an appliance’s annual fuel-utilization • Heat losses through the required to run fans and
efficiency, or AFUE. This calculation tells you appliance jacket controls)
what percentage of the energy in the fuel is • Heat losses due to on-and- • Heat losses through ductwork
being converted to heat, so higher is better. off cycling connected to the furnace
Efficiency categories
75% 80% 85%
LOW MEDIUM
LESS THAN 75% 80% TO 82%
Natural-draft
Although a low-efficiency Single- or two-stage exhaust
furnace has traditionally (sometimes called
been any model less “standard”) furnaces Steel heat
exchanger
than 75% efficient, the can be equipped
technology used in these with either a single-
older furnaces is now or a variable-speed
considered obsolete. blower. They usually Single- or
The new minimum AFUE, have a steel heat two-stage
gas valve
mandated by the federal exchanger and rely
government, is 80%. Even on a natural draft Single- or
though furnaces operating to create a flow of two-stage
motor
at low efficiency are no exhaust gases up a
longer being manufactured, chimney.
many are still in use
throughout the country.
Single-stage These are the simplest furnaces because they
CHOOSE A TYPE only have one heat-output setting. If a furnace is rated with an
output of 60,000 Btu/hr, that is the furnace’s output whenever it
is running, regardless of exterior temperature or differences in
temperature in different parts of the house.
reason that you can no longer buy a low- to keep flue gases hot enough to avoid con- to be used to vent hotter flue gases at risk of
efficiency furnace is that the federal govern- densation of flue-gas moisture, while high- depositing corrosive condensate.
ment now requires residential gas-fired fur- efficiency furnaces deliberately encourage
naces to have a minimum efficiency of 80%. this condensation. Furnaces with an effi- Single-stage, two-stage, and
The line between medium- and high- ciency of at least 90%, sometimes known as modulating furnaces
efficiency furnaces isn’t arbitrary or driven condensing furnaces, draw so much heat out The simplest furnaces are single-stage mod-
by marketing campaigns; it’s a function of of the flue gases that the furnace exhaust can els with single-speed blowers; they’re either
the inner workings of those furnace types. be vented through PVC pipe. PVC costs less on or they’re off. By contrast, two-stage fur-
Medium-efficiency furnaces are designed than the stainless-steel pipe that would have naces can operate at two different output
62 FINE HOMEBUILDING Drawings: Don Mannes

WHAT ABOUT 83% TO 89%?
From a technological standpoint, it’s difficult to expensive features, including a method of collecting and
manufacture a furnace with an efficiency rating between disposing of the condensate; if the efficiency gains are
83% and 89%, so none are available in that range. A small, the investment in these features isn’t worth it. Also,
furnace with this rating would have sporadic condensation very-high-efficiency furnaces with dependable levels of
of flue gases, which would lead to corrosion problems. condensation lower the temperature of the flue gases to
You either want dependable condensation (so that it the point where PVC can be used as a flue; intermediate
can be dealt with and the thermal benefits of it can be levels of condensation result in hotter flue gases, and
harvested) or no condensation at all (to avoid the need hotter flue gases require a stainless-steel flue pipe, which
for a condensate drain). Any condensation requires costs more than PVC.
90% 95%
HIGH
90% TO 98%
Direct-vent
exhaust These furnaces can be either single-
stage or two-stage models, but most
Steel heat have a variable-speed blower. Also,
exchanger
in addition to the standard steel-tube
Secondary heat heat exchanger, high-efficiency furnaces
exchanger have a secondary heat exchanger,
which condenses the moisture in the
Automatic fuel escaping flue gases, turning it from
valve
vapor to liquid and squeezing out even
more available heat in the process.
Variable-speed These furnaces require a drain hookup
blower
to dispose of the condensate from this
process. So much heat is drawn out of
the flue gases that the exhaust can be
vented safely through a PVC pipe going
out the wall.
Two-stage A bit more sophisticated than single-stage Modulating These furnaces include an automatic fuel
models, these furnaces can operate at two different output valve that varies the amount of fuel delivered to the burner.
levels. Most of the time, they operate at a lower Btu/hr Since modulating furnaces can match the heating demand
output—typically around 65% of full capacity. The higher precisely, they provide heat more evenly than single-speed
output is needed only on the coldest days of the year. furnaces, which operate with a stop-and-go jerkiness.
levels—either a high or a low Btu/hr setting of fuel delivered to the burner. Many modu- the burner, it’s harder to design such a valve
depending on the demand. This is help- lating furnaces also include a variable-speed for delivering oil, so these furnaces are usu-
ful because most of the time, a furnace only blower motor—usually an electronically ally optimized for a single firing rate at a
needs to operate at a low Btu/hr output to do commutated motor (ECM)—that, like the fixed Btu/hr output. That’s why oil furnaces
its job. The higher output is needed only on automatic fuel valve, adjusts the airflow of are usually single-stage furnaces.
the coldest days of the year. the warmed air up and down in response to
Slightly more sophisticated than two-stage heating demand. Efficiency leads to direct venting
furnaces, modulating gas furnaces include an While it’s fairly easy to design a gas valve Condensing furnaces are power-vented, so
automatic fuel valve that varies the amount that varies the amount of fuel delivered to they include at least two fans: an air-handler

GET YOUR DUCTS RIGHT
Choose the right ducts
Use rigid galvanized ducts
wherever possible, and keep
runs as short and straight as
possible to enhance airflow.
Seal everything
It’s crucial to seal duct
Flexible duct is hard to
seams with mastic to
support and to keep straight,
prevent leakage, and
and its corrugations can
you should apply foil
cause turbulence that reduces
tape or mastic to the
airflow. Never use stud bays
plenum seams, too. If
or other framing cavities as
your furnace is located
plenums to move supply air
inside your home’s
or return air. It’s not only bad
conditioned space, these
practice because it allows air
leaks may not matter
to leak through miscellaneous
very much, but if your
gaps and cracks; it’s also a
furnace is located in a
code violation.
garage or vented attic,
it can mean a substantial
energy loss. Once sealed,
the airtightness of the
Plan for return air entire system should be
Return air has to have a path evaluated with a Duct
from every conditioned room Blaster or similar duct-
back to the furnace’s return leakage tester.
plenum. You can ensure this
either by including grilles in
every room that are connected Reconsider register
to the return-air duct system, placement
or by installing jumper ducts Although traditionally
or transfer grilles to connect located near exterior walls to
rooms without a return to counteract the chilling effect
those with a return. Avoid of windows, supply registers
a single, central return- can be placed on interior
air grille, which can cause walls if high-performance
bedrooms with closed doors windows have been specified
to become pressurized, forcing and the house is tight and
conditioned air into walls and well insulated. This method
ceilings. Size return-air ducts means shorter duct runs that
to be as large as or larger operate more efficiently.
than supply-air ducts. When in
doubt, make them bigger.
Include dampers
Balancing dampers should
A central location is best be included on every
To make sure that duct runs are branch duct running to
as short as possible, locate the a register to allow for
furnace in the center of your airflow adjustments, a
basement or in a mechanical critical portion of the
room near the center of your commissioning process.
house. Both the furnace and
the ductwork should be located
inside of the thermal envelope,
not in an unconditioned attic
or crawlspace.
64 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photo facing page: Rodney Diaz

A low thermostat setting
may void your furnace warranty
fan that distributes warm air through the heat-loss estimates higher, leading to fur-
E
nergy columnists routinely advise
home’s ductwork, and a power-vent fan to naces that are oversize. owners of vacation homes to turn
move exhaust gases through the flue pipe. You could argue that a pinpoint-accurate down their thermostats when the homes
Most condensing furnaces are sealed- Manual J isn’t necessary when furnace-size
are unoccupied. As it turns out, home-
combustion furnaces, which means that the options aren’t that numerous, but it’s not
owners following this advice not only
burners pull outside air into the combus- uncommon for rule-of-thumb calculations to
tion chamber through plastic ducts to feed miss the mark by more than a little. Even if are at risk of damaging their furnace;
the fire’s needs. Sealed-combustion furnaces you aren’t sold on the idea of conducting an they are also at risk of voiding their fur-
don’t use any indoor air for combustion. The accurate Manual J calculation to size a furnace warranty.
main advantage of a sealed-combustion furnace, you should consider one for the room- If you read the fine print on the instal-
nace (compared to an old-fashioned atmo- by-room calculations it provides, which are
lation instructions for Carrier condens-
spherically vented furnace) is that it is much necessary to perform a Manual D calculation.
less likely to suffer from backdrafting prob- Failure to take Manual J seriously means that ing furnaces, to take one example,
lems. Backdrafting occurs when a powerful Manual D calculations suffer. you’ll find this statement: “This furnace
exhaust fan—for example, a range-hood is designed for continuous return-air
fan—depressurizes a house enough to draw The dos and don’ts of ductwork minimum temperature of 60°F … or
combustion fumes down the chimney and During the 1950s and 1960s, fuel was so intermittent operation down to 55°F …
back into the house. (For more information inexpensive that most heating contractors
such as when used with a night setback
on this issue, see “How to Provide Makeup routinely installed ductwork without much
Air for Range Hoods,” FHB #232.) attention to airtightness. In many areas of the thermometer [thermostat]. Failure to
country, contractors still install ductwork in follow these return air limits may affect
Sizing matters vented crawlspaces or vented attics. These reliability of heat exchangers, motors
The most accurate method for determin- locations are outside of a home’s conditioned and controls.”
ing the required size of a furnace is to do envelope, and any air that escapes from leaky When I asked the Carrier Corp. whether
what’s called a Manual J calculation. In its ductwork running through these areas is
setting one’s thermostat to 50°F would
simplest form, a Manual J calculation takes money wasted.
into account the shape and orientation of a In the 1980s, energy-efficiency advocates void the warranty, the company had this
house, its insulation levels and airtightness, responded to this issue with training pro- response: “For optimal performance,
its square footage and surface area, and the grams to encourage HVAC installers to seal Carrier Corp.’s 58MXB gas condensing
various amounts of heat lost through all of duct seams. After three decades of training, furnace should be operated with return-
the exterior surfaces. This information is these programs are beginning to bear fruit air temperatures no lower than 60°F and
then plugged into a Manual D calculation, in some areas of the United States. Unfortu-
no higher than 80°F. To support appro-
which helps determine duct sizing. nately, the gospel of airtight ductwork hasn’t
Sounds easy, right? Well, it isn’t. It can be reached every corner of the country, and priate return-air temperatures, Carrier
difficult to find a residential HVAC con- many HVAC contractors are still installing recommends that the 58MXB furnace
tractor who is willing to perform Manual J, ductwork the way their grandfathers did. be set within the range of 55°F to 80°F.
Manual D, or code-compliant alternative To make up for the fact that leaky duct sys- Return-air guidelines and detailed oper-
calculations, even though they’re required tems waste large amounts of energy, many
ating instructions are included in the
by code. You should not assume that an HVAC contractors install oversize furnaces
58MXB owner’s manual. Failure to oper-
HVAC contractor who agrees to do a “heat- with huge blowers. According to the DOE,
loss calculation” will perform an actual 40% of contractors in one large-scale survey ate the furnace according to the owner’s
Manual J calculation. (When in doubt, ask indicated that they purposefully oversized manual could affect the furnace’s reli-
to see the paperwork.) Because heat loss and equipment, citing reasons such as “To reduce ability and void the factory warranty.”
heat gain through building envelopes is gov- callbacks,” “To allow for future expansion,” The bottom line: Condensing furnaces
erned by many factors, an accurate Manual J or “Customers demanded it.”
are more efficient than noncondens-
calculation requires many inputs, as well as Designing a duct system properly and
dedicated computer software. Those who installing it carefully costs more than doing ing furnaces, but their efficiency comes
do perform the calculation need to be dili- sloppy work, but it provides two important with the added risk that low return-air
gent and accurate about the details, because benefits to homeowners: better comfort and temperatures can contribute to the con-
taking any guesses about building compo- lower energy bills. □ densation of corrosive flue gases in the
nents and other fudge factors used to cover primary heat exchanger.
unknown defects in construction will push Martin Holladay is a senior editor.

Trouble
Free
Toilets
The floor, flange, and
sealant can mean the
difference between
success and failure
BY MIKE LOMBARDI
I
’ve installed, removed, and replaced
more toilets than I care to count. In
some cases, a toilet has to be replaced
because the necessary repairs to the
inner workings of the tank aren’t worth
the effort when compared to the cost of
upgrading to a new fixture. There’s not
much I can do to predict how long these
internal components of a toilet will hold
up, but I certainly can ensure that the
plumber or homeowner who pulls the
toilet isn’t faced with additional repairs
to the bathroom. I’ve pulled lots of toilets
that have been in service for 50 years or
more yet had no evidence of wax-ring fail-
ure, leakage, or rot. The difference isn’t in
the quality of the toilet, but in the quality Hole centered on joist
of the installation. depth, with at least 2 in.
In my experience, the three essential above and below
aspects of a long-lasting and trouble-free
toilet installation are a stable floor frame, Pipe slopes 1⁄4 in. per ft.
a closet flange that’s installed at the right Closet

height, and a bead of sealant or grout flange
around the base of the toilet where it 35⁄8-in. hole for
meets the floor. 3-in. PVC pipe Street 90 elbow slides
directly into closet flange,
allowing for a compact
Mike Lombardi is a plumber in Danbury, change in direction.
Conn. Photos by Justin Fink.
Reinforcement may be required on 2x8 and 2x10 joists and
often can be achieved with gussets or additional framing.
THE FLOOR FRAME FLANGE OVER THE FLOORING
MUST BE STABLE
The underside of the closet flange should sit level and bear evenly on top
From a framing perspective, there of the finished floor. If new flooring has been added on top of the existing
isn’t anything special about the flooring, use spacer rings to extend the flange up. Although common, it’s never
floor under a bathroom. If things OK to stack up wax rings to span the gap between a recessed closet flange
go wrong, it’s usually because and the horn of the toilet. A correctly installed wax ring is there to prevent
somebody has reduced the sewer gas from entering the bathroom, not as a waterproof seal.
strength of the floor by notching

GOOD: Flange on flooring
or drilling where they shouldn’t, Reinforced wax ring
or because water damage has Toilet horn
Sealant Closet flange
led to decay. Either of these Underlayment
problems will lead to movement Subfloor
in the floor, and that will affect
the seal between the toilet and
the closet flange.
Closet flange bears on finished Toilet horn extends below
Assess the condition of the flooring, and any gaps between the level of the closet
floor by looking for loose tiles or flooring and flange are packed with flange, protecting the wax
thinset or sealant to protect the ring from water.
feeling for sponginess. If there’s subfloor from water.
access, always go below and look
BAD: Flange below flooring
up for notched or drilled joists or
for softness in the wood, which Toilet horn Doubled wax ring
indicates rot. If the subflooring
around the flange is rotten, it’s
best to cut out the old closet
flange—either from below using a
Flange set below finished Flange and exposed
reciprocating saw, or from above flooring means an elevated toilet subfloor around flange
with a specialty tool such as the horn, which leaves the wax ring are susceptible to water
at risk of water erosion. damage.
Flange-off (keco.com) or the Ram
Bit (pascospecialty.com)—and FIX: For an oversize hole
replace it along with the section
of flooring.
If you have to drill holes in
the floor joists to route the
waste line, do so through their If the hole in the subfloor is oversize,
add 3⁄4-in. plywood support below to
center, and be mindful of the Plywood support
provide solid backing when setting
structural restrictions. Although the closet-flange screws.
not permitted by a strict
interpretation of the building
code, drilling waste-line holes DON’T SKIP THE SEALANT
through 2x8 and 2x10 joists
is often approved by building Some plumbers argue that applying sealant where the toilet
inspectors if you agree to meets the floor will trap water and lead to rot if the wax
reinforce the joists. Reinforcement ring ever fails. But sealant in this area is required by code,
options include doubled joists, and for good reasons. The sealant prevents condensation on the outside of the
plywood gussets, angle iron, bowl from wicking between the toilet and the floor, where it won’t easily dry
headers for transferring the load, out. More importantly, it seals against soiled water following the same path if
and a support wall. the toilet ever overflows. I always flush a newly installed toilet multiple times
before sealing it to the floor with Phenoseal adhesive caulk.
www.finehomebuilding.com FLANGE OVER THE FLOOR- OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 67

ING
All-Around
Pairing a proven net-zero strategy with conscious material choices
BY STEVE BACZEK
I
see two paths to being green. (I don’t like that term, but lack of a ride. The result is a comfortable, healthy home that is durable enough
better one forces me to use it.) Path 1 is designing a typical code- to last a long time, that will remain a high-performance home for
built house and then applying a degree of recycled materials and decades, and that will have a minimal impact on the environment.
site-generated energy in an attempt to make up for building- I recently had a great opportunity to design a home in this way with
performance inadequacies. Path 2, my preference, is to integrate per- Don and Amy Bowen. If you ask them to describe their lifestyle,
formance strategies with scrutinized building practices to develop a you’ll hear words such as simple, environmentally thoughtful, mini-
house where all the decisions are in harmony with each other. While malist, uncluttered, and free—which is to say free from a burdened
energy efficiency is always a concern, conceptually I don’t solve for conscience, the trappings of high energy bills, and arduous home
it. I concentrate on durability, comfort, and health, making sure to maintenance. They live this way in part to have the time and money
align them with environmental responsibility, particularly in terms to pursue their favorite leisure-time activities, but mostly because they
of material choices—and then energy efficiency comes along for the are passionate about the fight against climate change.
68 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photo: Rob Yagid

d Efficient
With that philosophy in mind, Don and Amy came to me. Their influence that the LEED and Passive House standards had on the
goals were clear: First, the house had to generate at least as much design. Meeting net-zero energy is a relatively easy concept to succeed
energy as it consumed. Second, all materials had to be considered at in theory: You build a house, determine the loads, and then design
for their environmental impact, including both their recycled content a PV system to balance them out. Although many find it as simple as
and their recyclability. Local materials were to be given the highest that, my scrutiny extends a bit further. Developing a net-zero-energy
priority, and domestically manufactured materials were to be chosen home based only on the economics of energy used/purchased/gener-
before products from abroad. Third, the house had to strive for a ated is missing half of the equation. The home’s performance should
nearly maintenance-free exterior. be elevated in an effort to reduce the burden of site-generated energy.
The Bowens’ passion for this house was personal. They were not With the generating power of PV panels on the rise and their cost
interested in a plaque, so I didn’t design the house to meet LEED or constantly being reduced, net-zero energy is becoming fairly easy
Passive House or any other standard. Despite that, it is easy to see the Continued on p. 72

A FORTRESS OF EFFICIENCY
POWERED BY PV The house creates enough energy through its 14.6kw PV system for the
house, the studio, and the Bowens’ two electric cars. The PV panels are set at 20°, which helps
to prevent them from shading each other. The 3.5kw battery system stores excess energy for
times when there’s no other energy input. The low-slope roof provides a large field for the PV
system. Its pitch is a hip-style configuration achieved with tapered pieces (1⁄4 in. per ft.) of
rigid polyiso insulation.
DURABLE ENVELOPE
The Bowens wanted a low-
maintenance building, so the
cladding materials were chosen
for their longevity. At the same
time, their high recycled content
reduces their environmental
impact. Firestone Una-Clad
aluminum trim coil, made
from over 50% postindustrial
material, was used for the fascia
and soffits. The cladding is a
combination of Reynobond, a
composite material comprised of
aluminum sheets thermobonded
to a polyethylene core, and
EcoClad XP, a highly durable,
nontoxic material made from
bamboo and recycled paper
bonded together with a corn-
and cashew-based resin.
1 Entry 7 Dining area 6

7
11
9 10
2 Office 8 Master bedroom
3 Powder room 9 Master bath 4

5
4 Kitchen 10 Deck 3
12
5 Great room 11 Studio 2
1
6 Porch 12 Garage
70 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photo: Rob Yagid. Floor-plan drawing: Martha Garstang Hill.
Drawing facing page: Don Mannes.
A BACZEK WALL ASSEMBLY Basic framing can accommodate the goals of a per-
formance wall. When you don’t have to provide special instructions to the framing crew for
an exotic wall assembly, that helps with time, energy, money, and accuracy. In all houses the
author designs, he strives for exceptional airtightness. The goal of 1.0 ACH50 for this house,
while not quite the 0.6 ACH50 of a certified Passive House, still illustrates exceptional air- 12 in.
dense-
tightness. The final blower-door test revealed even better performance: 0.85 ACH50. pack
mineral
EPDM
1
⁄2-in. protection wool
sheathing (R-52.8)
Tapered rigid
polyiso (R-9.75)
4 in. closed-
3
cell spray ⁄4-in.
foam (R-26) tongue-
and-groove
sheathing
Triple-glazed
window
(R-7.5)
2x8s 24 in.
Synthetic
on center
board
siding
71⁄4-in. dense-
5/4x3 furring pack mineral
24 in. on center wool (R-31.9)
2-in. rigid
polyiso (R-13) 1
⁄2-in. drywall
5
⁄8-in. Zip System Engineered
sheathing floor joist
5 in. closed-cell
spray foam (R-34.5)
Continuous
sill sealant
1-in. rigid
polyiso
with
PERFORMANCE ignition
barrier
10-in.-thick
MECHANICALS concrete
(R-6.5)
The house and studio both foundation

wall
3-in.
are outfitted with independent high- rigid
efficiency heat pumps, ERVs, and polyiso
(R-19.5)
tankless water heaters. 4-in.-thick
concrete slab
2-in. XPS
insulation
(R-10)
3-in. polyiso
slab edge
(R-19.5)
4-in.
6-mil
stone
poly
pad

Continued from p. 69
to achieve. That also means it’s becoming easier to build a lower- THREE LEGACIES
performance house and throw a truckload of PV panels on the roof.
While I could meet net-zero energy by building that way, I would Comfort, health,
not satisfy my basic tenets of shelter, in which comfort, health, and and durability
durability play the primary and decisive role in determining the right
should all be
amount to invest in the home’s performance.
Working with Don, who served as general contractor, I developed a factors in the
Passive House–inspired design that guided us to a high-performance development
ideal. With the 10/20/40/60/5 insulating rule (R-10 underslab, R-20
basement wall, R-40 above-grade wall, R-60 roof, and R-5 windows) of the net-zero-
as a guide, I set out to design the building assemblies. The airtightness energy equation;
goal was the high-performance minimum of 1.0 ACH50, which is
actually, there is no
only slightly above the Passive House standard of 0.6 ACH50.
For health reasons and because we planned to use site-generated excuse for these
solar, we eliminated all combustibles and agreed to an energy- concepts not to
recovery ventilator (ERV) as part of our mechanical ventilation.
For durability reasons, we eliminated thermal bridging and used be part of every
a cladding system and rain-screen concepts to provide sound water decision we make
management. Our assemblies were in pretty close alignment with
in the building
the insulating rule, although because of certain framing-material
choices, the R-values for the above-grade walls and the roof deviated industry. They are
somewhat. We also decided to elevate the R-value of the windows. legacies that will
The Bowens wanted a modern-looking house and the above-average
amount of glazing that is part of that style. More windows mean less serve the main
efficiency, however, so the R-5 window value needed to be elevated goal of building a
150%. The final 10/26/45/88/7.5 design proved to be the best and most house: to provide
cost-effective assembly for lowering the home’s energy load.
shelter that will be
Net-zero energy—a unique challenge every time around for a long
The site was purchased in part because of its exposure. It is a large
time without being
open lot with a tree-filled perimeter. The Bowens wanted from the
start to have a low-slope roof, which proved advantageous for inte- a burden to the
grating a 14.6kw PV system ballasted with blocks to prevent penetra- environment.
tions in the roof. The house is set about 10° off due south to provide
the desired views both to and from the house, but that doesn’t ham-
per the PV system’s overall production. With a low-slope design, the
entire roof can have PV panels as long as none are shading any adja-
cent panels. This does mean giving up some of the roof area, but what
remains still exceeds what would be achieved on half of a gable roof. as long as an alternative, its environmental impact is halved. Floor-
The house creates enough energy not only for itself but also for two ing is locally sourced or reclaimed. Countertops are largely made up
electric cars. Coupling the PV system with a 3.5kw battery-storage of recycled glass, and water fixtures are low-flow models. Because
system means that excess energy can be stored for times when there the Bowens did not want to provide any scheduled maintenance, the
is no other energy input, such as in the evening or during power out- cladding materials were chosen for their longevity, and as it turns out,
ages of up to 12 hours. Should the need arise for more storage capac- the metal panels and the plank siding have a high recycled content.
ity, extra battery units can be added to the existing system. Always concentrating on durability, comfort, and health, I aligned
environmental responsibility with each concept to ensure that our
Recycled and resourceful material choices decisions kept us on the path to shelter that’s built to last, which is still
Environmental impact drove all of our decisions. We balanced the the greatest measure of green, whether I like the term or not. □
presence of recycled content and the recyclability of the home’s mate-
rials with the durability of those products; if a product has a life twice Steve Baczek is an architect in Reading, Mass.
SPECS Size: 2034 sq. ft., plus 320-sq.-ft. studio Location: Hamilton, Mass.
Bedrooms: 1, plus studio Cost: $265 per sq. ft. Architect: Steve Baczek
Bathrooms: 3 Completed: 2015 General contractor: Don Bowen
72 FINE HOMEBUILDING Top photo: David Fell, courtesy of Steve Baczek, Architect.
Bottom photos: left, Aaron Fagan; right, Rob Yagid.
Conscious choices. The kitchen
features an EcoStone recycled-glass
countertop and reclaimed beams
from a barn in Falmouth, Maine. The
flooring, which extends into the master
bedroom, is locally harvested hickory
finished with a water-based, no-VOC
sealer. The glazing throughout the house
is triple-pane Yaro windows (below).
www.finehomebuilding.com
TOOL TEST
Track
Saws These versatile tools
make fast, precise cuts
and weigh a lot less
than your tablesaw
BY DOUG MAHONEY
Clamp-free cutting. High-friction

tape on the underside prevents the
aluminum track from moving during
straight and angled cuts. All track-saw
manufacturers offer clamps for their
tracks, but they’re unnecessary for
most materials.
C
ombining a plunge-cutting circular saw with an aluminum In the past, I used a regular circular saw along with a clamped
guide rail, track saws have gone from obscure woodwork- straightedge for guided cuts. But after getting my first track saw four
ing tools to common job-site problem solvers in less than years ago, I find that method sloppy and tedious. On a conventional
10 years. Their unsurpassed accuracy, ease of use, and clean circular saw, the blade is seldom parallel to the edge of the base, so
cuts make them perfect for cutting everything from veneer plywood cuts are rough and sometimes burned. Track saws are built so that
for cabinets and built-ins to plywood and OSB for wall and floor the track and the blade are parallel, resulting in accurate cuts free of
sheathing. Track saws are also great for trimming doors and cutting burning and saw marks. In addition, the aluminum tracks have flex-
off overhanging deck boards. ible edges that prevent splinters, so the cuts are smooth with little or
74 FINE HOMEBUILDING Process photos: Patrick McCombe

ALL THE SAWS SHARE THE SAME
k
BASIC DESIGN AND OPERATION
Track saws have two components: a plunge-cutting circular saw and a
track that’s available in various lengths. The track has a flexible edge that
aligns with the path of the blade to aid setup and to prevent splintering.
s
Cuts are precise. The track’s flexible splinter Bevel cuts are easy. Unlike with a conventional circular
guard follows the cutline exactly, so you saw, the path of the blade isn’t altered when a track saw
don’t have to compensate for the width is set to make a beveled cut. This makes a track saw the
of the saw’s base, which speeds setup and perfect tool for mitered corners on tapered columns, range
reduces mistakes. hoods, and built-in cabinets made from sheet goods.
Plunge cuts are accurate. All the saw

motors plunge by way of a spring-loaded
hinge, so you have to push down on the
handle to make a cut. This makes plunge
and stopped cuts easy and accurate. Marks
on the blade housing show where the
blade is positioned within the housing.
no chipping. The improved quality of cut is especially noticeable on of track. Although a few manufacturers offer a single 8-ft. track, the
materials prone to chipping, such as melamine. Track saws also can hassle of transporting and storing such a large and easily bent piece
plunge cut, which is more difficult and less accurate with a traditional of aluminum seems like an unreasonable burden. Instead, I prefer
circular saw. to make 8-ft. rips by joining two 4-ft. tracks with a manufacturer-
I recently tested track saws from DeWalt, Grizzly, Festool, Mafell, provided connector. When offered by the manufacturer, this is the
Makita, and Triton. Surprisingly, most track-saw kits come with a setup I requested.
single length of track that’s only long enough for a 4-ft. cut. I think One thing I learned during testing is that blade sizes vary slightly in
ripping a full sheet of plywood is an essential task, so I wanted 8 ft. diameter from model to model, so you should stick with blades made

THE BEST SAWS STAND OUT FOR
THEIR USER-FRIENDLY CONTROLS
Enclosed blades, riving knives

The DeWalt, Festool, and Grizzly saws have riving
knives to prevent kickbacks. All the saws have shrouded TOOL TECH
blades to aid in dust collection, which was effective on To see a track saw in action,
all models when connected to a vacuum. visit FineHomebuilding.com/extras.
Smooth sliding action

Adjustable with a top-side
thumbwheel, cams ensure that the
saw slides easily without wobbling on
the track. Festool’s adjustment system
has large, low-friction pads for smooth
operation. Other saws use small cams,
which don’t operate as smoothly.
by the saw manufacturer or confirm that a replacement is exactly the manufacturers’ blades. I ran each tool through 3⁄4-in. melamine to
right size. I think it’s a good idea to have extra blades on hand before judge the quality of cut through the material’s brittle plastic-coated
you need them because track-saw blades can be hard to find at home surface. As a power test designed to simulate how the saws would
centers and lumberyards. perform when trimming an exterior door, I cut through 2 ft. of 2-in.-
thick oak. Finally, to assess the gripping power of each track, I ripped
How we tested a 3⁄4-in.-thick piece of plywood at a 45° angle without using clamps.
In addition to using the saws in my shop and on job sites for a variety During all of these tests, I had the saws hooked up to a Festool CT 26
of tasks, I ran them through a number of tests using the supplied vacuum so I could assess their dust collection.
Score-setting for veneer
The Mafell, Makita, and Triton
have a one-touch scoring feature
that sets the blade to take a very
Safety brake
shallow pass for clean cuts in Festool, Grizzly, and Mafell have
difficult materials such as veneer stop blocks that clamp to the track
plywood and melamine. The scoring to prevent the saw from moving
feature is more convenient than backward during plunge cuts. The
setting the blade depth manually. blocks are preferable to Triton’s and
DeWalt’s systems, which prevent
the saw from moving backward at
all times. DeWalt’s can be turned
off, but Triton’s requires an override
every time you reverse.
Tracks
can be
joined
All the saw
manufacturers
except DeWalt
sell hardware that
Easy blade changes connects two
Pull the lever on the top of the Mafell, tracks together for
and it opens the blade cover and locks the longer cuts. Some
arbor for easy blade changes. Although sell optional tracks
track-saw blades are close to 6-1⁄2 in. dia., for cuts 8 ft. and
conventional 6-1⁄2-in. circular-saw blades longer, but they’re
have a 5⁄8-in. arbor hole that’s too small for expensive and can
a track saw‘s 20 mm arbor. be damaged easily.
Standard features sistencies, I was surprised how the features and safety mechanisms
The six saws I tested all share a few features. Each baseplate has a set varied from saw to saw. Many of the saws have some means of pre-
of cams that snug the saw to the track, eliminating any side-to-side venting kickback during plunge cuts. The DeWalt and the Triton
movement, and every saw has a thumb-operated safety trigger that have a setting on the base that allows the tool to move forward on
needs to be engaged before the sawblade will spin and the housing the track but not backward. Festool’s stop block prevents the saw
will plunge. Bevel adjustments are similar to those on a regular cir- from moving backward during plunge cuts. Grizzly includes a simi-
cular saw, but the baseplates are engineered so that the track always lar device in its accessory kit, and Mafell sells a similar device as an
aligns with the blade regardless of the bevel angle. Beyond these con- accessory ($23). The DeWalt, Festool, and Grizzly saws have a riving

DeWalt DWS520CK Festool TS 55 REQ Grizzly T25552
The DeWalt’s track is the only one with a Perhaps it’s not surprising that the Festool The least expensive track saw I tested, the
splinter guard on both sides, so I didn’t is the track saw I see most often on job Grizzly has enough power and ability to get
need to constantly flip the track, an advan- sites. This tool is the complete package of basic tasks done at a decent level of qual-
tage when working in tight quarters. The power, precise cutting, and easy adjust- ity. The simplicity of the tool makes it easy
DeWalt is also the only saw that uses a link- ments. In a single pass (without scoring), to use, but it has the smallest motor of all
age connection rather than a single pivot it left a nearly perfect edge when cutting the saws and lacks both variable speed and
point for the saw’s plunge mechanism. This melamine. In the power test, the motor a soft start. It’s also not a very comfort-
means you have to push the handle forward maintained a constant speed while slicing able saw to use. The safety switch is tough
as well as down to make a cut. I found it through the thick oak. The depth-of-cut to reach with your thumb, and the plunge
tricky to make this motion with one hand. In adjustment is excellent, and the track has mechanism has a very strong spring that
addition, the depth-of-cut dial is too small a thick and effective splinter guard. The makes cutting tiring. Also, when I tried to
and is difficult to operate with gloves on. Festool also has great dust collection. dial in a specific angle, I found the bevel
Unfortunately, DeWalt does not sell a track The depth scale is in metric, but Festool markings to be unclear. The dust collection
connector, so for cuts longer than 4 ft., the includes a sticker with Imperial measure- was good but not great. For occasional
only option is to get a 102-in. track. The ments to place over the millimeter scale. use, this tool will get the job done, but if
DeWalt is built tough, but ergonomically, it’s Power, ease of use, and overall cut quality you plan on using your track saw often, it’s
not the strongest of the bunch. made this tool stand out above the rest. worth upgrading.
Model Base cost What you get Weight Riving knife Anti-kickback
DeWalt DWS520CK $613 Saw, 59-in. track, 102-in. track 11 lb., 8 oz. Yes Yes
Festool TS 55 REQ $640 Saw, 55-in. track 10 lb., 1 oz. Yes Yes
Grizzly T25552 $245 Saw, 55-in. track, clamps, connector 10 lb., 9 oz. Yes Yes
Mafell MT55cc $836 Saw only 10 lb., 2 oz. No Yes
Makita SP600J $406 Saw, 55-in. track 9 lb., 6 oz. No No
Triton TTS1400 $300 Saw only 11 lb., 9 oz. No Yes
knife to keep the blade from binding while cutting. The knife deploys locking dials. The squeeze adjustment is more ergonomic and more
when the blade is plunged into the material. precise. The dials can be tricky, especially when the depth of cut is
bottomed out and the dial is hard up against the saw’s baseplate and
Depth-of-cut adjustments bevel gauge, leaving little room for fingers. One feature I especially
With all of the saws, the depth-of-cut adjustment is more precise like—which can be found on the Mafell, Makita, and Triton saws—is
than you’ll find on a regular circular saw. On the high-end track saws the setting for making a shallow scoring cut. Using the scoring set-
(Festool and Mafell), the adjustment is made by squeezing the depth ting before making a full-depth pass creates a much cleaner edge on
stop and sliding it up and down the gauge. The rest of the saws use finicky surfaces such as melamine or veneer plywood. While all of the
78 FINE HOMEBUILDING Product photos: Rodney Diaz

Mafell MT55cc Makita SP600J Triton TTS1400
The Mafell backs up its high price tag with The Makita’s handles are comfortable, The Triton toggles easily between cutting,
precise adjustments, easy-to-read gauges, and the plunge spring offers just the right scoring, and blade-change mode. It also
and the simplest blade change I’ve seen on amount of resistance. The thumb safety has an anti-kickback mechanism and can
any circular saw: Pull a lever, and the entire switch is the easiest to use, and I like how lock into the track—handy for steep bevel
blade shroud pops open. The Mafell track the saw’s base locks into the track for cuts—with the turn of a dial. Unfortunately,
is only 5 in. wide—over 11⁄ 2 in. narrower added stability during beveled cuts. When when using the scoring function, I could
than the rest—so it’s easy to work with I used the scoring setting, the Makita made never get the second cut to line up per-
narrow material. Using the scoring feature, an almost flawless cut in the melamine. The fectly with the first. I also didn’t like how
the Mafell made a perfect cut through the dust collection was also very good. The the kickback stop needed to be manu-
melamine and, like the Festool, kept con- Makita weighs at least 1⁄ 2 lb. less than the ally overridden every time I slid the saw
stant power while cutting the thick oak. other saws and easily plowed through 3⁄4-in. backward. It’s especially tedious because
On the downside, the Mafell doesn’t have plywood; however, it struggled a little with the knob is located in a hard-to-reach spot
a front handle, which I kept trying to reach the thick oak, leaving burn marks as it cut. I under the motor. The Triton has a good
for, especially when cutting at an angle. was surprised to see that the depth-of-cut selection of features, but its overall design
Overall, the Mafell is a nice tool with supe- scale is in millimeters. Because it was so makes it a difficult and frustrating saw to
rior dust collection, but I wish it had a front comfortable and easy to use, though, the use. On the plus side, it’s the second-least-
handle for better control. Makita was my favorite midpriced saw. expensive saw in the test.
Depth of cut Amps Bevel Scoring feature Setup for 8-ft. rips Connectors Available track lengths (in.)
21⁄ 8 in. 12 0° to 47° No $613 Not offered 59, 102
2 in. 10 –1° to 47° No $787 $18 32, 42, 55, 75, 106, 118, 197
115⁄ 16 in. 9 0° to 45° No $295 Included in kit 55
2 in. 10 –1° to 48° Yes $1211 $76 32, 43, 63
21⁄ 6 in. 12 –1° to 48° Yes $520 $27 55, 118
21⁄ 8 in. 12 0° to 48° Yes $400 In optional $100 kit 59, 27.5
saws can be set manually to scoring depth and then reset to the cutting $400 to $620) includes saws by Makita, DeWalt, and Triton. I had
depth, the ability to toggle between the two settings saves time. some issues with the Triton, but even though the DeWalt and Makita
are missing some of the finer points found on the upper-tier tools,
The bottom line they would both perform admirably on a job site. The Grizzly costs
The saws are priced at three levels. At the top (about $800 and up for roughly a quarter of the most expensive saw, so it’s no surprise that it
a setup for 8-ft. rips) are Festool and Mafell. These two saws stood lacks the features of the other saws and has poor ergonomics. □
apart from the rest due to the smoothness of their motors, excellent
dust collection, and overall build quality. The middle range (about Doug Mahoney is a carpenter in Harvard, Mass.

project
gallery
HIGHLIGHTS FROM FINEHOMEBUILDING.COM
Mudroom’s
the name—
organizing’s
the aim
W
e all have things that we drag in and
out of our homes just about every day:
coats, purses, mail, shoes, sports equip-
ment, books, backpacks. Without a mudroom—
that dedicated space between the house’s entry
and the rest of the rooms—the essentials that
accompany us each day can end up being strewn
throughout the house. Kitchens, family rooms,
and hallways all become drop-off zones. The
resulting clutter throughout the house is unsightly,
but what’s worse is trying to remember where
you left your shoes, keys, and cell phone the night
before when you’re running 10 minutes late.
Originally designed as a place for removing wet
coats and dirty shoes, mudrooms have evolved to
handle much more. Mudrooms come in all shapes
and sizes, and many are now custom-designed to
meet the specific needs of the homeowners. But
all good mudrooms have what it takes to stand
up to daily use: durable yet easy-to-clean flooring; A MUDROOM WORTH FLIPPING FOR
sturdy cabinetry; ample racks and hooks for hang- Renovations to this 1926 stone Tudor-style home included a 90° flip of what
ing clothing and backpacks; drawers and cubbies; was once a steep, narrow back staircase. This change allowed for optimum
and a place to park a package temporarily or to sit use of the space for the kitchen, the dining room, the mudroom, a storage
while putting on or taking off shoes. area, and a dog-washing area while staying within the existing footprint of the
The mudrooms pictured here show how beauty house. To complement the Benjamin Moore Knoxville Gray walls, the custom
combined with purpose helps to ensure a well- cabinetry, trim, and beadboard were painted with Benjamin Moore Simply
organized household. White. The cubbies’ bench is walnut, and the stair treads and handrail are oak.
The Belgian-bluestone floor, which is easy to clean and maintain, completes the
crisp, clean look of the back entry.
To view or post projects, Design Period Architecture Ltd., Chadds Ford, Pa.; periodarchitectureltd.com
click on the Gallery tab at Construction E.C. Trethewey Building Contractors, Downingtown, Pa.; ectbuilders.com
FineHomebuilding.com. Photograph Angle Eye Photography, angleeyephotography.com
SHOES AND SPORTS STORAGE FOR SIX
This mudroom was designed to meet the needs
of an active family of six. While the family
members enjoy all seasons and sports, they are
most enthusiastic about cold-weather activities,
especially hockey. The “hockey locker” portion of
the mudroom stores all their gear in one convenient
place. Rows of adjustable, angled shelving in the
adjacent area keep everyone’s shoes ready and easy
to locate. Once shoes have been stored in their
designated spot, the radiant heating installed under
the Belgian-bluestone floor keeps toes toasty warm.
Painted poplar was used to construct the shelving.
Architect Archer & Buchanan Architecture, West Chester, Pa.;

archerbuchanan.com
Builder Norcini Builders, Devon, Pa.; norcinibuilders.com
Photograph Tom Crane, Tom Crane Photography,
tomcranephotography.com
MAIL CALL AND MORE

The owners of this beach home requested that their
mudroom not look like a mudroom. Family members
and guests see nothing but a row of closets opposite a
welcoming bench. Behind the closed doors are cubbies,
shelves, and sections for hanging garments. At the far
end is a telephone and mail station. Behind the station’s
upper doors are cubbies for sorting the mail; the lower
portion of the station houses a recycling drawer for junk
mail. Dark-brown corkboard was used for the station’s
backsplash, and the counter is solid mahogany with a
natural satin finish. Closets and cabinets are furniture-grade
prefinished maple plywood with solid paint-grade poplar
doors. Flooring is 12x12 gray ceramic tile.
Cabinet design Jennifer Burr, Simmons Quality Home Improvement, Clinton,
Conn.; simmonsquality.com
Construction Simmons Quality Home Improvement
Photographs Craig Freeman, craigfreemanphotography.com,
courtesy of Simmons Quality Home Improvement

asktheYOUR QUESTIONS — PRO ANSWERS
Engel Ceiling-fan height Q I want to finish the base-

ment of a home I recently
purchased. The first floor is built
flooring will be engineered wood
except for wet areas such as the
laundry room and the mudroom,
with I-joists, and I’m wondering if which will have vinyl flooring
I can attach the top plates of the that’s significantly thinner than
new basement walls to the flanges the wood. What is the best way
of the joists. Will that compromise to raise those two areas so that
the strength of the I-joists? they are level with the engineered-
—TONY HILL wood flooring?
Guertin
Middletown, Del. —RON PERCY
via email
Q Is it OK to install a ceiling
fan in a 12-ft. by 17-ft. living
A Yes, you can secure the new
room with an 8-ft. ceiling?
—ALAN
framing to joists without
weakening them. Carefully drive
A You could use plywood, but
with in-floor heat, any wood-
based panel can diminish heat
via email the nails near the middle of the
transfer. It’s best to raise those areas
flange; nailing too close to the edge
experts using a conductive material such as
Senior editor Andy

A I grew up in a house with 7-ft.
6-in. ceilings. There was a
ceiling fan in the living room that,
could split it. To further reduce
the chance of splitting, use smaller
diameter nails (0.131 in. or less),
a self-leveling flooring compound.
Several types can be poured over
Engel is a former existing concrete slabs in depths up
for obvious reasons, we called the driving no more than two nails into
carpenter and builder to 11⁄2 in., but be sure to use an in-
as well as the author “guillotine fan.” I don’t know how each joist. —Mike Guertin
floor, heat-compatible compound.
of two Taunton Press many times I stuck my arm into You can buy the dry materials by
books: Building Stairs that beast while putting on a jacket.
(2007) and Carpentry That said, I couldn’t find a code
Raising floors the sack and mix them with water
Complete (2012). reference for a minimum ceiling-
a little bit on-site. It’s not the easiest approach,
but for larger areas, you can hire a
fan height from the floor. Online
Editorial adviser
Mike Guertin is a
builder and remod-
sources say there should be at least
7 ft. from the blades to the floor and
Q I plan to build a small bunga-
low in the near future. The
foundation will be slab-on-grade
specialty contractor who will use
mixing machines and pumps to
deliver the compound to the floor.
eler who has written that more is better. While not ideal, with in-floor heating. Most of the —Mike Guertin
over 100 articles for there are many houses with both
Fine Homebuilding 8-ft. ceilings and ceiling fans. Fol- Engineered flooring Vinyl flooring Self-leveling
and appeared in doz- flooring compound
low the manufacturer’s instructions,
ens of videos.
and choose a low-profile model to
preserve as much clearance as pos-
sible. —Andy Engel
Need help?
Get answers you can
trust from the exper-
Adding walls on
ienced pros at FHB. I-joists
Email your question
to Experts@Fine
Homebuilding.com.
In-floor heating
82 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos: left, FHB staff; right top, courtesy of Hunter; right bottom,
courtesy of Georgia-Pacific. Drawing: Dan Thornton.
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energysmartdetails
FROM GREENBUILDINGADVISOR.COM BY ALLISON A. BAILES III
Lstiburek’s ideal
double-stud wall
A
fter posting an article at GreenBuildingAdvisor.com titled an important difference between this wall and the one in the BSC
“Is Cold Sheathing in Double-Wall Construction at Risk?” study. Joe specifies a layer of OSB or plywood on the outside of the
which covered a study of moisture in double-stud walls in inner wall when using air-permeable insulation such as cellulose
a Massachusetts home, I was contacted by Fine Homebuilding con- or fiberglass.
tributing editor Joe Lstiburek. Joe is principal of Building Science “Plywood or OSB works in every climate zone,” Joe said. This
Corporation (BSC), and his company had done the cited research layer of sheathing serves as the primary air-control layer as well as
as part of the Building America program. The reason he called was the vapor-control layer. Its permeance changes with relative humid-
to make it clear that BSC had only monitored the project. Some ity, which permits drying to occur. When taped, the sheathing is
readers of my article had gotten the mistaken impression that airtight, but it can reduce moisture accumulation and damage by
BSC had at least endorsed, if not designed, that double-stud wall. increasing its permeance with increased humidity. Some builders in
Joe considers the wall design too risky, and cold climates put a layer of 6-mil polyethylene
the excessive moisture content in the exterior inside a double-stud wall instead of OSB or
sheathing confirmed his misgivings. Although This wall has all the plywood. I asked Joe for his thoughts on that
the sheathing didn’t show damage when the technique. “In terms of the physics, it’s great,”
wall sections were deconstructed after three thermal, air, and he replied. “In terms of practicality, it’s a very
years, the amount of moisture detected during fragile way of doing things. We did this in the
winter and spring was a concern.
vapor control that early ’80s, and it was difficult to build. That’s
As for where the moisture came from, the
perfect correlation between indoor relative
it needs to ensure why I like sheet goods.”
Another thing Joe likes is to have the struc-
humidity (low in the winter of years 1 and 3,
high in the winter of year 2) and the moisture
good performance tural part of the double-stud wall be the inner
wall. Similar to a Larsen-truss wall, the inner
content of the sheathing (also low in the winter and to avoid wall is built at the edge of the framed floor
of years 1 and 3, high in the winter of year 2) and sheathed. The outer part of the wall is
indicates that the moisture was from indoors. moisture problems. hung from the studs. “I think it’s colossally
“None of this is unknown,” Joe told me, “and stupid to have the second wall of a double-
none of it is a surprise.” The problem is the lack stud wall be on the inside of the structure,”
of adequate vapor control. Both cellulose and open-cell spray foam, Joe said. “That’s an incredible waste of floor area and materials and
the two types of insulation BSC looked at in the Massachusetts very, very difficult from an airtightness perspective.”
home, are Class 3 vapor retarders (1 to 10 perms), which means they On the exterior of the outer wall, he specifies a vented rain screen
are vapor semipermeable. With lots of insulation in the walls (the to aid drying. The drawing shows furring strips, but any method
house in this study had 12 in.), the exterior sheathing stays colder. that provides at least a 3⁄8-in. gap should work. A ventilated clad-
Cold materials are generally wetter than warm materials. ding, such as vinyl siding, will also work. Lstiburek’s ideal double-
stud wall has all the thermal, air, and vapor control that it needs
Ideal double-stud design to ensure good performance and to avoid moisture problems. “I
The drawing shows Joe’s preferred double-stud wall design, which think the walls that I’m recommending are not risky, regardless of
Joe said solves the problems of inside and outside moisture. (For whether we’re talking about interior or exterior moisture,” Joe said.
more details, see “High R-Value Wall Assembly: Double Stud Wall
Construction” at buildingscience.com.) This wall has two layers Allison A. Bailes III, Ph.D., is an energy consultant (energyvanguard
of framing, which is why it’s called a double-stud wall, but there’s .com). Drawing by Dan Thornton.
1
⁄2-in. plywood connecting Single top plate
interior and exterior walls
1
⁄2-in. plywood or 2x3 frame wall
OSB with joints taped
INSIDE
LSTIBUREK’S
DOUBLE-STUD
WALL
The construction of this
double-stud wall is intended
to solve the problem of
inside and outside moisture.
A key element is the layer of
sheathing on the inside wall.
2x6 structural
stud wall at 24 in.
on center
51⁄2 in. cellulose

insulation
Latex paint on
1
⁄2-in. drywall
41⁄2-in. space
between sheathing
and outer wall
Cellulose insulation
at rim joist
OSB fire stop
Cellulose cavity
insulation
Cladding Housewrap or
alternate WRB
1
Furring strips ⁄2-in. fiberboard, plywood,
OSB, or gypsum sheathing

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buildingskills
LEARN THE BASICS BY ANDY ENGEL
R Installing a big beam

emodeling carpenters rou-
tinely set large beams in cases
such as the one shown here,
where the beam replaces a bearing
1
STEP BY STEP
wall. Whether a beam is made from Install kings and plates. King studs tie the beam
ends to the existing framing. Cut a new bottom
engineered lumber or regular old
plate long so that fasteners don’t split it, screwing it
2x12s, the challenge is weight. Here, to the framing below where the king and jack studs
a new beam was made from three will go. Cut the plate flush to the jack studs later.
16-ft.-long 13⁄4-in. by 117⁄8-in. LVLs.
It would have been difficult to raise
the assembled beam, but the trick is
to raise one piece at a time and then
fasten the three together in place.
Replacing a wall with a beam
requires carrying the loads while
the old wall is being removed and
2 Mark the beam location. To
keep the beam straight, snap a
chalkline on the joists between the
the new beam is being installed. I edges of the king studs for a guide.
built a temporary wall about 1 ft.
beyond the old wall before remov-
ing it. I was lucky in that the joists
above overlapped by several feet
and so the temporary wall could be
held back that far, which provided
more room to work. In most cases, a
temporary wall has to be built much
closer to the existing wall, or even
in contact with it, to catch the joist
overlap and to support the floor.
This beam was engineered for its 3 Use the beam depth to size
the jacks. Measure the depth
of the beam stock, and mark that
loads. (Lumberyards often provide on the king studs. Measure up to
this service for free.) Each end of the mark from the bottom plate to
the beam imposes a substantial load determine the height of the jacks.
that requires a direct path through
the framing to the foundation.
Here, one end of the beam landed
above the foundation wall, while
the other was directly over a column
in the basement. To complete the
load path, all I had to do was place
squash blocks (double or triple studs
cut to the depth of the floor joists)
between the bottom of the subfloor
and the main beam below. In other
cases, I might have had to add new
columns and footings to carry the
newly concentrated loads.
4 Install jack studs and stop
blocks. Two jacks were required
at each end, but only one was
Senior editor Andy Engel is a
installed at first to ease setting the
longtime carpenter. Photos by beam. Temporary blocks on the
Justin Fink, except where noted. jacks guide the beam placement.
buildingskills CONTINUED
STEP BY STEP
Use the right 5 Measure the beam
length. Pull a tape
hardware between the king studs
to determine the beam
length. Deduct 1⁄4 in.
Multipurpose from that number so
screw the beam members
don’t bind while being
installed.
Structural
screw 6 Slip the plies into
place. With the
top leaning in, place
both ends of the first
In combination with an impact driver, ply at once onto the
structural screws by manufacturers jack studs. A few
such as FastenMaster, GRK, Screw sledgehammer taps
Products, and Simpson Strong-Tie along the bottom face
stand the ply up.
are increasingly used in place of nails
and lag bolts. Although they’re more
expensive than those options, struc-
tural screws have some advantages.
The GRK RSS screws used here require
no pilot holes to minimize wood split-
ting, and they are configured to draw
layers together as they are driven.
Although multipurpose screws are
not as strong as structural screws,
they are useful for toe-screwed con-
nections and temporary assemblies.
In areas where seismic and wind-
uplift forces are big concerns, specific
hardware such as hurricane ties are
required to connect the beam to the 7 Install the remaining plies like the
first. Nails can be used to join the plies,
but structural screws set with an impact
8 Fasten to the joists. Join each joist
to the beam with a 31⁄2-in. #10 multi-
purpose screw driven at an angle. In some
rest of the framing.
driver are better at drawing them into circumstances, framing hardware is required
full contact with one another. Follow the to resist seismic or uplift loads.
designer’s fastening schedule.
Hurricane tie 9 A wide opening. With

the second jack studs
placed, the bottom plates
trimmed, the squash blocks
placed below, and the
temporary wall removed,
the new beam is ready for
drywall.
90 FINE HOMEBUILDING Product photos: Dan Thornton

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drawingboard
LESSONS IN RESIDENTIAL DESIGN BY MIKE MAINES
Laundry closets
L
aundries are one of the Having designed and installed air. If the house has an energy- for makeup air. Code requires
harder-working spaces many laundry areas in narrow recovery ventilator (ERV) an opening of at least 100 sq. in.
in a house, yet they rarely closets and alcoves, I’ve found or a heat-recovery ventilator for dryers that exhaust more
receive the same design atten- that you can carve out a fully (HRV), it should exhaust from than 200 cfm.
tion as kitchens or bathrooms. functional laundry where it’s the laundry area. Alternatively, In a tight closet, dryer venting
It may not make sense to allo- most convenient, either near the a continuous or intermittent can be problematic. If space is
cate a large percentage of prime working areas of the home or bathroom exhaust fan can pro- particularly tight, consider a
real estate to a chore that is only near the bedrooms. mote rack-drying and remove recessed dryer vent.
done once or twice a week, Wherever you place a laun- stale odors. Front-loading (horizontal
but that doesn’t mean laundry dry, it needs adequate ventila- The volume of air exhausted axis) washing machines are
facilities should be relegated to tion to remove moisture-laden by dryers varies, so check man- popular for closets because they
damp, dark utility spaces. air and replace it with fresh ufacturers’ recommendations can be installed either stacked
Overhead light should be

outside the closet, where it will
not be blocked by the machines.
A NARROW
Accessible rigid dryer duct
CLOSET
Doors should be at least 30 in.
A narrow laundry closet
wide by 80 in. high to accom-
should be at least 32 in. modate the machines.
wide to allow for hoses
(when the supply is located Extra width creates space for
to the side) and machine a tall, narrow set of shelves
next to the machines.
vibration, and 40 to 50 in.
deep (about twice the
Vents allow air circulation. They are
depth of a standard closet). most effective when placed both
Units in this type of laundry high and low in a wall or door.
closet are stacked. One
problem that can arise with
this configuration is that
an unbalanced load can
cause the machines to jump
around. I’ve tamed wild
machines by drilling holes
in small squares of 3⁄4-in.
plywood, setting the legs
in the holes, and screwing
the squares to the floor. If
there is not enough room
to access the dryer vent
Plumbing drain and supply
from the side, it should
shutoffs should be installed where
be routed up the wall to accessible near the front of the
exit above the dryer. This closet, not at the back where they
allows rigid ducting to be can’t be reached.
installed and for the vent
to be cleaned regularly.
Extra depth allows shallow
shelves (with keeper rails) to be
installed on the back of the door.
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drawingboard CONTINUED
A W I D E C L O S E T, S I D E B Y S I D E or side by side with a dryer.

A minimum width of 5 ft. is usually required to fit two machines side by side and provide the wiggle Other options include con-
room needed for vibration during use. This design works well when tucking a laundry closet under a densing dryers or combination
sloped ceiling. Having a countertop over the machines is a nice option with this configuration, but be washers/condensing dryers,
aware that it will be higher than a kitchen counter—usually between 38 in. and 42 in. high. which don’t need an exhaust
duct and are sometimes recom-
A closet rod provides mended for airtight homes;
hanging space.
one-piece stacked units with
Because the machines project so top-load washers; and in wide
far from the back wall, 18-in.- to closets, traditional top-loaders
24-in.-deep shelves or cabinets
work better than 12-in.-deep ones.
placed side by side with dryers.
The designs shown here focus
A countertop is handy over side- on front-loading machines, but
by-side machines, unless they are the concepts hold true for other
raised on pedestals (which make
a countertop too high). options as well. Consider also
that machines come in several
If there are a few inches to spare, sizes: full-size units are 27 in. to
an ironing board can be folded 30 in. wide and from 28 in. to
and hung on the side wall.
34 in deep. Compact machines
Overhead lighting (LED strip) is are 24 in. wide and 25 in. deep.
effective when shelves are set Regardless of which appliance
back from the front of the closet.
you choose, consider a drip pan
under the washer. Plumbers
have told me that upgrading the
supply hoses to braided stainless
The laundry box (combining Machine-door An exhaust fan steel is the best insurance against
drain and supply lines) has swings work is mounted in
an accessible shutoff located in tandem. the ceiling.
a leak, but a drip pan isn’t a bad
above the countertop. idea, and some jurisdictions
require them on upper floors.
An accessible shutoff is usually
required by code.
Finally, functional laundry
Custom doors with gapped rooms typically include a num-
boards allow airflow. ber of features and accessories to
make the task of doing laundry
Shelves or a cabinet above
provide storage. less onerous, any of which can
be added or eliminated based
An HRV exhausts from the ceiling. on space constraints. Here’s
what my clients ask for, in
order of popularity: shelves or
Lights can
mount on cabinets for storage; storage or
the ceiling a staging area for dirty clothes;
or on the a countertop for folding; rods
wall above
the sink. and/or hooks for hanging; a
sink or laundry tub; and room
for an ironing board and iron.
With planning, it’s possible to
Machine doors swing A drip pan under the machines
away from the sink. drains into the DWV system. fit many of these features into a
small, efficient space.
A W I D E C L O S E T, S TA C K E D
If the ceiling is high enough, you can install stacked machines in the same 5-ft.- to 6-ft.-wide closet. Mike Maines (michaelmaines
This allows for a laundry tub or a section of countertop with or without a sink. An integrated sink .com) designs everything
allows laundry-basket storage underneath if the sink is not too deep and the drainpipe is carefully from laundry closets to Passive
routed. A stainless-steel countertop with integral sink offers an easy-to-clean surface. Houses. Drawings by the author.
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
Bear Creek Lumber Shaker Workshops

Since 1970, we’ve
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materials since 1977. We offer top of the inished.
line Western Red Cedar, Alaskan Yellow Large selection of
Need assistance? Cedar, Douglas Fir, Port Orford Cedar, replacement Shaker
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is ready to help.
If you have questions about your Chestnut Specialists Inc.
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or need other assistance, please
call Taunton Customer Service.
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Robinson
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Residential Design
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www.finehomebuilding.com OCTOBER/NOvEMBER 2015 95

tailgate
I N T E R V I E W B Y A R R O N FA G A N
I N T E R V I E W B Y A A R O N FA G A N
KATHERINE BOORMAN, Designer This operations director for the firm OneButton
specializes in making technology an unobtrusive part of home design.
At what stage in the design/build tem infrastructure is created and to ensure What are some of the other plat-
process do you get involved? that the process moves smoothly. forms you use for automation?
The earlier I get involved, the better. By Sonos is our go-to for sound systems and
Tell us about Savant.
making technology decisions up front, speakers throughout the home. Again,
everyone from the builder to the home- Savant is the most sophisticated software Savant does a fantastic job of tying every-
owner knows what we are ultimately work- platform we utilize. It’s a centralized system thing together on its software platform.
ing toward on a job. For example, if you that is capable of tying many elements of Right now, many of our systems are pro-
know you are going to have a motorized the home together—temperature, security, prietary, but some—and hopefully more
shade, you would choose window hardware television remotes, music, gates, garage over time—are in the process of developing
that accommodates it without interfering doors, and so forth. We like Savant because more-open standards for integration devices
with its operation. That said, if there is a it’s incredibly reliable, flexible, and power- on the market such as the Apple Watch.
project that does not address technology up ful while being elegant and easy for the
front, an array of retrofit solutions is now homeowner to use. It pairs beautifully with Have you encountered any
available in the home-automation field. visionary concepts?
If technology is part of the vision, it

I think we have One item that we have been using recently
is the August Smart Lock, which can be
won’t read as an afterthought. been normalizing accessed by a smartphone from anywhere.
Exactly. You wouldn’t start framing with- Having the peace of mind and a sense of
out knowing where the kitchen or the technology in the security about their house being locked is
bathrooms are, and I feel like technology is important to many people.
entering that realm of importance now. home for quite Is information security a concern?
Do you have a specific area of focus?
I love lighting and shading because it’s
a while now ... All high-end control systems provided by a
controls design firm like OneButton have
detailed, challenging, and constantly evolv- More and more security protocols in place. Multiple layers
ing. Light affects our health and impacts of security settings help protect our clients’
how we live. I take pride in creating ideal we live through it information and make their systems readily
light environments, and I’m driven to available to appropriate users. For example,
demystify technology in the home. Tech- as a medium. even with a fully integrated system that
nology should add an elegant layer of taps into a homeowner’s alarm system, an
comfort, not work. I often tinker with new the Lutron Homeworks QS lighting and authorized user would still need to type in
equipment at my own home before recom- shading hardware, and it also has a sleek the security code in order to arm and dis-
mending it to clients. thermostat offering that keeps total control arm the system.
It’s immensely rewarding to touch base as simple and centralized as possible.
with clients once they have spent a night Do you see a wireless future?
or two in their new home and to hear how Will technology integration become I think we will find the world more con-
the ease of a lighting keypad or motorized the new normal? nected to all of its devices through the
shade has improved their home experience. I think we have been normalizing technol- internet. We will see a migration away
ogy in the home for quite a while now. It’s from proprietary systems and toward add-
Is there a learning curve in executing how we stay connected to the outside world. ing specific items (locks, shades, lights) to
the details of your designs? It generates an emotional and intellectual a pool of connected items throughout the
It’s more of a wall than a curve. We put response, because more and more we live home. Homeowners will be able to tailor
together clear plans and wiring labels for through it as a medium. Consumers have their technological environment to their
our electricians, but working on the control a precedent based on their interaction with unique tastes.
system can be a wall for our partners in the smartphones and tablets. We take all of
field to leap over. We are there from the those aspects into consideration when deter- For the complete interview, visit
beginning, however, to explain how the sys- mining how to design a space for a client. FineHomebuilding.com/extras.
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
ADVERTISER WEBSITE PAGE ADVERTISER WEBSITE PAGE
Abatron, Inc. www.abatron.com p. 40 Marvin Windows & Doors marvinwindows.com p. 9

Advantage Lumber advantagelumber.com p. 89 Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking finecooking.tv p. 86
Bear Creek Lumber www.bearcreeklumber.com p. 95 Nissan North America, Inc. nissancommercialvehicles.com p. 21
Benjamin Obdyke benjaminobdyke.com/ Olympic Stain p. 7
gapfactor p. 24
Olympic Stain p. 29
Big Ass Fans bigassfans.com/fhb10 p. 39
Protective Products protectiveproducts.com p. 99
CabParts, Inc. www.cabparts.com p. 83
Radiantec, Inc. www.radiantec.com p. 17
Calculated Industries www.blindmark.com p. 34
Ram Truck ramtrucks.com/promastercity p. 2-3
CertainTeed Insulation certainteed.com/complete
comfort p. 11 Reggio Register www.reggioregister.com p. 93
Chestnut Specialists www.chestnutspec.com p. 95 Robinson Residential Design www.robinsonplans.com p. 95
Chief Architect chiefarchitect.com/freetrial p. 4-5 Schluter www.schluter.com p. 87
Cor-A-Vent, Inc. www.cor-a-vent.com p. 41 Shaker Workshops www.shakerworkshops.com/fb p. 95
Crown Point Cabinetry www.crown-point.com p. 15 Shurtape shurtape.com p. 91
Discovery Dream Homes discoverydreamhomes.com p. 83 Sikkens Stain perfectwoodstains.com p. 23
The Dryerbox www.dryerbox.com p. 93 Superior Clay Corporation www.superiorclay.com p. 17
Fine Homebuilding tauntonstore.com/4sub p. 27 SupplyHouse.com www.supplyhouse.com p. 32
Ford Truck p. 100 Timberlane www.timberlane.com/fhb p. 95
GMC Truck p. 13 Timberwolf Tools timberwolftools.com p. 34
Hydronic Alternatives hydronicalternatives.com p. 83 Titebond titebond.com/fastset p. 30-31
Integrity Windows integritywindows.com p. 37 Velux America, Inc. veluxusa.com/vss p. 25
Liebherr liebherr-appliances.com p. 35 ZIP System zipsystem.com/finehome19 p. 33
Zipwall zipwall.com p. 41
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finishingtouch L A S T I N G I N S P I R AT I O N
Where concrete is king

I n the summer of 2012, Andrey Rudenko began toy-
ing with the idea of creating a 3D printer capable of
constructing homes. An experienced contractor with
time printing was often stopped to make adjustments
to the printer. If the printer were to run nonstop, it
would take only a week to print a second one.
a background in engineering and architecture, Ruden- Rudenko’s 3D printer is “centered on simplicity, easy
ko’s prototype was a small 3D printer that created maintenance, and parts replacement.” Transport-
plastic objects. For two years he experimented with ing such a large rig would seem to be problematic
enlarging the printer and producing objects using dif- and expensive, but Rudenko says that “the printer’s Like icing from a pastry bag.
ferent types of concrete mixes. In May 2014, Rudenko complicated knots are simplified so they can be taken The 3D concrete printer lays
put his printer to the test to create a castle playhouse. apart, shipped, and then put together at any time.” down row after row of concrete
directly onto the building site.
Its design allowed him to experiment with creating a He credits his success to design engineer Mikhail Tikh,
variety of shapes from the concrete. The castle was input from the RepRap (replicating rapid prototype)
printed completely outside in his yard, where the cus- community, and those who helped him with the man-
tom concrete mix set quickly in the summer sun. The ual labor. Given the success of the preliminary testing, For more information on
castle is 12 ft. high, 161⁄2 ft. long, and 10 ft. wide. Con- Rudenko is confident that he can now print a medium- the 3D concrete printer,
struction of this castle took one month, during which size house. —Maureen Friedman visit FineHomebuilding
.com/extras.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Andrey Rudenko, Total Kustom, Shorewood, Minn.; totalkustom.com
DESIGN AND 3D MODELING Mikhail Tikh, RFA Engineering, Eden Prairie, Minn.; rfamec.com PHOTOGRAPHS courtesy of Andrey Rudenko
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INTRODUCING THE NEW FORD TRANSIT
The 2015 Transit can offer a best-in-class gas-powered maximum

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With an available cargo ceiling
taller than some basketball
OF DIMENSIONS
players, the Transit van has
loads of room for boxes, tools
6'5"
and you. That comes in handy if
The Transit van and wagon are available you want a mobile workshop that
in 2 different wheelbases, 3 different lets you stand up straight. And the
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BUILD A LOW-MAINTENANCE ZERO-ENERGY HOME p.

Mineral wool makes a comeback,

FEATURES 74 TOOLS FOR

sealant ensure that the most BY MIKE GUERTIN AND

Tablet editions free to subscribers

DON’T JUST REMODEL,

Find flexibility and versatility at MARVINWINDOWS.COM

Insulating an acrylic bathtub

10 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos: top, Patrick McCombe; bottom, Justin Fink

Editor Rob Yagid

12 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos, from top: courtesy of Mike Lombardi; courtesy of

National Ad Director, Brian Quinn

Digital Ad Sales Manager Noelle Kennedy

CEO Dan McCarthy

Crown Point In Our Own Home

16 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photo: Rodney Diaz

refund of the entire subscription price. No

Copyright 2015 by The Taunton Press, Inc. No

www.finehomebuilding.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 17

A lthough hidden behind walls and

18 FINE HOMEBUILDING Drawings: Christopher Mills

Every DWV system is required to have

To avoid bottlenecking and clogging, no

Air is not allowed to enter the drainpipe, leading to siphonage.

www.finehomebuilding.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 19

A rolling bandsaw base

submit a tip Flagpole bracket holds a lamp

Leveling big tiles Bungee cords

TIP FROM THE ARCHIVES

Fixing a bouncy floor

Known for their unique, signature look, these are still

Keep your paintbrush wet Trimming jambs

Big gap = maximum protection

Small gap = Moderate protection

No Gap = Basic protection

Choose the moisture protection system that’s right for you;

Easy baluster replacement Drying racks for finishing

Love where you cook!

Shop the Taunton Store now for an extensive selection

Become a FineHomebuilding.com member

Get our FREE Fine Homebuilding

Subscribe to Fine Homebuilding Magazine:

Taunton © 2015 The Taunton Press

www.finehomebuilding.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 27

28 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos: courtesy of the manufacturers

With an ALL-CLIMATE PROTECTION PACKAGE™ and COLOR RICH™ Technology,

Frustration-free hammer tacker

THE SPEED YOU NEED

Patrick McCombe, associate editor

How wood you know?

Mark Clement, licensed contractor and co-host of the

ZIP it fast, ZIP it tight, ZIP it right.™

Watch ZIP System® sheathing and tape go head-to-head

Better electrical box

Have you heard?

is now on the iPad and tablets.

Perfection is in the details. A Liebherr is engineered for impeccable food

Since the hammering force isn’t created by a spinning

36 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photos: top, courtesy of Ridgid; bottom, courtesy of DeWalt