Justin, Colin and Patrick hear from listeners about butchered floor joists and housing affordability before taking questions on making holes in block walls, improving a garage shop, and temperature differences in two-story houses.
Apr 10, 2020•59 min•Ep. 237
The Fine Homebuilding podcast is now recording a second weekly show focusing on the issues facing contractors and professional tradespeople. In this first installment, Patrick talks to Mike Guertin about the industry’s ups and downs, how to diversify your income, and the realities of owning rental properties. Mike’s carpenter, Addison Oliveira weighs in on the same issues and offers advice for those seeking work in residential construction.
Apr 08, 2020•30 min•Ep. 236
Kiley, Rob and Patrick hear from listeners about felt paper under flooring and cordless tools before taking questions on weird framing, wet garages, and residential architecture for the rest of us.
Apr 03, 2020•57 min•Ep. 235
Shawn Van Dyke offers business advice for contractors trying to stay afloat during the virus outbreak. The hosts hear from listeners about wifi thermostats and Sense monitoring and then take questions about the safety of cable railings, finding an efficient mobile home, and what to do about a soggy landscape.
Mar 27, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 234
The crew hears from listeners about housing costs and box stores before taking questions on the right way to flash windows in a rain-screen wall, preventing hardwood floor squeaks, and supplying fresh air for HRV’s and ERV’s.
Mar 20, 2020•58 min•Ep. 233
The regular crew hears form listeners about handyman work, Festool Domino substitutes, and Permanent Wood Foundations before taking questions about attractive elevations, solar panels, and an easy-to-use remote thermostat.
Mar 13, 2020•56 min•Ep. 232
The regular crew hears from listeners about apprentices, subslab ductwork, and the risks of bungee cords before taking questions on cold climate heat pumps, tying old plaster to new framing, and what to do when cordless power tools lose their punch.
Mar 06, 2020•58 min•Ep. 231
Listeners give feedback on the ethics of vacation homes, making good welds, and stacked washers and dryers before taking questions on good home building content, the right foundation for a room addition, and setting back thermostats to save money.
Feb 28, 2020•59 min•Ep. 230
One of our favorite podcast-crew alumni joins us to discuss the best way to build a garage floor, whether a builder should hire a laborer or an apprentice, and how to make a worn out wood floor look beautiful again.
Feb 21, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 229
Kiley, Matt and Patrick hear from listeners about wood-fiber sheathing, humidifiers and heat-pump water heaters before taking questions about how to demo a rickety carport, what to do about subslab ductwork, and how to insulate old walls without sheathing.
Feb 14, 2020•59 min•Ep. 228
Justin, Rob and Patrick hear from listeners about membrane roofing, handyman businesses, and lighting controls before taking listener questions about cracked structural members, a missing electrical inspection, and what to do about hard water.
Feb 07, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 227
Patrick, Kiley, and Matt answer questions about how to frame a roof with I-joists, a confusing code requirement for framing nails, and how different types of floor joist hold up in a fire.
Jan 31, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 226
Tim and Bryan talk about the builders that they learned from and how they continually strive to improve the systems in their family home building business while maintaining civility with each other, their employees, and their subcontractors.
Jan 24, 2020•51 min•Ep. 225
The crew hears from listeners about tile showers, heat-pump water heaters, and Finex panels before taking questions on fixing bad drywall, making a bow-roof watertight, and revamping hydronic heat.
Jan 24, 2020•58 min•Ep. 224
Carpenter Elly Hart talks about transitioning to a career in the trades. She made the switch from being a tech writer to a Red Seal certified carpenter.
Jan 24, 2020•39 min•Ep. 223
Justin Fink and Ben Bogie chat with experts from Boral about a wide range of manufactured exterior materials—particularly Boral’s poly-ash TrueExterior line.
Jan 23, 2020•18 min•Ep. 222
Patrick and Justin talk with Home Advisor's economist Mischa Fisher about the skilled trade gap and what we can do about it. They also discussed concrete things you can do to improve your construction business.
Jan 23, 2020•30 min•Ep. 221
Warmboard inventor and CEO Terry Alsberg sits down to talk about his product’s origin story and comfortable heating, and two students from SUNY Delhi talk about what they’re doing in trade school and about their participation in NAHB’s Residential Construction Management Competition.
Jan 23, 2020•41 min•Ep. 220
FHB's longtime editorial advisor and his employee talk about the show and some of the cool stuff they've found here.
Jan 22, 2020•37 min•Ep. 219
Steve joins Patrick and Rob at the Fine Homebuilding booth to talk about building materials, building science, and sharing knowledge within the building community.
Jan 21, 2020•32 min•Ep. 218
The crew gets feedback on door bevels and heat pump water heaters before taking questions on matching moldings to a house style, converting a seasonal cabin to year round use, and what to do about Sawzall-wielding plumbers.
Jan 17, 2020•57 min•Ep. 217
The crew hears from listeners about heating humid air and can light replacement before taking listener questions on how to seal can lights, the best way to build a workshop, and what to do about small inaccessible foundations.
Jan 10, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 216
The FHB editors offer advice to listeners with uninsulated solid-masonry walls, unusual flashing-material substitutions, uncommon cladding comparisons, and confusing insulation mandates.
Jan 03, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 215
The FHB crew takes questions on choosing water heaters, mixing and matching exterior building materials, getting historic renovations right, and more.
Dec 27, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 214
The crew hears from Ben Bogie about his experience using foam glass. Several listeners weigh in on the ethics and sensibility of a 9000-sq. ft. deep-energy retrofit. Jeff talks about who inspects structural steel in Seattle. Jeff wants to know what he should do about his cobbled-together basement slab. Michael asks how to fix a stucco-clad wall built partially below grade. Andy from Indy wants to know the best way to insulate a concrete floor that was once part of a porch. And anonymous wants to...
Dec 20, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 213
The crew hears from listeners about tooling urethane sealants, installing an HRV and the British series Grand Designs before taking questions about the best wall assembly for reclaimed foam, what to do about a deafening furnace, and the best way to insulate a garage under a garage.
Dec 13, 2019•52 min•Ep. 212
Matt, Kiley and Patrick hear from listeners about thermal bridging, dryer ducts and determining the age of recent remodels before taking listener questions on improving attic insulation, hybrid work trucks and what’s up with this can light?
Dec 06, 2019•53 min•Ep. 211
The crew tackles questions about rigid insulation for foundations and strengthening an over-spanned kitchen floor, plus Patrick shares his idea of the perfect deck, which is also a boat.
Nov 29, 2019•59 min•Ep. 210
The crew hears from Rob about a very cool training lab for weatherization work. Cooper shows off his newly-completed garage air sealing and insulating project. Jeff describes how industrial gas bottles are safety tested and he talks about some very interesting bottles dating from the earliest days of rocketry. Cole gives his secrets for installing dog doors meant for entry doors. Daniel wants to know who makes the best outdoor caulk. Kevin wants to know the best plan for an efficient house in So...
Nov 22, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 209
Matt, Rob and Patrick here from listeners about bartering for home projects and using salvaged bowling alleys for tap dancing. The crew then reveals the list of favorite problem-solving tools compiled from Fine Homebuilding’s Facebook page. Robert asks how to keep his wood shop from baking in the warm California sun. Spence wants to know if he should replace his water heater when he replaces his furnace. Dave wonders about the reparability of modern housing while he rebuilds a badly detailed str...
Nov 15, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 208