Are battery-powered miter saws tough enough? Can you glue solid oak to concrete? How can you install an outlet in a garage slab? Find answers to these questions and more.
In this week's show, Patrick, Matt, and Rob mull over questions from several readers, including one contractor who is stuck on how to replace some water-damaged flooring that's installed directly over crumbling gypcrete. The guys also discuss how to protect a flush-mounted plug in a shop floor, how to get fresh air into a well-insulated backyard workshop, and whether it's time to forget about corded power tools and go fully cordless.
This week the Fine Homebuilding editors discuss winter condensation, straw-bale homes, punky floor joists, rental-property remodels and more.
After getting feedback from a few listeners, Patrick, Matt, and Rob find themselves again discussing the pros and cons of whole-house fans and the process of finding a good contractor. They move on to helping some other folks determine how far to go when fixing up a rental house; how to deal with rotted joists in a drafty crawlspace; if wet windows means there is a serious ventilation problem; and what materials make suitable moisture barriers for sills in a straw-bale house.
The Fine Homebuilding staff gives their best advice for improving leaky board-and-batten walls, buying old houses, keeping HVAC systems within conditioned space, and safely venting gas appliances.
In addition to addressing several listeners' questions Patrick, Matt, and Rob, check in on a roof repair from a previous podcast where the owner of a hunting cabin in Vermont ignored their advice and decided to take the easy way out. The crew cut him some slack, acknowledging that sometimes you just have to get the job done and move on.
The Fine Homebuilding editors contemplate listener questions about cladding choices, sheathing layout, and wall-framing techniques.
After chatting about some of their own roofing and cabinetry projects, Patrick, Matt, and Rob compare their lists of tools they can't live without, discuss the best options for replacing old wood siding, and advise a future home builder on framing and sheathing best practices. Patrick also recounts his visit to a jobsite where the homebuilders were using an impressive new automated whole-house air-sealing system.