Here’s something you may have heard once or twice. Falls, mostly from elevation, are the leading...
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Construction
A radiant barrier, such as that on foil-faced rigid insulation, can reduce heat transfer across the airspace between the strapping and metal roofing and siding. Image courtesy Matt Risinger
Foil blocks heat transfer best if it stays clean, is adjacent to an airspace, and the delta is large enough.
A woodworker finds out using a homemade test apparatus and peanut butter bait
If one area of your business runs more slowly than the rest, a bottleneck will occur, causing delays and lost profitability
This double-grooved decking system uses neoprene gaskets that serve as hidden fasteners and prevent water from draining between boards
Products from A.O. Smith, Bosch, Broan, Panasonic, Belkin International, Garaventa Lift, Omega Flex, SharkBite Plumbing Solutions, Air King America, Schlage, and Rheem
Dozens of light meter apps are available for IOS and android smartphones and tablets.
More on-site light-meter readings lead to evidence-based recommendations for effective undercabinet lighting
Mistakes happen, but a big mistake creates fallout in proportion to the authority of the person who makes it
Take care of your body now, and it will take care of you later
This cold-climate wall system allows for smooth old-to-new transitions and incorporates a flush-framed deck ledger detail
String lines are a simple way to keep things straight. But if the knot isn’t easy to tie and untie, the string keeps getting shorter.
Five examples for creating storage when you’re short on space (or just trying to save it)
The Hadrian X is loaded through its tail end, by a human. The machine uses half-meter precision blocks, the equivalent of 15 regular house bricks, and so the human needs a forklift to get the job done. That’s basically the only job a human has working with the Hadrian X, apart from helping to place lintels. It’s conceivable both could eventually be automated.
After it’s loaded, the Hadrian X takes over. The blocks move along its conveyor belt being cut, ground, and ultimately fed up the machine’s boom, which is fitted with a robotic arm and a multi-axis stabilization system—the latter being particularly important for working in changing environments. The blocks are then placed (relatively rapidly) using CAD designs and lasers—one on the boom and one on the site—going course by course, laying adhesive and using gravity to set the blocks in, until both the interior and exterior walls are fully erected, complete with router channels for electric and plumbing.
The trades come in day three, while the robot starts another job somewhere else.
Robots in construction are no longer a thing of the future, but robots in remodeling are. Here’s what that future could look like.
The kind of outlets and switches designers get excited about
Whether you use trusses or rafters, creating space above exterior walls will improve energy performance
Guts, grout, and happy accidents make concrete countertops that look like stone—at least to non-geologists
Instead of resisting client requests for a cost breakdown, Michael Anschel lays all his cards on the table. It sounds like a nightmare but it works like a dream.
A single device to bring water monitoring into the smart home technology mix
Tightening this complex intersection of framing materials
High-density foam injected under a concrete pool patio raised cracked and sinking sections back to flush and level
Subflooring that resists bowing and other damages while increasing efficiency