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Math never lies

Closed skirtboards that slip into a pocket

Skirtboards between two walls are called closed skirtboards, a skirtboard that must be mitered into the risers is called an open skirtboard and

"It's not a matter of if, it's WHEN" —Ben Nicholls, Division chief, CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit

A polyash shiplap siding that is environmentally polite and durable as heck

An example of why cheap construction is not so cheap

Window trimout is probably the trickiest part of installing exterior trim work over two inches of styrofoam

No stair buttons, no problem. Old school stair layout with an old-fashioned pitch block and a newfangled calculator

A machine, a saw, and some patience beats brute force and a sledgehammer every time

Installing skirtboard, corners, window trim and utility blocks over two inches of foam insulation and rainscreen mesh

Home design and retrofitting techniques for wildland wildfire defense

How to install two layers of foam and Tyvek's Drainvent rainscreen over an old, lightly-insulated wall.

Integrating a new WRB with existing windows keeps the water- and air-control layers continuous

Coating the corner bead around a cased opening in three passes

Seal the WRB to the wall sheathing and window flashing, and add an apron detail at the bottom

The dark arts of carpentry (and a belt sander) can make a too-short board, not too short anymore (but not longer)

How to fix edge chips where one concrete slab meets another

Brick is a durable and good-looking cladding choice, and with correct construction details, the wall behind it will last as long as the brick

Use SketchUp.com to visually calculate the rise, run, and materials for stair building—or anything else, for that matter