It takes unusual tools and techniques to replace European-style windows in masonry walls.

A tiny abode with a tiny pricetag

Houses cannot expand and contract with changes in pressure like balloons can. Instead, they need paths for air to balance the pressure

Use skip sheathing and a ventilation space to extend the life of the shingles

Tie the walls to the foundation, the floor to the walls, and add shear strength for lateral support

A drone's-eye view of an ongoing remodeling project

Better insulation, drier walls, lower HERS scores, and labor savings.

A collection of five videos on a Passive House Retrofit in Sharon, CT (climate zone 5) executed by Ben Bogie, Built to Last, LLC

For walls with a pre-applied weather barrier, make sure the tape is compatible with the WRB coating—or use a primer

A woodworker in Belgium goes Festool one better by devising a wheeled folding bench that works with their products.

Keep mechanical equipment within the envelope to improve the quality of houses and homes

You get paid for what you do and what you know. If robots can do what you do, then it is time to know more.

A great saw—in spite of a couple of flaws—that will make fast work out of long miters. Even compound miters.

Which method is better—by hand or machine?

Luxury housing development in Ecuador

The most effective (and easiest) time to detail the air barrier is during the framing stage. If it isn't specified during design, ain't no way the framers are gonna get it right.

A simple test to verify that windows are waterproof BEFORE you install them.

Need an extra hand on the job? Fire up the iClone app and match the settings to the task at hand.

Condense all of the critical measurements of a room onto the sides of one stick

Wall beds are a great way to add utility to a spare room. The hardware is the heart of the system

A collection of details that make sense for most framers to incorporate into their SOP—based on feedback from framers who do it a lot.

Split a detail with the first cut and then inch up to the second cut. Slowly.

First-time attempts at joints this woodworker has never seen before

Consistent deck screw placement and spacing between deck boards comes from a system of jigs and spacers