The Fine Homebuilding Podcast

The Fine Homebuilding editors discuss questions about running a remodeling business, maintaining access to buried plumbing, dealing with leaky soffits, and more. After celebrating Rob's viral success with an online video of his pedal-powered snow plow in action, Rob, Patrick, and Matt try to find answers to listeners' problems with leaky pipes, leaky walls, and leaky attic vents. Maybe we can nail down some solutions for the ever-present old-house moisture issues once and for all.

This week the editors attempt to answer several unique questions including "What's the best sealer for end cuts on decking?" and "Is there a reliable way to flash a masonry chimney to a standing-seam roof?" Patrick and Matt kick off the podcast by grilling Rob about his messy metal shop–but they all agree that (most) craftspeople need to have a ready supply of scrap materials at hand to feed their creative projects. Then it's on to an assortment of listeners' emails, with questions about ventilation requirements for a metal-clad, slab-on-grade home; the ideal product for protecting end grain on cedar and hemlock that will be exposed to the elements; and options for keeping water out of the gap between a chimney and a metal roof.

The Fine Homebuilding editors end the 2019 show with a discussion about sheathing systems and their favorite finds of this year's show.

Justin Fink shows of his custom-built Dutch door before joining in discussions about French drains, siding details, and popular eras in American home building.

The editors chat with Debbie Hernandez of The Home Depot about it's pro services and former Fine Homebuilding editor Chris Ermides about tools. Justin Fink and Rob Wotzak talk with Home Depot's Debbie Hernandez about Professional and Contractor Services and with former Fine Homebuilding editor Chris Ermides about tool tests, keeping up with tool technology, and how job sites are increasingly going 100% cordless.

The Fine Homebuilding editors sit down with Caleb Klein of Pella Windows and Doors and Janice and Kelly Stitzer of CIG Construction in Colorado about new windows and window trends, and building a business and business culture in a time when fewer people are interested in joining the building trades. Patrick and Matt talk with a window and door manufacturer about window trends and a push toward putting higher-end features on mid-line windows, and chat with the owners of a Colorado roofing company about the dangers of being the lowest bidder, keeping good employees, and building a business culture that attracts and retains top talent.

We sit down with Terry Alsberg founder of Warmboard Radiant and Mike Guertin Fine Homebuilding editorial advisor. First on Patrick and Rob's docket is a comprehensive discussion about radiant heat in conventional and low-load houses. Then the guys talk about the right way to acclimate wood flooring. Here's a hint: you've been doing it the wrong way.

The Fine Homebuilding editors chat with Jim Edgeworth of The Bilco Company and Connor Crook of Diamondback Toolbelts about what it takes to build high quality tools and materials in the US. Patrick and Rob talk with a couple of manufacturers attending the International Builders' Show about how keeping in touch with folks in the trades plays a major role in producing gear and construction materials that perform well and are in demand. The guys also compare notes on the builder-show experience, and touch on the current state of skilled trades in our country.

Steve and Huber representative Tate Hudson talk about building science and producing quality homes.

The Fine Homebuilding editors attack several building and remodeling dilemmas, including the correct way to install asphalt shingles at roof edges. This week's podcast starts with a deep dive into electrical consumption as Rob Wotzak describes how his Sense monitor is helping him find energy hogs in his home. Then it's on to mold removal, contractor relations, insulation choices, furnace makeup air, and best-practices for wind-proof roofing.

The Fine Homebuilding editors offer advice for several old-home upgrades, compare notes on their favorite home-building books, and invite listeners to stop by our mobile podcast studio at the International Builders' Show. Patrick, Matt, and Rob share some great listener feedback about questions from previous shows (keep that feedback coming, folks!) before they discussed attic and staircase remodels in Maine, a garage-workshop in New Jersey, and a possible door replacement project in who knows where. There are a few special details to report this week: IBS 2019 is just around the corner, and we're looking for folks to chat with on the podcast while we're at the show; there's also a sweepstakes going on where anyone can enter to win a $500 shopping spree in the Taunton Bookstore.

This week's podcast starts off with Matt's insights into residential construction methods in the many places he's lived around the world while writing for the newspaper Stars and Stripes. Because the Fine Homebuilding editors have nothing to report on their personal home-remodeling projects, Patrick asks Matt to recount experiences he's had living in unique homes in Europe and the Middle East. Then it's on to the advice portion of the show, where the guys offer solutions for improving attic insulation, avoiding het loss through leaky recessed lighting, and repairing crumbling plaster or stucco on old masonry foundation walls.

The Fine Homebuilding editors discuss the dangers of remodeling a house without informing the local building department. Patrick, Matt, and Rob share some great listener feedback about home-workshop air quality before tackling questions about legally renovating a home, the pros and cons of radiant floor heating, and solutions for air trapped in a hydronic heating system.

Several frustrated homeowners ask the Fine Homebuilding editors to suggest the best course of action for some common DIY dilemmas. Rob, Matt, and Patrick–plus podcast producer Jeff–talk about their own experiences with homemade workbenches, plugged sewer pipes, and basement remodels before doing their best to solve a bunch of listeners' old-house problems.

One listener wonders which modern tools and materials are better and which ones are worse than the ones available to previous generations of home builders. This week, Patrick, Matt, and Rob field listener questions about tool-manufacturing quality, crown-molding best practices, building a foundation for a covered breezeway, and designing an accessible home, after rambling on about several of their own remodeling projects.

Patrick, Matt, and Justin share stories about storm windows, energy-efficient homes, and drywall tape before tackling a few listener questions. Justin Fink is back in the studio this week with an update on his custom storm-window project. After chatting about Justin's windows, Matt's trip to an informal building-science conference, and Patrick's new affection for fiberglass drywall tape, the crew discuss heating options for small buildings, closet-cabinet material choices, and why anyone still bothers to use Phillips screws.

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.

The Fine Homebuilding editors debate the pros and cons of stem walls, monolithic slabs, and pole barns to help a listener design a new outbuilding. As usual, there are plenty of home-building and remodeling topics to cover in this week's podcast. After chatting about their own cabinetry and roofing projects, Patrick, Matt, and Rob do their best to help a few listeners find solutions for framing a garage, insulating and air sealing a cold bay window, and painting moldy exterior trim. Plus, Patrick alerts listeners to a recall of some dangerous water heaters.

Patrick, Rob, and Matt cover a wide range of topics in this week's podcast, including building wood sheds, wrangling missing contractors, choosing an air conditioner, sealing cracks in garage floors, and providing makeup air for boilers and water heaters.

When a listener asks what measures he should take to keep cellulose from falling through his exhaust fan when insulating and air-sealing his attic, the Fine Homebuilding Editors wonder if he should get rid of the fan altogether.

Justin Fink is back after a few weeks' hiatus, and he teams up with Patrick and Matt to talk about cool new tools Patrick spied at the STAFDA tool-dealers show in Phoenix, to revisit the topic of building storm-resistant homes, and to investigate why a listener's red-oak flooring is cupping. The crew also digs into more listeners' emails about replacing rotting sheathing under a porch and stopping condensation near a concrete door sill.

The Fine Homebuilding editors discuss what to do if your house has an ancient electrical system, whether or not shoring up a steep hillside is a DIY project, and and how much of a gap you really need to leave when nailing up cedar shingles. Plus, they sneak in yet another wet-basement question. As usual, they also share stories about their own home-remodeling projects.

After following up with a professional inspector's response to last week's discussion on home inspections, Patrick, Matt, and Rob share their findings on what makes some houses more stormproof than others, and where homeowners can go for help when rebuilding after a hurricane. They also take a stab at suggesting the best practices for insulating and air-sealing a floor that separates living space above from an unheated garage below.

Patrick McCombe, Rob Wotzak, and Colin Russel kick off the podcast with a discussion about water-resistive barriers (the materials under your siding that protect the walls from moisture intrusion) before answering listener questions about prolonging the life of a water heater, dealing with humidity and rot in an old stone basement, providing makeup air for a fireplace, and finishing clear-cedar wainscoting.

Editors Patrick McCombe and Matt Millham welcome Fine Homebuilding's new Digital Brand Manager, Rob Wotzak, to the podcast this week. The team discusses topics ranging from how far to dig into an old wall to get the weatherproofing details right when re-siding, what steps are essential when tying in a new roof to an old one, and what types of replacement windows make the most sense.

Justin and Patrick roll up their sleeves and wade into the flood waters to help Matt figure out what to do about his wet basement. This, plus code interpretations when it comes to deck footings, and some help for a listener with rotten walls.

Join Justin for the second episode of a two-part series in which he interviews friend, Fine Homebuilding ambassador, and building-industry business consultant Shawn Van Dyke.

Justin and Matt welcome video director Colin Russell to the podcast round table, where the day's discussions range from Justin regretting his advice on I-joist roof rafters, the perks and scary downsides of DIY spray foam, sheathing replacement, and what to do with cupped floor boards.

Join Justin for the first episode of a two-part series in which he interviews friend, Fine Homebuilding ambassador, and building-industry business consultant Shawn Van Dyke.

Justin, Matt, and Patrick field a follow up question on a particularly frightening rotunda framing job, and discuss options for building a round structure from straight joists. Other topics include preferred shower waterproofing systems and strategies for widening a concrete stoop to support the columns of a new portico roof.

The guys take a deep dive into the options for updating outdated kitchen cabinets before turning to questions on scratched tile and foundation options for a shed on a sloped lot.

GreenBuildingAdvisor.com editor Martin Holladay returns to the show to tackle tough building science questions like heat-pump efficiency at different altitudes, radiant barriers and heat transfer through a roof, and ways to retrofit insulation.

Justin, Patrick, and Matt discuss how power tool preferences differ from one coast to the other, consider less expensive alternatives to cedar, and do a deep dive on troubleshooting a problematic attached garage.

Justin, Patrick, and Matt discuss solutions to concrete piers that fall below grade, how to diagnose and deal with pooling water on a deck, and troubleshooting a tongue-and-groove cathedral ceiling installation.

The guys work through the best way to tie new construction into old, out-of-whack structures. Other topics include roof rafters, job-site tool transport and storage, and whether to paint trim before installation or after.

Justin, Matt, and Patrick dive right into some listener questions about a worst-case repair situation (termite damage to an inaccessible rim joist), radon pumps and their affect on sump pumps, high-efficiency vs. standard boilers (are the fancy ones worth the cost?), and insulating an unconditioned space.

Justin, Rob, and Brian discuss the "drastic" changes to the cover of Fine Homebuilding magazine, and tease some new future magazine content. Rob follows up on the fit of the face frame for his bathroom vanity (spoiler: he only scraped up the wall a little). The guys debate: Should bathroom vanities have a full back? They answer listener questions, and tell some "Stories From the Road" about the worst photo shoots they've ever been on.

Siding, patios, load-bearing walls, and beams are on the menu for this episode of the FHB Podcast, with our regulars Justin Fink, Rob Yagid, and Brian Pontolilo. The guys talk about the state of residential construction in California, and specifically San Francisco. Also in this episode ... gable roofs, painting, scribing, Victorian homes, and Shaker style.

FHB editor Justin Fink interviews two LBM experts from Louisiana-Pacific. They are Brian St.Germain, director of quality and tech for engineered wood, and Scott Lockyear, national sales manager for specified markets. The conversation ranges over OSB, siding, sheds, studs, and other structural building products.

Justin, Rob, and Brian tackle archways, restored glass, hardware, plate racks, cabinets, moisture control, and a broken tablesaw.

Shawn has a lot to say about closing the skills gap. He suggests that one part of the solution is to "solve your own skills gap" — that is, run your business right, use the right hiring process, and train the right people. Shawn also takes an interesting look at the financials of going into the trades vs going to college.

Justin, Rob, and Brian talk about being neighborly, and they tackle listener questions about rotting door frames, fireplace mantels, and porch hardware.

Live from the Pacific Coast Builder Conference, Justin and Brian interview Jenn Tuetken, a senior industrial designer. The product development cycle includes feedback from customers, conceptualization and ideation, then working with engineers to make concepts real. Plus, other new products at PCBC.

A frank conversation about building trades careers: apprenticeships, internships, training programs, the cost of college, and the drive that leads to success in any industry.

Justin, Rob, and Brian discuss home improvement retailers, the labor gap, modular homes, custom vs tract builders, making a living wage, job-site productivity, and the future of building trades.

The guys tackle truss roof skylights, upgrading electrical outlets, breaking up and removing concrete, jointers, and built-ins over cooling/heating vents.

Justin Fink, Brian Pontolilo, and Rob Yagid tackle the metric vs. imperial debate again. They answer reader questions on paint, humidity, sheds, and foundation work. Plus, reader tips and when is it okay to work on your roof without shoes?