Library builder

ACCORDING TO A SURVEY in Builder Magazine, Habitat for Humanity is the 15th largest house builder in the U. S. a Since its founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has built or rehabilitated more than 40,000 houses throughout the U. S. ^ More than 350 Habitat houses have been built by all-women crews. a According […]

Houses are a lot like automobiles. Both work well if they’re cared for and maintained. In order to maintain your car, you need to know simple things, such as where and how to add oil or brake fluid, how to put air in the tires, and how to check the radiator. Sure, you could have […]

When my family moved into our present home, the living room floor was covered with an ancient yellow shag carpet. There were things growing in that carpet that even our dog didn’t like. I replaced the carpeting with a nice, prefinished floor made from bamboo. The cost for the floor, not counting my labor, was […]

Carpeting is not my first choice for a floor covering. In general, inexpensive carpeting doesn’t last long, so it tends to be a significant part of the waste stream clogging our landfills. Fortunately, efforts are now being made to recycle some of the millions of yards of car­peting that are replaced every year. If you […]

Interior-door handles and locks are installed in essentially the same manner as those used on exterior doors. Most interior doors just require a handle and a latch, or what is com­monly known as a passage-door lockset. However, for bedroom and bathroom doors, you may want a privacy lock—an interior lockset that locks when you push […]

These days, security is a concern in many areas. When a house is first closed in, it’s a good idea to buy an inexpensive door lock to seal it off. That way, you can have a bunch of keys made and give a key to any contractor who needs to get in. There is no […]

IT WAS THE GREAT YANKEE CATCHER, Yogi Berra, who said of baseball, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” The same is true of building a house. Even as you finish the interior painting, install the cabinets, and complete all the plumbing and electrical work, there’s still plenty to do before a new house is ready […]

Chair rail is another type of traditional trim that is installed horizontally and often used in kitchens, dining rooms, and sometimes hall­ways. In days past, chair rail protected the wall from being marred by the backs of chairs. Today, it is mainly used to add character to a room. Chair rail is cut and installed […]

THE JOINTS IN BASEBOARD SHOULD BE CLOSE TO PERFECT. Minor touchups with latex caulk can be done before painting. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to make perfect joints at corners when the drywall is not straight or a corner is not square. On inside corners, drywall can be tipped back, caus­ing a coped or mitered […]

  Hold base up г/г in. from floor that will   Baseboard Base shoe   On a vinyl floor, a base shoe can be nailed at the bottom of the baseboard.   Г   Heat register   Where baseboard runs into a heat register, cut the baseboard back 15 degrees on both sides to soften […]