Library builder

Most of the time you can drywall right over door and window openings, attic access holes, and heating vents, then cut around the outlet boxes with an electric drywall router, as shown in the top photo at right. (Get a feel for this tool by making some practice cuts on scrap drywall.) Make sure the […]

WHEN VOLUNTEERS SHOW UP to build a Habitat house, they often find themselves being assigned to jobs they’ve never done before. Still, with the proper training and supervi­sion, they’re almost always capable of rising to the challenge and making a significant and meaningful contribu­tion to providing another family a decent home. And sometimes in the […]

It’s best to drywall the ceiling before you do the walls. This way, the top edges of the wall panels can butt up against the ceiling panels, supporting them along the edges. The long edges of ceiling panels run perpendicular to the joists or joist chords. In bedrooms and other small rooms, you’ll probably be […]

LIKE SHINGLES, SIDING, and insula­tion, drywall amounts are calculated by the square footage of the area to be covered (in this case, the walls and ceilings). Rather than measuring the ceiling and walls in every room, experienced drywallers use a shortcut calculation. They simply multiply the total square footage of a house by 3!! (3.5). […]

DRYWALL IS MADE by sandwiching a gypsum core between two sheets of paper. The "good" side of the panel is faced with smooth, white paper that takes paint easily. The "bad" side is darker in color, with a rough, porous paper surface. Panels (also called sheets) of drywall are packaged in pairs; to open the […]

I’M NOT SURE WHEN DRYWALL—also known as gypsum board, wallboard, and Sheetrock®— was first used in construction. I have seen drywall on pre-WWII houses, but we defi­nitely didn’t have drywall in my old prairie home. It wasn’t until the late ’50s in California, where I was working, that drywall became the preferred wall covering in […]

WHILE YOU’RE THINKING about insu­lation and ventilation, you should also pay attention to a few other details that relate to energy conservation. Taken together, these small improve­ments can make a big difference in how well your house works. a Locate the water heater near the kitchen and bathroom. This avoids long runs of pipe that […]

roof, cutting out rotten sheathing with a circular saw, reaching as far as I could, with my foot supported by Helen, whom I’d just met. Just as I was stretched to my limit, depending totally on her for support, Helen said, “You know, my friends say a 72-year-old woman doesn’t have any business being up […]

Helping Hand Store fiberglass scraps in a garbage bag. Spare and scrap pieces of fiberglass can easily blow all over a job site. To keep this fluffy material under control, put it in a large plastic garbage bag. Partial rolls can also be stored in a plastic bag until needed. ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT IDEAL […]

Floor insulation is important in a house with a crawl-space foundation. Often, it is not enough just to put insulation under the floor, because cold can pass through the rim joist. Unless batts fill the entire joist space, cold air can seep in through the rim joist and over the top of the batts, making […]