Library builder

Even though clapboard nailing isn’t rocket science, four carpenters will give you five opinions on how to do it. Here’s what you need to know: ► Place clapboard nails roughly l1/ in. from the bottom so they don’t enter the tip of the clapboard underneath, especially if you’re installing 1×8 clapboards or wider. Wide clap­boards […]

Before you start shingling, make sure that win­dows and doors are correctly flashed, that sheathing is covered with building paper—most pro shinglers prefer 15-lb. felt paper—and that exterior trim is installed. Materials. For best results, use No. 1 grade cedar shingles. For a standard 5-in. shingle expo­sure, figure four bundles per square (100 sq. ft.). […]

For clapboards and shingles, the two most important parts of the layout are establishing level for the bottom course and varying the expo­sure of subsequent courses so that they align with door or window trim, if possible. If a leveled water table has already been installed, skip the next section. Establishing level. If there’s no […]

Although it may be tempting to rip out exterior trim that’s badly weathered or rotten, repair is often a better option if replacement trim would be expensive or difficult to remove. Before decid­ing either way, survey the extent of the rot and address its cause. Otherwise you’re treating only the symptom. Replacing rotted sections is […]

The water table is horizontal trim running around the base of a building below the siding, and not all houses have it. Depending mostly on regional preferences, the water table takes sever­al forms. In the West, it typically looks like win­dowsill ears (the parts that stick out) and is often used to separate different types […]

Exterior trim can be applied in many different ways, depending on the design of the house and the type of siding. For wood shingles or clap­boards, use trim boards that are thicker than the siding, and apply trim to the sheathing before putting up the siding. For flat shiplap and board- and-batten sidings, apply trim […]

Flashing paper is available in several forms, the most convenient being fiberglass-reinforced rolls either 6 in. or 9 in. wide. (These strips are some­times called felt splines.) There’s also a plethora of peel-and-stick flexible flashings; but because they’re expensive, they tend to be used mainly as cap flashing for the tops of doors and windows. […]

Installation techniques for housewrap and build­ing paper are much the same; in this chapter, both materials are often referred to generically as building paper. Before starting, survey the sheathing and knock down protruding nail heads and wood sliv­ers that could puncture the paper and admit water. Installation is two-person job, especially if you’re working with […]

The exterior і multi­ layered membrane, weatherproofing the house much the way a roof does. In addition to protect­ing underlying elements from damage by sun and wind, the exterior intercepts and directs water away from the underlying sheathing and fram­ing. The visible exterior layer consists of siding and trim. Beneath the siding, ideally, is either […]

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when installing and flashing your skylight, so the war­ranty will be honored should the unit leak. Installations shown are fairly typical. Screw the mounting brackets to the sides of the skylight curb; most brackets are adjustable. Then, with one worker on the roof and one in the attic, pass the skylight […]