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Shattered homes left in the wake of a Maryland super tornado point out both the strengths and shortcomings of modern building codes.On April 28, some of the residents of La Plata, Md., discovered the answer to that question, when a monstrous Category F4 (to F5) tornado cut a 24-mile swath through...
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For residential applications, steel flooring systems require new tools, attention to fastening, and a detailed plan for mechanicals. Steel floors are covered in the new International Residential Code (IRC) and currently cost about 3 percent or 4 percent less than dimensional wood floors. Screws...
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EIFS is just one of the products that have cost builders millions over the years. That's why virtually every production builder shares the opinion of Randy Luther, vice president of construction technology for Centex Homes, about new products."
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By Iris Richmond. Jeffrey Prostor, president of Brookfield Homes, likes turning the tables. Photo: Dietrich Metal FramingTaciturn Tiles: This diagram represents the Dietrich Metal Framing floor joists that should keep Centex's homes squeak-free.
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Custom electronics designer Charles Apostolos is making his first house call of the day, a 160-mile round-trip from his office in Woburn, Mass., to Keene, N.H., to see a potential client. None of this extra work would be necessary had the client thought to bring Apostolos and the builder together...
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Pull on your sterile gloves, adjust your respirator, and take cover behind your legal counsel. It's time to do battle with the building industry's equivalent of the black plague...
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Extra mortar spilled behind brick veneer walls has caused many a moisture woe because the mortar can block weep holes. To cover all bases, clever masons will install a piece of rope that runs behind the brick and out through a weep hole at the base of the wall.
The latest challenger in the scourge-of-mankind category, stachybotrys chartarum, aka black mold, comes with its own life support system: homeowners and their attorneys.
Ten years ago I coined the phrase "CAD-Assisted Estimating" to describe early attempts by CAD vendors to provide take-off and bill-of-materials functionality. Now, using CAD to automate the take-off process can be a reality. Most builders will still need to tweak results in a spreadsheet or...