Framing

Using a construction calculator during planning helps avoid wasting time, money, and materialsby Rick Arnold

Five tradesmen weigh in on where to put solid blocking for stair skirts, grab-bar anchors, and everything else the code leaves outby Justin Fink

Go inside a floor-panel factory and outside at a job-site installation

Crane-hoisted panels get a floor in fast, flat, and cut for ducts and utilitiesby Fernando Pagés Ruiz

Site-built shear walls help a building with large openings to stand up to high windsby John Spier

A tour of a SIP manufacturing facility reveals that efficiency begins on the factory floorby John Ross

Flashing dormers using peel-and-stick bowtiesby Rick Arnold

Too much floor deflection can be troublesomeby Mike Guertin, David Grandpré

Measure from the rafter's bottom edge for exact layoutby John Carroll

Build them on the floor, lift them with specialized jacks, and eliminate extra footsteps wherever possibleby Lynn S. Hayward

Still driving nails at 75, a veteran framer recalls the postwar housing boom of the 1950s and how it changed the way we buildby Larry Haun

34 steps to building cut-stringer stairsby John Spier

Delivered to your site, prefabricated panels can save time and improve quality on production houses or a custom homeby Fernando Pagés Ruiz

Factory-made trusses save time and give you a roof engineered for strength and stabilityby Larry Haun

Requirements for floor and wall framing, and moreby Redwood Kardon, Michael Casey, Douglas Hansen

by Mike Guertin

Whether it's the floor of a big house or a small addition, an accurate layout promotes smooth installationby Jim Anderson

Guidelines for working efficiently and knowing how good is good enoughby Larry Haun

Even if the foundation is not square or level, getting the mudsills right will get you back on trackby Jim Anderson