Grant learns about military veterans joining the local construction workforce with help from the Department of Defense. Josh Salinger and Grant help Brian address listener feedback and questions. They also talk about Josh's new Fine Homebuilding course called A Homeowner's Guide to a Durable, Efficient, Comfortable Home.  

Tune in to Episode 711 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• The Department of Defense's Skill Bridge Program
• Decarbonizing houses and the proliferation of data centers and AI
• Boosting the energy performance of houses without sheathing

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at fhbpodcast@taunton.com

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 711

➡️ Sign up for a Fine Homebuilding All-Access Membership

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate us on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you prefer to listen.

Responding to an attendee who wants to share his experience at the Summit, Brian asks Ian and Randy what they liked about the event, and what they didn't. The crew shares their preferred details for installing windows in walls with continuous exterior insulation and opinions on insulating double-stud walls. We try to help a listener who is refinishing a basement that's been refinished before.

Tune in to Episode 710 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• The best of the 2025 FHB Summit 
• Installing windows in thick walls
• Strategies for finishing basements

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at fhbpodcast@taunton.com.  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 710

➡️ Sign up for a Fine Homebuilding All-Access Membership

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

Instagram • Facebook • TikTok • Pinterest • YouTube 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate us on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you prefer to listen.

Patrick, Ian and Grant talk about 700 FHB Podcast episodes, before diving into discussions on the importance of basement waterproofing, how water gets in basements, solving problems with indoor humidity, and figuring out why Chris' cotton baseball caps feel damp.  

Tune in to Episode 701 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Keeping basements dry in wet places
• How water gets through basement floors and walls  
• Controlling indoor humidity for comfort and durability

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at fhbpodcast@taunton.com.  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 701

➡️ Sign up for a Fine Homebuilding All-Access Membership

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

Instagram • Facebook • TikTok • Pinterest • YouTube 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate us on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you prefer to listen

The editors discuss widening an existing deck, modern timber-frame buildings, inexpensive building products, work vehicles, and installing a vented bath fan in this best-of compilation.

Peter's DIY addition appears on Google Street View. Ed shares a chart of common house problems. A listener says ethernet cables are not for lighting. Evan asks for help flashing the bottom of a metal building.  Listeners email about energy retrofits and siting new houses.

The crew hears from listeners about protecting buried posts, hydronic HVAC, and building affordable houses. Discussion questions include small low-slope roofs, calculating heating and cooling loads, and encouraging the next generation of trade workers.

The crew hears from listeners about housewrap, replacing windows in brick openings, and managing heavy beams. Discussion questions include wood foundations, raising a ceiling in a ranch, and sealing up panned joist returns.

The crew hears from listeners about tight-fitting batt insulation, integrating HVAC equipment, and housing affordability. Discussion questions include foam insulation instead of a concrete slab, closing gaps in laminate flooring, and rainscreens under board siding.

The crew hears from listeners about stair design, broken tool batteries, and toilets from the box store. Discussion questions include buying rental property, attic venting, and modified Bonfig walls.

Consulting engineer and self-described compulsive measurer Marc Rosenbaum talks to Brian and Patrick about improving the comfort and efficiency of residential buildings.

The crew hears from listeners about ceramic paint, prefinished siding, and tiny houses in Texas. Discussion questions include flashing windows in masonry walls, protecting buried fence posts from rot, and using boilers for domestic hot water.

The crew hears from listeners about EV charging, aging in place, and dowsing. Discussion questions include customer communication, covering exposed foundation insulation, and HVAC design.

The crew hears from listeners about ICFs, remodeling a small kitchen, and affordable net-zero and then takes questions on rebuilding a cabin, leaks from wind-driven rain, and refilling hydronic heating systems.

In this best-of show the crew talks about bulkhead doors, metal roofing over SIPS, rebuilding Notre Dame, sealing mudsills, and insulating sloped ceilings.

Tune in to Episode 700 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Improving the efficiency of basement bulkheads 
• Details to get right when building with SIP panels 
• Effectivly insulating a new drywall ceiling with sloped and flat sections

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at fhbpodcast@taunton.com.  

Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 700

➡️ Learn about Framing High-Performance Houses by Dan Kolbert, the new E-learning course from Fine Homebuilding 

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate us on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you prefer to listen

Nic and Carson have thoughts on LEDs. Phil asks about self-stick underlayment on Zip System roof sheathing. Buzz wants to add a shade structure over his paver patio. Knot Painter asks about priming new drywall. Mark is trying to lower his home's humidity.

The crew hears from listeners about gas stoves, screw-pile lighthouses, and LEDs. Discussion questions include roots lifting a garage, leaky porch ceilings, and central dehumidifiers.

The crew hears from listeners about WRBs, Brian's porch piers, and hidden costs of construction. Discussion questions include tightening a stone foundation, stucco on straw bales, and low-buck energy upgrades.

The crew hears from listeners about manufactured houses and DIY lighting with LEDs. Discussion questions include unstuck flashing tape, sealing the bottom of new windows, and EV chargers.

The crew hears from listeners about affordable net-zero, roofing underlayment, and garage separation. Discussion questions include fixing trusses, frost-protected foundations, and air-control strategies.

Listeners share thoughts on condensate drains, fake shutters, and silicosis. The crew takes questions on insulating a floor system, converting a former storage building to living space, and how to use LED strip lighting.

In the final episode of Pro Talk, Ian, Andy, and Jude talk about engaging with young adults to foster an interest in the building trades from the perspectives of the contractor and of the apprentice.

The crew hears from listeners about sound attenuation, plumbing, and LED lighting. Discussion questions include high-humidity spaces, best building practices, and garage-door weatherstripping.

Ian and Josh talk about managing risk in the built environment and how Josh's vocation as an insurance adjuster has influenced the design of the home he is building for his family.

Listeners share their thoughts on storm shutters, LED light solutions, ERVs vs. HRVs, and contractor licensing. The crew takes questions on writing good contracts, testing DWV systems, and common problems with modular homes.

Patrick, Randy and Ian have a heated discussion about fire safety, including how to wire heat detectors. Scott wonders if an all-electric home is less resilient than one heated with fossil fuels or wood. Pia asks about using big doors to separate living spaces in a new build. Scott might be timber-framing a strawbale house and he wonders what the Podcast thinks about strawbale construction.  

Tune in to Episode 699 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Heat detectors and how to wire them for greater safety 
• Using large sliding doors to separate large interior spaces. 
• The pros, cons and cos of strawbale buildings   

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at fhbpodcast@taunton.com.  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 699

➡️ Learn about the 2025 Fine Homebuilding Summit

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

Instagram • Facebook • TikTok • Pinterest • YouTube 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate us on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you prefer to listen.

Ian talks to John Klabacka of Associated Training Services in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin about training the next generation of crane and heavy-equipment operators, and jobsite safety. 

Dan Kolbert shares his thoughts on cordless power tools and batteries. Jeff suggests curbside pickup. Chris shows us a good-looking drop ceiling. Bill is contemplating a roof and insulation upgrade. Evan is considering an attic-to-living-space conversion. Felix asks about pocket screws for framing. Wade wants to know which construction trade shows he should visit. 

Ian talks to builder and remodeler Jon Beer about building your own home as a construction professional and how to improve your business by defining processes and developing procedures. 

 Peel-and-stick membrane, shallow frost-protected foundations, affordable net-zero, scavenged building products, and keeping garage pollutants out of the house.

In this Pro-Talk podcast, Ian talks to Will Gusakov of Goosewing Timberworks about Will's work with Carpenters Without Borders, timber framing, and the solidarity economy.

The editors discuss chimney airtightness, sealing end cuts, dormer additions, damp basements, and starting a construction business in this best-of compilation.

In this ProTalk Podcast Ian continues his talk with business consultants John Lenker and Assaf Arie about how to overcome the challenges associated with growing a construction business.

Gas stoves, tool batteries, material prices, controlling humidity in efficient homes, advanced framing, and ducted heat-pump water heaters.

Ian, John and Assaf discuss the importance of marketing and management training for the success of a construction company.

Ethan has thoughts on climbable railing and code. Ben and James question our conversation about washing machines. Neil needs to make comfy RVs. Ben notices bad shutters. Sam's apartment is too noisy. David shows us how heat pumps work.

Marc says it's tough to bid electrical work when copper wire prices change daily. Dan thinks we need to consider the carbon costs of every build. Andy asks for advice on building an energy efficient off-grid cabin. Jenna asks about finding conscientious contractors.

Grant, Mike and Patrick discuss listener feedback and questions about price volatility, finding a good roofer, and how to lower the energy demands on an off-grid house. 

Tune in to Episode 698 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Estimating the costs of construction when prices change near daily 
• Is it time to consider carbon accounting for every build 
• How do you find a good roofer or GC in a sea of mediocrity 

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at fhbpodcast@taunton.com.  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 698

➡️ Learn about the 2025 Fine Homebuilding Summit

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

Instagram • Facebook • TikTok • Pinterest • YouTube 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate us on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you prefer to listen.

In this episode, Ian talks to Madison College carpentry student Jon Moore about changing career paths early in life and how formal education can be applied to the building trades.

Keeping craft alive, FHB and GBA combo memberships, stud-to-top-plate connectors, screen porch conversion, squaring mudsills, kitchen remodels, and moving plumbing.

Ian talks to David about new ways to think about lighting your spaces, when to hire a lighting designer and David gives some basic tips for better lighting in the home.

Jim reminds us to consider a deck's lateral loads. Evan shows us a more airtight garage-door system. Chris and Jeremy share their experience with bath-fan installation. Ted asks about installing lap siding over vertical siding. Jake is contemplating foundation options. James wonders if he really needs an expansion tank.

In this ProTalk Podcast, Ian talks to Adrianna Gretz, residential project manager at LEFF Design Build, about the similarities and differences between commercial and residential project management.

Improving the electric grid, tool batteries, making your own windows, value-engineering a new build, cellulose insulation, and contractor licensing.

In this ProTalk Podcast, Ian talks to contractor and educator Joe Garvilla about his experiences as an educator and builder, and the positive side of regulating contractors.

Soul-bashing work, spray-foam problems, floors for front-loading washers, attaching decks to cantilevered joists, and vented crawlspaces.

Patrick talks to Jeremy Hess, project manager for C&Z Construction, about insurance work; installing helical piles on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska; and the time it takes to build your own house.

Andy says beer helps keep craft alive. Evan suggests getting a good respirator. Adam and Hlynur are familiar with Icelandic heat pumps. Mark asks how to redo his flat roof. Pete needs a better irrigation timer. Will wants new windows.

Ian and Randy help Patrick answer listener questions about building a quiet house and sound-control strategies for new and existing homes and then the Podcast revisits its roots discussing roof venting of low-slope shed roofs. Finally they talk about how to get more water from a low-yield well.

Tune in to Episode 697 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about: 

• Residential sound control challenges and solutions 
• How to insulate and ventilate shed roofs and  
• What's a low-yield well and strategies for increasing available water 

Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at fhbpodcast@taunton.com.  

➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 697

➡️ Learn about the 2025 Fine Homebuilding Summit

➡️ Follow Fine Homebuilding on Social Media:  

Instagram • Facebook • TikTok • Pinterest • YouTube 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate us on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you prefer to listen.

Patrick talks to Jeremy Hess, project manager for C&Z Construction, about insurance work; installing helical piles on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska; and the time it takes to build your own house.

Induction cooking, battery pack adapters, HVAC in the attic, bath fans, exterior trim, health benefits of fireplaces, and basement air- and water-management.

Ian, Tyson, and Andrew discuss how Milwaukee Tool is pushing the limits of cordless tools by designing and engineering batteries, motors, and onboard electronics that work together as a system.