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Each door was mounted in jambs made from the same fir, and the hinges and locksets were fitted to each door in the shop. The curved coffered ceiling would have been an interesting challenge for any crew, but the team had the benefit of prefabricating the ceiling sections in their shop. When questioned about the cost-effectiveness of this strategy, the shop owner gave me this simple answer: "If you ask me to build one or two interior doors, I can't compete with the cost of commercially manufactured doors. CURVED COFFERED CEILING The crew laminated the curved panels and built this ceiling in five sections in the shop, and then installed the sections on the living-room ceiling. [Extracted from the article]

Sloped joist hangers or stringer hangers are required at the upper end of the stringers. Whether you're using sloped joist hangers or stringer hangers (shown), dropped staircases usually require additional lumber to provide full fastening for the hardware. THE BUILD The stairs attached to a raised deck involve a unique set of building challenges, and they face a different type of abuse than any interior staircase. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers tips when building stairs to be attached to a raised deck including the need to know the codes in framing set of deck stairs, use of stringers determine the landing pad's location, and the ideal minimum stock that stringers should be cut.

The article looks at an energy-efficient house owned by Don and Amy Bowens in Hamilton, Massachusetts and designed by architect Steve Baczek which features recycled materials, high-efficiency heat pumps, and tankless water heaters.

Answer to a several question related to house construction including use of cellulose as an alternative to foam insulation in walls, utilize advanced framing, and ways to attach house wrap are presented.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for installing high-performance windows.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for the perfect installation of high-performance windows in a Passive House.

The article discusses techniques related to efficient framing in buildings. Topics covered include the benefits from having double-stud walls and trusses, impact of double-stud walls on air insulation and advantages of having exterior sheathing. Also mentioned are the multipurpose components of frames such as roof trusses, interior frame and floor trusses.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for installing a superinsulated slab in a Passive House design.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for building an air-sealed mudsill assembly.

The article looks at the design elements and construction process in the renovation of an 1850 Cape house in Wayland, Massachusetts which involved the rebuilding of the basement and the addition of a modern kitchen, family room, and master's suite. INSET: A DRY BASEMENT WAS ESSENTIAL.

The article focuses on building Passive Houses, which according to the author have the strictest residential-building parameters in the U.S. A house that converts energy as inexpensively as possible and is able to maintain that energy for a long time are some of the author's goals when building a high performance house. He recommends the use of Galvalume metal roof because it is bound to last compared to others and its ability to protect the house's exterior.

Several letters to the editor in response to articles in previous issues are presented including "Making Fiberglass Work" in issue #246, "Smart-Home Revolution" in issue #249 and "Wiring a Bathroom" by Cliff Popejoy in issue #249.

The article focuses on the design of mechanical systems that maintain the temperature of super insulated houses using solar energy and secondary sources of heating, the problem of distribution of conditioned air and the use of energy recovery ventilators is mentioned in detail.

The article discusses the approach used by an architect in designing a house that meets the most stringent energy requirement in the U.S. by designing around the energy goals rather than trying to apply energy efficiency as an afterthought. The performance requirements used by the architect as part of the building's aesthetics are explained. The airtightness requirement of a passive house is also discussed.

The article looks at the design of a Douglas-fir vanity cabinet for a small house in the U.S.