How To Replace Door Sill Rot

By Robert Robillard

Poor Flashing, Water Damage And Carpenter Ants Defeat Entry Door A quick look at this entry door did not show anything unusual but a closer inspection revealed that the bottom of the door and sidelights had been spliced “quickly and poorly” prior to us.  This article is about how to replace door sill rot. Two…

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New Front Entry Door

By Robert Robillard

Front Entry Door BEFORE: This new front entry door had a lot of rot and was not worth saving. It was a good opportunity for the new owner to change the look of the front entry. AFTER: Features: A Simpson brand Fir door with side lites. Double insulated glass, frame saver rot resistant jambs, a…

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Making A Dog Gate With Recycled Materials

By Robert Robillard

Making A Gate Using Recycled Materials The dog gate at the top of this deck was a fun project and allowed me to utilize left over Cedar and Mahogany materials. The gate frame was made out of stained green mahogany 2×4’s that were left over from a screen porch job. I used my jointer to…

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Replacing Front Door Trim

By Robert Robillard

Replacing Front Door Trim n the photo above the entry trim is just flat casing built out to create a column look. a crown tops it off. This trim and the siding around it were rotted and in need of replacing. The customer chose a different detail and asked us to install the dentil head…

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Installing Faux Wainscoting

By Robert Robillard

Installing Faux Wainscoting with Moldings Wainscoting whether it is the real cope and panel or applied molding- faux version always seems to dress up a room with class. Recently a decorator asked us to dress up this dining room [photo below] with a faux wainscoting look. Although my favorite is to build cope and stick…

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Deck Building Basics

By Robert Robillard

Basics for Deck Building This job was on Partridge Lane in Concord, Massachusetts and was a good opportunity to discuss deck building basics. Our job was to repair rotted siding on a deck alcove built about 20 years ago. As you can see from the pictures below, the siding runs down behind the decking and…

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Replacing A Picture Window

By Robert Robillard

Replacing A Rotted Window The above and below pictures were taken 6 weeks ago. The painters discovered a rotted window sill in this picture window. Unfortunately the rot was too deep and involved to repair and replacement was the only viable option. Problem Solving To Prevent Recurrence As is the case on any job I’m…

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Installing A Swinging Butler Door

By Robert Robillard

Swinging Hinge Door On this project I was tasked with installing a swinging butler door.   We had to change out a 6-panel solid wood swinging “Butlers Door” with a 15-lite [15 panes of glass] door. A “Butler Hinge” is also called a “Swinging Door Hinge,” and a “Double Acting Floor Hinge.” It is a floor…

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