Homemade Wood Putty
For a natural wood finish putty. Instead of store bought putty.  After cutting your material.  Save the fine sawdust..
Make a putty by mixing the sawdust and Elmer’s white glue (not yellow carpenters glue).  Apply the putty to nail holes.
The putty will then match the woods own color.  Use sparingly to minimize sanding.

Installing a Pre Hung Door
Before you purchase a pre hung door, measure the height and width of the rough opening at several places. Also, measure
the thickness of the wall from the exterior surface of one side to the exterior surface of the other. You will need these measurements to purchase an appropriately sized door.
Before inserting your door into the frame, put a two foot level on the floor and check the threshold. If it is not level, you will
need to trim the bottom of one side jamb or the other to make sure the top jamb stays level with the rough opening.

To begin, insert the pre hung door unit into the framed opening. Check the hinged side jamb with a four foot level to
determine if it is plumb. Be sure to check along the entire length of the side jamb. Using wooden shims between the jamb
and rough opening, adjust the position of the pre hung door unit until the hinge side jamb is plumb. Pay particular attention
to the area around each hinge. At a minimum, you should have shims placed 24” intervals.

Next, check to be sure that the outer edges of the side jambs are even with both exterior wall surfaces. Nail the hinge side
jamb to the frame with 6d finishing nails, driving the nails through the shims.
Place shims between the strike (lock) side jamb and the frame. Work from the top down, spacing shims about 24” apart. Adjust the shims as needed, checking frequently to make sure the door opens and closes smoothly. When the shims are in place, nail the striker side jam to the frame using 6d nails centered on each shim.
Trim the protruding edges of all shims with a fine bladed saw. Orient the saw blade vertically to limit the chances of
damaging the exterior wall finish. Once the shims are trimmed, install the door casing (molding) around the edges to cover
any gaps.

Some Common Window Types  (left to right)

Plywood
Plywood was invented and used in the mid 1800's.  The first (machine made) mass production of plywood was in 1907.

Door Sizes
2-0 door = 24", a 2-4 door = 28", a 2-6 door = 30", a 2-8 door = 32", a 3-0 door = 36"
Typical door height is 6-8 = 80".  Example:   2-6 / 6-8 door would be a 30" x 80" door.
The chart below shows the typical rough opening size required for the door and door jamb (frame).
Door Size                  Rough Opening Size
2' 0" x 6'8"  (24" door)             26" x 82 3/4"
2' 2" x 6'8"  (26" door)             28" x 82 3/4"
2' 4" x 6'8"  (28" door)             30" x 82 3/4"
2' 6" x 6'8"  (30" door)             32" x 82 3/4"
2' 8" x 6'8"  (32" door)             34" x 82 3/4"
2' 10"x 6'8" (34" door)             36" x 82 3/4"
3' 0" x 6'8"  (36" door)             38" x 82 3/4"

Basic Wall Framing Terms
Rough opening for door on left, rough opening for window on right.
Standard residential stud separation is 16" on center.  (Working left to right) studs are 14-1/2" apart, measured right side of first stud to left side of second stud and on etc. Which will give you 16" to the center of each stud.  Pencil line stud placement on Double Plate and Sole Plates.  Wall nailer's alternate at 2' and 4' on center for nailing 4' x 8' sheets of materials.  Measure twice to double check your work.

Siding
To find the square footage for the side of a house, multiply the width by the height. For example if the side of a house
with a hip roof is 25' wide and 8' high the square footage is 200 square feet (sq. ft.).

If the side of the house has a gable, figure the gable by itself.  To figure the square footage for a gable end, multiply the width
times the height and divide by two.  Using our example above for a 25' wide house, lets say that from the top of the wall
to the top of the ridge is 8'.  Using our formula for estimating gables, the square footage would be 100 sq. ft.
(25x8 divided by 2=100).  Add this to the 200 sq. ft. we figured for our wall and the total is 300 sq. ft.  Do this
for all four sides of the house to give you the total amount of square feet.

When ordering siding it is usually ordered by the square.  One square is equal to 100 square feet. The side of the
house in our example had 300 sq. ft. or 3 squares.

Deduct window and door square footage from the total and add back 10% for waste.  Or you could include the window and door figures to account for the waste to insure enough coverage.

An exception to this would be if sheet goods were being used.  In this case divide the square footage by the square
footage of the sheet.  This would be 32 sq. ft. for a 4x8 sheet.  In our example of 300 sq. ft. it would take 10 sheets
to cover our wall.

Cutting Formica/Particle Board Countertop
Most formica countertop, the formica  is laminated over particle board and is easy to cut. (Cutting the length)
If using a power circular hand saw, make your cut bottom side of countertop facing up.  The saw teeth cut in a upward
motion, pulling the laminate to the wood.  Draw the cut line on both sides of the countertop.  Place masking tape centered
over the surface side cut line to reduce the chance of chipping.  It is best to use a plywood blade to make a fine smooth cut.
Take your time, be patient and let the saw do the cutting.  Don't force it.

If using a table saw to cut countertop.  Make the cut surface side facing up.  The saw teeth cut in a downward motion,
pulling the laminate to the wood.  Draw the cut line on both sides of the countertop.  The countertop should be marked
and taped the same as explained before.  Again, be patient making the cut.

Angled corner cuts are VERY DIFFICULT and are best to have done by a professional shop.

Cutting a hole for a drop in sink with a saber (jig) or recip saw.  Best to make the cut bottom of countertop facing up, as
the foot of your saw may not clear the back splash if you cut surface side up.  Draw the cut line.  Drill a hole large enough
for your saw blade to fit into.  Drill beside the cut line on the waste side.  Place the saw blade in the hole and then make the
cut.  A helper to hold the waste piece in place while you cut is handy.  If you do not have a helper, nail, screw or staple a
piece of lathe to the waste piece after you have made a partial cut.  The lathe should be long enough to span over the saw
cut.  That will hold the waste piece up while you finish the cut.  Be patient let the saw do the cutting.  The flange of the sink
will cover the raw cut edge of the hole and will over lap and hide any chipping or wavy cuts if you go across the centerline
so to speak.

Egress Windows  Rapid City, SD (5.7 sq. ft or 821 sq. in. minimum clear span access opening.)
Check your local regulations with the building permit and codes office.  Here is info you may find.  Different cities, counties
or states may vary in requirements.

Not all basement rooms need a legal egress window.  But, however, basement bedrooms will NOT be allowed without
an egress window.
If you were to call a given room a den before the inspection and then a bedroom afterward. That is NOT a very original idea. Most codes will say that any bedroom-sized room with a closet is considered a bedroom, no matter what the blueprint shows.

The window MUST have a Minimum net clear opening of 5.7 sq. ft. or 821 sq. in.
As for size requirements, expect to need a window with a Minimum width of opening at 20 in. and a Minimum height of opening at 24 in.  To achieve the required net clear opening of 5.7 sq. ft., a 20 in. wide window would have to be 42 in. high.  Likewise, a 24 in. high window would have to be 35 in. wide.   Some codes count the glass area, while others measure the area with the window open.  In any case, a vertical casement window with 6 sq. ft. or (2' x 3') of access is a good choice for
a retrofit installation.

Egress window installation is also important. The bottom of the window opening should be no more than 44 in. off the floor.
Outside, an oversize window well is required. It will need to be at least 36 in. wide and extend 36 in. out from the window.
The window well height is also limited to 44 in., as measured from the well floor. If a deep basement forces a deeper window well, most codes will allow a concrete block on the floor of the well to serve as a step, as long as it doesn't interfere with the window's opening.

Do your math:  Feet x Feet = Square Feet
                        Inches x Inches = Square Inches
                        Total Square Feet times 144 = Total Square Inches
                        Total Square Inches divided by 144 = Total Square Feet