NBN Online for the week of April 16, 2007

(Plain Text Version) for full graphical version, click here.

In This Issue:

Front Page
In a Down Housing Market, Green Demand Exceeds Supply
Design the Crucial Factor in Effective Green Building
Make Sure Your HBA Is Committed to Membership Day
‘Buy Now’ Advertising Assistance Nears $1 Million. Apply Now.
Share Nation's Building News With Your Staff. It's Free.
Coast to Coast
D.R. Horton 2nd-Quarter Net Sales Orders Decline
Economics & Finance
Subprime Woes Undermine Builder Confidence in April
Eye on the Economy: Subprime Mess Weighs on Housing
How Deep a Correction? Attend Construction Forecast Conference
Useful Links to Monitor Economic and Housing Trends
Tips
Builders' Tip: Building a Blueprint Table on the Job Site
Business Management
Customer Satisfaction Suffers From Poor Communication
50Plus Housing
Boomers Meet Baseball and Modern Art in Denver
Remodelers
Survey: Consumers Won’t Pay for Lead-Dust Testing
NAHB Has ‘Remodeling Month’ Resources for You
Building Systems
Concrete Tour Mixes Plant Visits, Latest Trends
Attend the Modular and Panel Plant Tour May 20-22
Education
Sign Up for Free Storm Water Compliance Audio Seminar
Design Matters. Register Now for the Design Institute
Education Calendar
Research
Builders Encouraged to Adapt Concept Home Plans
Green Building
Energy-Efficiency Tax Breaks Extended for Homes, Buildings
Green Standard Census Committee Appointed
Environment
Polar Bears Could Lead to ESA Climate Change Regulation
Commercial
NCBC 2008 Awards of Excellence Open for Entries
Design
June 1 Deadline Nears for Livable Communities Awards
Labor
Builders Spread the Word About Home Building Careers
Building Products
Sound-Reducing Gypsum Boards Are Thin and Easy
TV
NAHB-Produced Programs on HGTV and DIY This Week
Endowment
HBA Challenge/Build/Grow Proposals — Deadline April 21
Association News
New Online Materials Ordering Process Now Available
Get Free 'April Is New Homes Month' Resources Online Now
20% Off OptiPlex Desktops and Select Latitude Notebooks
Drive Away With a Shiny New $500 GM Offer
UPS Offers Up to 30% Discount to NAHB Members on Shipping
Lock in 2006 Visa/MC Processing Rates. Offer Ends April 30.
Calendar of Events
NAHB Career Center

Builders' Tip: Building a Blueprint Table on the Job Site

 

 

Click for larger image.

Like most builders, I’ve had to spread out the working drawings for a project on the ground, over a sawdust-covered subfloor or across the hood of the truck.

I finally got fed up with having to look at drawings this way a few years ago. Now I build a simple job-site blueprint table that saves time, frustration and a lot of wind-torn pages.

  • As shown in the drawing, the table is a hunk of plywood large enough to accommodate the drawings.

  • I affix it to a couple of convenient studs with an 8d nail through each corner, about 4 feet above the floor.

  • Then I swing the bottom end up to about 30° below level and secure it with a couple of 2x4 kickers.

  • Some 2x scraps as weights and a 1x ledger at the bottom of the table keep the prints from falling off.


I leave the blueprint table in place until the drywallers show up to do their thing.

— Will Ruttencutter, Coshocton, Ohio

Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2005 The Taunton Press

To request a reprint of this feature, e-mail Christina Glennon at Fine Homebuilding.



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Free NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips in Cooling Market

With the current cooling of the nation’s housing market expected to persist next year, NAHB has developed a comprehensive online toolkit geared to providing association members with information that will help them prosper in today’s changing business environment.

To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar on the NAHB Web site.

For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.


 

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