Q. Tim, I’ve never worked with metal joist hangers. How long have joist hangers been around? When I hold one in my hand, I question whether it’s actually strong enough to support all the weight that ...

Q. I'm getting ready to build a large room addition that needs a beam to support the floor joists. I've been told that a wood beam will work, but I've always seen steel I-beams in other houses. Is it ...

Q: My house plan calls for steel beams that will support the floor joists and even parts of a brick wall. Can I substitute wood beams for steel? Is a steel I-beam hard to handle on the job site? Do ...

Welcome back to the "Behold the Beam" series of articles. In part three (Firehouse®, September 2010) of the series, we discussed the first five of the 13 common types of beams that firefighters can ...

In this article we will continue to look at building structural systems. Last month we discussed concrete, which is one of the most basic building construction components. To review, concrete is a ...

Q: I have an older home with a crawlspace foundation. My problem is the floors sag in the living room to the point where it's hard to keep a lamp steady on the end tables. My other problem is there is ...

Q. I'm going to build a room addition because moving to a bigger home is just out of the question. I've never done rough framing for a subfloor, and I need a quick tutorial on the top things one ...

DEAR TIM: I’m getting ready to build a large room addition that needs a beam to support the floor joists. I’ve been told that a wood beam will work, but I’ve always seen steel I-beams in other houses.