Vintage Family Handyman Feature from 1986: New Building Techniques for Remodelers

By Troy / January 23, 2021

Vintage Family Handyman Feature from 1986: New Building Techniques for Remodelers

There are many different ways that you can rebuild a home and this was apparent back in 1986. Optimum value engineering was a process that helped decrease the amount of materials needed to build a house while also lessening the cost of building a home. Perimeter insulated raise floor systems were efficient and helped homeowners save money as well. Finally, true joists helped fix warped and squeaky floors. The joist usually was able to install a plywood web between the floors.

Key Takeaways:

Optimum value engineering was used for builders to decrease costs of both labor and materials.
Insulating raised wood floors saves a lot of time and effort.
New joists were used to fix floors that were constantly squeaky and warped.

“In honor of Family Handyman’s 70th anniversary, we looked back through some of our past magazines for intriguing construction innovations. This article from 1986 compared new, money-saving building techniques of the time.”