#723: Success with Spray Foam, Nails vs. Screws, and Building a Remote Cabin
The Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
4.8 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 6 February 2026
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Kerry shares his thoughts on spray foaming old houses with advice for getting it right. A Fine Homebuilding Forum poster wonders about framing walls and attaching sheathing with construction screws. Andrew asks about the best way to build a lakefront cabin accessible only by boat.
Tune in to Episode 723 of the Fine Homebuilding Podcast to learn more about:
- Using closed-cell spray foam insulation successfully in old houses
- Safe and code-compliant framing connections
- Building on ecologically sensitive and hard-to-access building sites
Have a question or topic you want us to talk about on the show? Email us at fhbpodcast@taunton.com.
➡️ Check Out the Full Show Notes: FHB Podcast 723
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Patrick, I got a question for you on this one. I feel like you ask all the questions here. |
| 0:10.2 | Would you try and- |
| 0:11.5 | Oh yeah, right. That's fine. Would you try and salvage as much as possible from this existing structure? That is a great point, Ian. Absolutely, because that is stuff you don't need to bring in. |
| 0:25.6 | And I'm guessing a lot of that stuff is going to be useful. |
| 0:29.6 | Welcome to the Fine Home Building podcast, our weekly discussion of building, |
| 0:34.6 | remodeling, and design topics aimed at anybody who cares deeply about the craft and science of working on houses. |
| 0:41.1 | This is Senior Editor Patrick McComb. |
| 0:43.3 | Today I'm joined by Green Building Advisor, editor Randy Williams. |
| 0:46.7 | Hey, hello. |
| 0:48.0 | Contributing editor and production manager for TDS Custom Construction, Ian Schwant. |
| 0:52.5 | Howdy. |
| 0:53.3 | And producer, Carrie Delahanty. |
| 0:55.3 | Good morning. |
| 0:56.7 | Please email your questions to FHB Podcast at Fine Homebuilding.com. |
| 1:01.0 | You can find previous podcasts and check out the show notes at finehomebuilding.com slash podcast. |
| 1:07.2 | Well, Ian, you might be able to fill me in, but is that the most Carrie's ever said on the podcast? |
| 1:14.1 | Two words. New record. Well, it is great to see you all this morning. Thanks for being here. |
| 1:22.9 | Great to be here. Oh, my gosh. Randy, you sent me some really interesting photos from a job site earlier in the week. |
| 1:30.6 | Can you tell me what's going on? |
| 1:33.2 | Yeah, so I was called to a building investigation where these, it's a new build, new windows, |
| 1:41.1 | and the builder was experiencing some moisture, basically on the windows, but it's not on |
| 1:49.5 | the glass, it's on the wood frame. It's an oak interior frame. It's a triple pane window. |
... |
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