Depending on your skills — and if working in small, dark areas is not a problem — then yes, it’s easy to insulate the rim joists. A typical floor joist is a 2- by 10-inch joist set 16 inches ...

If you have a 2-by-10 joist, you can use a 2-by-8, or if a 2-by-8 joist, use a 2-by-6. I recommend wood screws rather than nails to secure the new joists and the 2-by-4 nailer.

Q.The carpenter that built my deck used joist hangers to hold up the joists along the house and at the end of the deck. Are these steel joist hangers approved, and will they stand the test of time ...