Bruce Helm plans to build a deck at his home in Louisville, Kentucky, but he's got a problem or two. He needs a material list and he's never built a deck before. There's an old saying, "You don't know what you don't know." Here's Bruce's request: "I am building a deck on the front of my Read More »
Last night, it was minus 14 F here at my house. I live in central NH and that's not unusual. My large deck started to make very LOUD cracking and pop sounds as the sun began to set yesterday. Others are experiencing this same condition. Read more about it and check out the photo in Read More »
Andrew Binosa lives in Duluth, GA. The photo he sent me made me LAUGH OUT LOUD! Read Andy's question, look at the photo and see if you don't chuckle! "Hi Tim, I built a deck at the rear and below it is a concrete patio. Is there a minimum anchor type that I need to anchor Read More »
Flipping Deck Boards - Be Careful About Wood Grain Patrick McNeill, who is revitalizing his deck in Woodstock, GA asks: "Can I flip my deck boards instead of replacing them. They are treated lumber." You bet you can flip them. There's no harm in doing so. While you're at it, be sure to clean off Read More »
Simpson Strong-Tie is the leader in structural deck and framing connectors in residential and commercial construction. They have an outstanding technical bulletin that shows you how to connect deck railing posts to the undercarriage of a deck. CLICK HERE to download it instantly.
If you are building a deck, you will need to mount the wood posts on concrete piers. First the concrete piers must be in the proper location or the support beams won't be lined up. The deck must also be supported for side forces and uplift forces.
Removing the unsightly mildew and algae from the under side of your wooden deck can be messy. Once the wood has been cleaned with oxygen bleach, the deck will look as good as new.
This video shows an unique system for deck or shed footer forms. The Form-Footer comes with everything you need and snaps together without tools.
Proper hold down anchors are required when building a deck or a screened-in porch, that is being added to an existing patio. The manufacturers of the hold down anchors sell the correct bolts, screws, fasteners to make up a system that will provide you with all the structural integrity you need for both jobs.
Concrete piers are vertical structural elements that support the weight of a building or structure. Their design and installation must consider the weight being supported and the frost line in your area. There are preformed concrete pier forms that provide you with the properly shaped concrete pier foundation.
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