Maintaining Aluminum Railings

By Robert Robillard

Many folks these days have chose to use aluminum railings for the entry ways, decks and balconies as opposed to traditional wood or iron railings.  The attraction to theirs railings is usually based on one or more of these factors:  ease of install, lower cost, durability and low maintenance.  Maintaining aluminum railings is easier than…

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Habitat For Humanity ReStore

By Robert Robillard

Keeping Building Materials Out Of The Land Fill When you’re a carpenter you get all sorts of questions and requests for favors: How do I fix this? Can I borrow one of your tools? Is your pick-up truck free on Saturday? One recent request really got my attention. A good friend asked if I would…

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Reinforcing A Half Wall

By Robert Robillard

Best Way to Reinforce A Half Wall Whether you call it a half wall, knee wall or Pony wall the issue is the same.  What is the best way to go about reinforcing a half wall?   No one likes a wobbly wall or the cracked plaster and tile that result from it. We typically see half…

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Is Your Deck SAFE?

By Robert Robillard

Photo source: Simpson Strongtie Building A Safe Deck: It’s important to make sure your deck is built right and safe! Most experts agree that the average life expectancy of a wood deck is 10 to 15 years but we all know many decks that are still standing and alot older than that. It is estimated…

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Deck Sanding

By Robert Robillard

How Deck Sanding Can Improve Your Home’s Resale Value Did you know that deck sanding can dramatically increase the resale value of your home? This DIY tutorial teaches you how to do deck sanding easily. Real estate agents use many techniques to increase the resale value of homes and deck sanding is one of them.…

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Attaching Decking to Metal Deck Framing

By Robert Robillard

Metal Joist Framing Systems A major new trend in the decking industry is the growing use of metal joist framing systems. While treated lumber will remain the most common substructure for residential decks in the near future, builders and homeowners now have the option of using steel and aluminum deck framing systems, which have several…

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Lally Lock Structural Column

By Robert Robillard

Lally Lock Structural Lally Column Offers Code Compliance and Adjustability I recently had the opportunity to install a fairly new and innovative type of structural column.  The folks at Lally Lock sent me some columns to review. The column is called the Lally Lock System and it is made by Dean Column Co., Inc.Dean Column Co.,…

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New Book: Home Improvement Projects Explained!

By Robert Robillard

Spend-A-Little Save-A-Lot Home Improvements: Money-Saving Projects Anyone Can Do A friend of mine, Brad Staggs,  recently wrote his own home improvement book.  Brad Staggs has written, produced and directed feature stories for The Nashville Network and also produced and hosted features for Decorating with Style and Today at Home on HGTV.   Today, Brad is seen on HGTV’s HGTVPro.Com Weekly and…

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