The panic: You’re standing in front of a stack of lumber, holding your list of measurements, and there’s something about seeing all those 2 x … Read More

It looks clean. It is also a pain in the rear-end if you don’t do your math correcty on one. The math isn’t really hard, … Read More

So you get started building a pergola. Select strong posts. Pretty beams. You might also add some nice lighting. First rain falls. Oh no, your … Read More

Go out and look at some of those Midwestern or New England barns. Notice how the roofline seem almost too generous for its frame. Side … Read More

Building walls doesn’t demand complex engineering knowledge, just an even pace. A rhythm: set mortar, tap in unit, verify level, repeat. Until you discover you … Read More

When considering stairs, don’t just count steps; start by feeling how they’re built. Paper plans can make things look right when they aren’t, they can … Read More

When loading lumber into the back of a pickup, be careful of how heavy it is. Wet lumber are extremely heavy because it still has … Read More

“With 2×4’s, how many are you really going to get? You grab a stack off the lumber aisle at Home Depot, hold it up, and … Read More

DIY flooring is mostly a problem of failure before you even put down one plank. It is not due to awkard cuts or poor gluing. … Read More

How many bags of mortar do I need? It’s a question that can cause people to panic. They might be standing in front of rows … Read More