Q&A / 

James C. Cooks lives in hot and steamy Plantation, FL. This is the land of mildew and mold and no snow or frost. He wants to build a deck on top of an old concrete patio that's covered in mildew. When the concrete was wet, someone walked in it. Look at the footprints in the slab. […]

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Helen Jennings wants to create a new door in the exterior wall of an ancient stone home in Holmbridge, West Yorkshire England! Here's what she sent me: "Do you think it would be possible to knock a doorway through this side external wall on the same level as the front door? I'd also want to add a […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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.

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