Archives: Decks & Porches

Trex Designer Deck Contest

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches

Win An Extreme Trex Deck Makeover Trex® – the nation’s largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, railing, fencing and trim products – is giving three lucky homeowners the chance to win brand new outdoor living spaces outfitted with beautiful, low-maintenance Trex decking and railing.  Each winner also will enjoy a professional consultation from one of three…

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Precast Concrete Piers

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, Foundations

Precast Concrete Piers In a previous posts I wrote about Porch and Deck Pier Footings and I highlighted a really great construction product, the precast concrete pier. Precast concrete piers are really great and we use them exclusively for porches and decks when we build new homes. On a recent project, Total House Construction Series…

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The “Anyone Can Do This” Column Wrap

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches

We’ve used Fypon products over the last couple of years with great success. Fypon has a great product for all you DIY’ers looking to spruce up your porches. Check out this information on their new column wrap. Fypon® Unassembled Column Wrap ARCHBOLD, OHIO – Forget about hiring a professional to enhance your home. The new…

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One TIME® Wood Protector Review

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, Painting and Finishing, Product Reviews

One TIME® Wood Protector This spring I was asked to take the One TIME Challenge. The challenge was to try One TIME on our Cambara decking to see  the benefits of this proprietary acrylate resin blend to create a long lasting protection against the sun and weather. Key Features and Benefits Protects wood for at…

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WeatherShield Premium Wood Products

By Todd Fratzel on Building Materials, Decks & Porches

WeatherShield – The Smarter Treated Wood Today I noticed a new product at The Home Depot, WeatherShield Premium Pressure-Treated Decking. What caught my eye was the warranty for this new type of pressure treated wood. WeatherShield offers a limited lifetime warranty which is guranteed protection against rot, decay and termite damage. If these claims are…

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Mold Growing On North Facing Deck

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches

Deck Mold Growth Our new home has maintenance free siding, trim, windows and doors. However, we decided to “splurge” a bit on the decks so we installed beautiful Cambara decking (Cambara or Erbina uncinatum is a beautiful hardwood with straight clear grains similar to mahogany). In fact we installed the Cambara on the farmers porch…

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Cooking Safety On Decks

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, Safety

Every year dozens of homes are destroyed by fires that start while cooking on decks. After reading a friends blog the other day about a grease fire they had on their grill I thought I’d take the time to remind folks of the dangers that cooking on decks can pose. Grilling on your deck can…

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Improper Deck Flashing Problem

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches

Deck Flashing Problems Today’s post comes from a reader who asked me to look at a deck flashing problem that he had. The email stated: I’m wondering if you can help me with a problem I am having repairing or replacing the flashing for a replacement deck attached to a stucco house. The original flashing…

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