Archives: Structure

How Many Roofing Nails Per Square of Shingles

By Todd Fratzel on Roofing

Estimating How Many Nails for a New Roof When it comes to estimating materials for building construction it’s helpful to have basic rules of thumb to rely on. Fasteners are that elusive building material that often gets forgotten when doing estimates and accounting for miscellaneous costs. Every manufacturer has different specifications for their shingles but…

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Composite / PVC Decking – Layout Tips & Advice

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches

Composite / PVC Decking Layout Tips and Advice Composite and PVC decking have really changed the deck market in many positive ways. The wide range of products, colors, styles and options can be overwhelming but also very rewarding with endless design opportunities. With new products there is always a long list of lessons learned and…

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Vermiculite Attic Insulation Abatement

By Todd Fratzel on Insulation, Remodeling

Vermiculite Attic Insulation If your home was built before 1990 there is a chance it has vermiculite insulation in the attic and it’s something you should be aware of. Nearly 85% of vermiculite insulation in the US came from a mine in Libby, Montana and is known to contain asbestos. If you’re planning a renovation…

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Custom Curved Deck with Cable Railings and Stone Grill

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches

Custom Deck Project Building a regular deck is something we do a lot of but it’s not very often that a customer requests a unique deck design. One of my long term customers sent me a set of plans and asked me if we could build this unique deck and I jumped at the opportunity.…

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Stick Framed – Prefabricated – Modular – Which Is Best?

By Todd Fratzel on Framing

New Home Construction Options: Stick Framed, Prefabricated & Modular So you’re considering building a new home and the amount of options and choices are overwhelming. Everything from the style of the home to the smallest details can overwhelm anyone. One of the biggest decisions can be a discussion about the type of construction used to…

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Why Use Pre-cut Studs for Framing Walls

By Todd Fratzel on Framing

Using Pre-Cut Studs To Frame Walls For those that do not frame houses on a regular basis it make come as a surprise that most homes are not framed using 8′ studs (for traditional 8′ ceiling heights). In most areas of the Country framers are using pre-cut studs measuring 92-5/8″, not 96″ long. Pre-cut studs…

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Durgin and Crowell Enhance™ Pre-Coated Pine

By Todd Fratzel on Finish Carpentry

Enhance™ by Durgin & Crowell We’re very fortunate to build homes in an area of New Hampshire filled with local wood mills producing flooring, paneling, and even timbers for timber frame homes. Just down the road about 10 miles from my office is Durgin and Crowell, a family owned fully integrated lumber company producing up…

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How To Build Sliding Barn Door

By Todd Fratzel on Doors

How To Build Rustic Sliding Barn Door Sliding barn doors are very popular inside home today. These doors add a great aesthetic impact to any room, and they offer a functional solution where traditional swinging doors might be a problem. I recently built a rustic sliding barn door for our finished basement and wanted write…

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