Putting Deck Plans On Paper
You’ve pondered your deck’s function and style, and you’ve chosen the materials you’ll use to build it. Before you bring out the shovels and levels, however, it’s important to refine your plan, to clarify and map out precisely where all the final elements will go. Key Takeaways Detailed Planning is Essential: Before beginning your deck […]
Deck Access And Compatibility
No matter how complete you make your landscape design, you won’t use even the most luxurious deck if you can’t see it from the inside, if you don’t provide an easy way to get to it, and if its uses conflict with the uses of the adjacent interior room. These factors—visual access, actual access, and […]
Laying Out Deck Site
Purchase ready-cut balusters or make your own from 2x2s. You may want to angle-cut one or both ends on the outside faces. Determine where you will drive the fasteners. Set a group of balusters side by side. Use a framing square to mark fastener positions, and drill pilot holes. Attach the balusters with 2^-inch fasteners, bottom […]
Installing the balusters
Purchase ready-cut balusters or make your own from 2x2s. You may want to angle-cut one or both ends on the outside faces. Determine where you will drive the fasteners. Set a group of balusters side by side. Use a framing square to mark fastener positions, and drill pilot holes. Construct a jig to help maintain consistent […]
Installing Surface Mounted in Fill
Of all the aspects of fence construction, installing the infill is probably the most enjoyable because you can begin to see the results of your planning and layout. It’s at this step that the structure you’ve been toiling over begins to look like a fence. The tasks associated with hanging the infill are repetitive—you’ll fall […]
Installing Deck Beams and Joists
A gate does more than just open or close a gap in a fence. It can also serve as a focal point, punctuate an entry, or highlight a special area. First Impressions Gates create an image and project an impression about what lies beyond. A tall locked gate does not invite entrance. Low, painted pickets, […]
How to Design Gates
A gate does more than just open or close a gap in a fence. It can also serve as a focal point, punctuate an entry, or highlight a special area. First Impressions Gates create an image and project an impression about what lies beyond. A tall locked gate does not invite entrance. Low, painted pickets, […]
Hardware and Latches For Gates
Gate hardware is as much a design element as any other part of the fence or gate structure. Hinges and latches give the gate design a detail or accent that embellishes the appearance of the entire structure. But with gate hardware even the most ornamental parts have a hefty job to do. When you’re shopping […]
footings for fences and overheads
Much of the privacy, shade, and ambience of a landscape comes from arbors, fences, gazebos, and other structures that use vertical posts. If the structure it to last, the posts need to be firmly anchored in the ground. You have two techniques at your disposal: You can bury part of the post in the ground […]
fence preparations
Measuring And Marking Fences Even the simplest fence will require a variety of measuring tools. You will probably use your tape measure most often. Get into the habit of starting work by clipping a steel tape to your belt.There’s an old carpenter’s adage that says “measure twice, cut once.” It’s been around for years with […]