About the author

Todd Fratzel

I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I run their design-build division that specializes in custom homes, commercial design-build projects and sub-divisions. I'm also a licensed civil and structural engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural design and home construction. My hope is that I can share my experience in the home construction, home improvement and home renovation profession with other builders and home owners. I'm also the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Tool Box Buzz. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or you'd like to inquire about advertising on this site.

SketchUp Is Really Great

By Todd Fratzel on Design

Recently I discovered the power and value of a free piece of software that blows my mind. If you’ve ever used any kind of drafting software like AutoCAD then you know that 3D modeling is something left for the experts. Furthermore the software needed to do 3D drafting is extremely expensive. Until now that is,…

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Basement Flooring Options

By Todd Fratzel on Flooring

Another reader question was my opinion on the best flooring options for basements. I’m not a flooring expert but I’ve seen my share of flooring options used for basements so heres my take on the topic. Basements present some flooring challenges that are unique with respect to home construction. Whether your basement is fairly new…

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How To Repair Hairline Cracks in Tile Grout Lines

By Todd Fratzel on Flooring

How To Repair Cracked Grout Anyone that’s installed ceramic tile knows that after time you may find narrow cracks in the grout lines. Typically this happens where two perpendicular faces come together. For example, where a tiled wall meets a tiled counter top or floor.We have this problem in or master bathroom in a few…

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Home Depot Coupon

By Todd Fratzel on Coupons

Save with Great Deals – Home Depot Online The Home Depot Online offers lots of great deals and savings. On this page you’ll find several Home Depot Coupon codes which provide some great savings. If you’ve got a large purchase coming up and it’s likely that the best deal is at The Home Depot then…

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How To Clean Vinyl Fence and Railing

By Todd Fratzel on Maintanence

Cleaning Vinyl Fence One of the few problems I’ve found with vinyl railings and fencing is how dirty it gets from the weather. After a season of rain, snow, ice and bird droppings these white vinyl railings great really dirty. You can’t tell from a distance but if you get up to it you won’t…

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How To Replace Light Fixture with Ceiling Fan

By Todd Fratzel on Electrical

Replacing a light fixture with a ceiling fan is a great way to cool down a room and lower your electric bill this summer. However, installing ceiling fans in existing construction can sometimes be a challenge. Ceiling fans require a special heavy duty ceiling fan junction box to support their heavy weight. Before you start…

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Underground Propane Tanks

By Todd Fratzel on Air Conditioning

Underground Propane Tanks One of the benefits to using propane vs oil for your heating fuel is you can bury the tank underground instead of having an oil tank in your basement. I like using underground propane tanks for a number of reasons as I’ll point out in this post. If you’re building a new…

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How To Plant Hydrangea

By Todd Fratzel on Landscaping

Today I planted some Hydrangea plants along the front of the farmers porch. Hydrangeas are a great perennial flowering shrub that blooms from late spring to late summer. The flowers are defined as a type of flower head (sometimes called mop heads) that contains many small flowers. The flowers can be white, blue, shades of…

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