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.

Give The Gift of Doing – The Home Depot & Ryobi

By Todd Fratzel on Home Improvement

Last Minute Gift Ideas for the DIY’er In Your Family We’re in the home stretch folks with less than two weeks until Christmas. It seems every year we wait until the last minute to get gifts for those really hard to shop for people. If one of those people on the list is a DIY’er,…

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Top Five Money Savings Tips for New Home Construction

By Todd Fratzel on Framing, Home Improvement Cost Savings

Save Big The Next Time You Build Considering how fragile the economy is right now and how timid banks are to loan money for new homes I thought I’d share my experience with saving money on new home construction. It wasn’t that long ago when getting loans was really easy and building large homes was…

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How To Stain Pine To Look Like Mahogany or Brazilian Cherry

By Todd Fratzel on Painting and Finishing

Staining Softwoods Dark Colors Like Mahogany Recently I started building a custom built-in entertainment center that consists of white painted wood cabinets and a wood countertop that needed to match some existing Brazilian Cherry in the house. In an effort to save time and money I wanted to build the 10′ long countertop from plywood…

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Cyber Monday – Buy Tools Recommended By The Pro’s

By Todd Fratzel on Home Improvement

Tool Gift Guides – By Pro’s Who Know Today is one of the biggest shopping days of the year and it’s the perfect time to buy a gift for someone that’s a contractor, carpenter, DIY’er or professional tradesman. Every year I create a great holiday Gift Guide to help you pick the best tools and…

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How To Insulate Basement Walls

By Todd Fratzel on Basements, Foundations, Insulation

How To Insulate Basement Walls Insulating a basement properly is rather challenging in cold climates. In this article I’d like to discuss how to insulate basement walls in cold climates. Insulating basement walls in cold climates is a great way to keep your home warmer and drier. However, special care should be used when insulating…

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2012 Holiday Gift Guide

By Todd Fratzel on Home Improvement

Tools For Everyone This Year Each year we create a fun Holiday Gift Guide that shows off some of our favorite tools and suggestions for gifts. The guide covers everything from simple DIY’er type tools all the way up to very expensive must have tools for contractors. This year’s guide offers up a wide selection…

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How To Build a Dog Shower / Tub

By Todd Fratzel on Design & Planning

Built-In Dog Shower = Happier Owner and Dog Recently while working with a customer on a new house design they mentioned that one of the “must haves” on the project included a dedicated, built-in dog shower. At first I thought he might be joking but he was dead serious. After doing some research I quickly…

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How To Install Fypon Gable Pediment Brackets

By Todd Fratzel on Curb Appeal

Custom Gable Pediments by Fypon Adorn Custom Home The difference between a house you’ve seen a million times and one that leaves a lasting architectural image in your brain can be the little things. We just finished building a gorgeous custom home with a very traditional New England farm house feel. The house features several…

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