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.

How To Remove Ground Frost Before Mother Nature

By Todd Fratzel on Foundations

Deep Ground Frost Here in New England it’s not uncommon to find frost over 4 feet in the ground after a long cold winter. Before building a foundation all of the frost has to be removed from the sub-grade. You can let mother nature do the work and wait weeks or even months for the…

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Air Quality of Outdoor Wood-Fired Boilers

By Todd Fratzel on Air Conditioning

Outdoor Wood-Fired Boilers Outdoor wood-fired boilers have become extremely popular around here in the last few years. Last year when oil hit record prices I started seeing these outdoor units pop up everywhere I drove. Unfortunately they haven’t been completely welcomed by annoyed abutters and neighbors. The problem with these outdoor boilers is SMOKE! First…

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Raised Bed Vegetable Gardens

By Todd Fratzel on Gardening

Raised Bed Gardens We are planning on finally planting a garden this year at our new house. This year will be our 3rd full summer so we really want to get some vegetables going as we miss having our own garden. We had a medium size vegetable garden at our first home and we grew…

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Must Have Metal Stud Framing Tools

By Todd Fratzel on Framing, Power Tools

Metal Stud Framing At work we are getting ready to start framing some office space for a commercial project with metal studs. I thought it might be useful to discuss some of the must have tools required for metal stud framing. Metal stud framing has gained significant popularity in the building trade and is used…

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Neighbor Disputes | Right-Of-Ways

By Todd Fratzel on Design

Property Right-Of-Ways A friend of mine is going through a dispute with a neighbor about a right-of-way and I thought it was worth sharing. Many pieces of property have legal right-of-ways that grant access to pieces of property for many reasons. Furthermore, many property owners arean’t always aware of the right-of-ways and the significance of…

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Router Table Extension | Must Have Table Saw Add-On

By Todd Fratzel on Power Tools, Structure

Route Table Extension I’ve been wanting to get a router table extension for my Delta Table Saw for quite some time. I haven’t really seen one that caught my eye until today! Today I happen to stumble upon the Bench Dog Tools 40-102 ProMax Cast Iron Router Table Extension that fits contractor style table saws.…

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Paslode PF350-S Strip Nailer Review

By Todd Fratzel on Product Reviews

Paslode PowerFramer 350-S The folks at Paslode sent us their latest pneumatic strip nailer to review. The Paslode PowerFramer 350-S Strip Nailer is the result of two years of research and development based on feedback from the construction industry. This new pneumatic framing gun has been re-engineered from the ground up to create a powerful…

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How To Cut Fiber Cement Siding

By Todd Fratzel on Power Tools, Siding & Trim

Cutting Fiber Cement Siding Fiber Cement siding has become a very popular siding choice for new homes and remodeling jobs. One of the biggest complaints I hear though is how hard it is to cut the siding during installation. There are several ways to cut fiber cement siding and each method has it’s pros and…

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