Archives: Structure

Colonial Style Fluted Window & Door Trim

By Todd Fratzel on Design, Doors, Finish Carpentry, Windows

Window & Door Trim Today’s mass produced homes rarely use architecturally pleasing window and door trim. Most homes today are built with a very basic colonial trim with mitered joints. Obviously this is done in an effort to reduce building costs while providing a basic look. Older homes traditionally featured very ornate and detailed window…

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Deck Makeover for Early Fall Entertaining

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches

Makeover An Old Deck with Trex Decking For less than a third the cost of a new deck you may be able to “makeover” your deck just in time for Labor Day weekend and early fall entertaining with some tips from eco-friendly Trex decking. Deck renovations are often cheaper, and a lot cooler, in the…

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Rough Openings | Standard Framing Dimensions

By Todd Fratzel on Framing

Framing Rough Openings Framing rough openings for windows and doors (standard door and windows openings) is really straight forward if you follow some simple dimensional rules. For standard wood framed construction the rough openings for doors and windows is typically the actual unit size plus 2-1/2 inches in height and width. Standard Door Rough Openings…

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Custom Stairs

By Todd Fratzel on Finish Carpentry, Framing, Interior Decorating

Custom Brazilian Cherry Staircase In our new home we built the custom stairs with Brazilian Cherry treads, handrails and newel post. The risers and stringers are made from poplar. Brazilian Cherry is a really beautiful wood and extremely dense. I’m told it’s about 100 times harder than red oak. As you can see in the…

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USG Introduces Ultralight Sheetrock Drywall

By Todd Fratzel on Drywall

Sheetrock® UltraLight Panels First off let me give a hat tip to Charles & Hudson for sharing this story. Thanks Timothy! Drywalling is one of the hardest jobs in construction due to the heavy lifting and extreme mess! Well I’m glad to say things just got a bit easier for drywallers with the introduction of…

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Doors With Built In Blinds – Interior Uses

By Todd Fratzel on Doors

Door Glass with Built In Blinds I’ve written several articles about doors with built in blinds and how wonderful they are for exterior doors like paired French Doors. Today I want to discuss how these same doors can also be used for interior applications. At work we’re currently in the process of building a large…

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Asphalt Roof Shingle Warranty

By Todd Fratzel on Roofing

Understanding An Asphalt Roof Shingle Warranty Asphalt roof shingles are the most common roofing material today in this Country. The popularity of architectural shingles with long warranty periods of 20, 30, 50 years and even lifetime periods are advertised today. However, if you don’t read the fine print you might be very surprised at what’s…

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Pump Jacks For Siding Installation

By Todd Fratzel on Safety, Siding & Trim

Pump Jacks Make Siding Installation Safer Pump jacks make siding installation much safer and productive. One of our crews recently installed James HardiPlank Lap Siding on a three story addition for a private school with the assistance of pump jacks. You can buy pump jacks from most building supply companies and some online specialty stores.…

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