Archives: Structure

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

By Todd Fratzel on Roofing

Today it’s snowing again! We’ve already had 3 major snow events here in New Hampshire and it’s not even Christmas yet! Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see it white here for Christmas for my little guy. But the snow is wreaking havoc on all of my construction projects at work. We are currently…

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Radiant Barrier Insulation

By Todd Fratzel on Air Conditioning, Insulation

Attic Radian Barrier Radiant barrier sheathing called TechShield Radiant Barried by LP is an exciting new product. I stumbled upon this product today doing some research and I thought it was a great idea. Next to windows the roofs on our homes are a huge source of energy loss. Whether you’re trying to keep out…

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More On Winter Window Condensation

By Todd Fratzel on Windows

I’ve written about window condensation and ice a couple of times, Winter Window Condensation Problems and Winter Window Condensation. In both segments I wrote about how new energy efficient windows are also prone to these problems. I’ve received many questions about window condensation so I thought I’d review the basic problems that cause this winter…

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Using Metal Hangers/Connectors For Wood Framing

By Todd Fratzel on Framing

One of the great products available for construction these days are the metal hangers and connectors. Almost every house built today uses some type of hanger to connect joists, beams and posts. We use a multitude of these hangers everyday. We use them for joists, trusses, beams, headers, posts, columns and walls. A great resource…

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Proper Erection of Residential Wood Trusses

By Todd Fratzel on Roofing

This week at work my crew was setting trusses for a new house and it reminded me about how often residential wood trusses collapse. The biggest reason they collapse is poor bracing and a mis-understanding about how to proper erect these great time savers. A typical metal plate connected wood truss is a very efficient…

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TJI Floor Joist Time Saver

By Todd Fratzel on Framing

How To Quickly Cut TJI Joists I’m often asked if there is a quick way to cut long TJI (I-Joist) joists to length while keeping the cuts square. We use Weyerhaeuser’s TJI’s for floor framing in most of the houses we build. The nice thing is you can get them the full length of the…

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Certainteed Vinyl Siding

By Todd Fratzel on Siding & Trim

One of the nice things about my job is I get to see and use lots of different building products. So when we built our new home I feel like I had quite the leg up on choosing quality products. One product that we use on many of our new homes is CertainTeed vinyl siding.…

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Staining Pressure Treated Deck Framing

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, Painting and Finishing

Our deck out back was framed with pressure treated lumber. We used cambara decking for the surface and it’s treated with Penofin sealer. In order to get the pressure treated to look more like the stained cambara decking I bought some Cabot’s deck stain in the “red wood” color. As you can see in the…

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