Q: I’m facing some building projects. One is a tall deck, another is framing a garden shed, and I need to help a friend with a room addition. I’m wondering about diagonal bracing. I don’t understand ...

The typical cost range for building a deck is $4,141 to $11,713, though the national average cost is $7,913. The main cost factors in building a deck include deck size, materials, foundation, and ...

Question: My husband and I purchased a beautiful townhome on Santa Barbara’s Upper Eastside a few years back that was recently built. There are two buildings, both three stories tall, built in what I ...

Question: I need to build a deck, and I’m told that the wood posts that will support the deck must sit precisely on top of concrete piers. How in the world do you connect the wood posts to the ...

DEAR TIM: I need to build a deck, and I’m told that the wood posts that support the deck must then sit precisely on top of concrete piers. How in the world do you connect the wood posts to the ...

If you’re planning to build a deck this year, I’d like to tell you about three simple design details that’ll make your new deck better than average. These don’t necessarily add significantly to the ...