A little like Bugs Bunny’s, Simpson Strong-Tie’s favorite season is “deck season.” This penchant makes sense, because for more than half a century Simpson Strong-Tie has been the leader in structural wood connectors. That history of fashioning solid connections makes us the perfect partner for homeowners and contractors who want to build safe, strong wood decks. But did you know our deck solutions don’t end at connectors? Every year, our team of engineers innovates better ways not only to build new decks but to strengthen existing decks. Whether you’re a contractor seeking new ways to build faster and more safely
The year 2016 saw its share of momentous events, if you care to recall: Britain voted to leave the EU, Russia interfered in the US presidential election and North Korea conducted nuclear tests. At that time, the world was still in an economic expansion and Americans were still living their usual busy social lives — which in most cases meant a daily commute to work or school, shopping, eating out once or twice a week, and planning fun adventures for spring and summer vacations.
Jade Spadoni, Community Manager on the Simpson Strong-Tie social media marketing team, recently attended JLC, her first tradeshow with the company. Over two days, she engaged with influencers, connected with customers and had the opportunity to interact face to face with many individuals she typically engages with online or virtually.
A deck is more than just a new outdoor space. When designing your next deck, consider a layout that works with the architectural style of your home. There is a deck style suited for every home – from a large mountain estate all the way down to a highly functional tiny house.
Founded by Zachary Spriggs, Deck Dynasty has completed 10–15 big (and small) projects each year since 2015. Originally from Denver, Colorado and now building in Franklin, North Carolina, Deck Dynasty's projects mainly focus on custom decks as well as staircases, docks, and ramps. Learn more about Deck Dynasty's business and advice to the current and future generation of builders.
Building or repairing a deck, fence or subfloor can be a great way to enhance and maintain your living space for safety and enjoyment while potentially adding value to the property. And if you’re like a lot of us, you’d prefer to tackle some of the more straightforward jobs yourself.
Decks continue to be a popular addition to homes. In 2017, nearly 24 percent of the single-family homes started that year included a deck. The same year, 25 percent of National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) remodelers reported adding a deck as one of their most common projects. Those numbers have remained pretty constant for the last decade, steadily swelling the number of decks in the United States.
What comes to mind when you think of May? May flowers (from April showers)? Horse racing (the Kentucky Derby and Preakness)? Car racing (the Indianapolis 500)? How about some special days, like Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Teacher Appreciation Day or Armed Forces Day? Mothers, teachers, and members of the military definitely deserve all the recognition they can get. But what about your safety? There are two month-long observances in May that also deserve some attention: Building Safety Month and Deck Safety Month.
As winter turns to spring and the days get warmer and longer, homeowners gear up for backyard barbecues and fun in the sun. That means brisk business for the deck-building industry, which has been enjoying rapid growth in tandem with the increased popularity of outdoor living and entertaining. After all, what homeowner doesn’t want a nice outdoor deck?
Lacy Patino, our CRM Strategy Manager, is focused on using Salesforce to help grow our business. Alongside her role, she has given her family cabin a facelift with a brand-new deck. She used our Deck Planner Software to plan, design, and print out plans for her contractor, making the deck-building process easy and efficient. Learn more about her experience in her role and how she's enjoying her deck.
Just as knowing the load capacities of your metal hardware is crucial to safeguarding the structural integrity and longevity of your building project, so is understanding the metal’s susceptibility to corrosion. The likelihood of rust and rot increases when you are building outdoors in wet environments or other corrosive conditions. Having a solid awareness of the corrosive threats posed by the environment and your building materials will help you to choose the fasteners, connectors and anchors that will best mitigate the risk of corrosion and keep your project structurally sound for the long haul. Start by evaluating the exposure levels
Andrew Peterson, owner of Quality Woodworks, specializes in carpentry and operates a fence-building company. Over the years, he’s relied on our Outdoor Accents® black powder-coated hardware to enhance the strength and beauty of his structures. Explore his commitment to providing quality workmanship that satisfies his clients.
Fellow Aussie Nathan, a Trade Sales Specialist hailing from Simpson Strong-Tie Australia, DIYed a deck for his home this past year. He discusses the logistics of building a deck from the cut list to materials and shares his extensive career journey with Simpson Strong-Tie.
It’s hard to build during the cold, wet season of winter — which makes it the perfect time to start laying plans for that new deck you’ve been dreaming about. That’s why this winter we unveiled our new, easy-to-use Deck Planner Software™. Deck Planner Software enables contractors or homeowners to design a dream deck in just a few minutes. To help roll it out, we asked homeowners who might be considering building a deck in 2020 to try it out and send in their deck designs.
This week’s post was written by Jen Woodhouse from The House of Wood.
In outdoor design, every detail matters. From the choice of materials to the arrangement of furnishings, each element contributes to an outdoor space's overall style and ambiance. One often overlooked aspect of outdoor design is the successful integration of the hardware used in buildings like pergolas and decks with their structural members. The hardware needs to function flawlessly and complement the overall design scheme to enhance the visual appeal of an outdoor space.
Just like your home, your deck can’t be expected to last or keep you safe unless it’s correctly built and maintained. Most experts agree that the average life expectancy of a wood deck is 10 to 15 years, and estimate that millions of decks in the US may be presently unsafe. The good news, however, is attention to deck safety can prevent most deck collapses.
It’s no surprise that with so many of us stuck at home for most of 2020, there’s been an increased interest in DIY projects. Homeowners have been using the time to build everything from desks to alternative dwelling units. That interest is reflected in where we see visitors going on our website. We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of people downloading free project plans and an especially high interest in free pergola plans.
Whether you’re building a brand new deck or retrofitting an existing one, concerns about the strength and safety of your deck can be a significant source of tension. Other than the quality of the wood itself, how the wood members of a deck are connected to each other and to the adjacent structure is the most important part of the deck. Connections that don’t meet code requirements or that have become loose, corroded or decayed over time, compromise a deck’s strength and safety.
In late July 2017, the Los Angeles County Superior Court finally dropped the gavel on Mohamed Hadid, sentencing the mega-mansion builder – and father of supermodels Bella and Gigi Hadid – to three years of probation, 200 hours of community service, and more than $3,000 in fines for unpermitted construction on a 30,000 square foot home perched over a Bel Air, Calif. hillside.
