Jesse of the Strong-Tie Blog Team

Construction Marketing Ideas: 20 Best Backyard Builder Marketing Strategies for Success

For construction companies, marketing is a way to find leads that allow them to win more projects and succeed in business. There are many different approaches to construction marketing, and marketing your services successfully means finding the strategies that work best for you.

Strong Conversations: The Future of Women in Residential Construction

Strong Conversations Season One: Women in Construction Episode Three: The Future of Women in Residential Construction In this episode, we talk to three rising stars in their companies and the industry. We get to hear personal stories about how each of the guests entered the industry but, more importantly, what’s keeping them in the industry. We share […]

Women In Construction Episode Two: The Importance of Mentorship

Strong Conversations Season One: Women in Construction Episode Two: The Importance of Mentorship Mentorship is one of the most invaluable things we can have in our careers and lives. We discuss the importance of mentorship and how we can find it, provide it, and foster it in our work environments. We also discuss the different types […]

Strong Conversations: Women in Leadership

Strong Conversations Season One: Women in Construction Episode One: Women in Leadership Being a leader is a challenging role. But being a female leader can offer many advantages. Listen to this episode as we talk to three women leaders about how they motivate their teams to be successful and create an environment where women belong […]

Seismology and You: A Brief Overview of Some Major Earthquakes in Recent History

Seismology and You: A Brief Overview of Some Major Earthquakes in Recent History

On the third Thursday of every October, organizations and companies worldwide participate in earthquake drills and other preparedness activities. These activities are part of the Great ShakeOut, an annual event founded after the Loma Prieta Earthquake on October 17, 1989.

From Our CEO: Simpson Strong-Tie — A Strong Culture

From Our CEO: Simpson Strong-Tie — A Strong Culture

Mike Olosky is the Chief Executive Officer at Simpson Strong-Tie as of January 1, 2023. Before that, Mike served for two years as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. In what follows, he discusses some of the characteristics that define the Simpson Strong-Tie culture and make it stand out.

Building It Forward with Simpson Strong-Tie

Giving back is one of our company core values at Simpson Strong-Tie, and for many years, we’ve donated time, money and products to Habitat for Humanity. We’d like your help continuing to bring awareness to the need for safe, strong and affordable housing.

How to Build a DIY Wood Workbench in Under Two Hours

The first step to creating a serious home workshop — whether it’s in your shed, basement, or garage — is obtaining an affordable but sturdy workbench. Simpson Strong-Tie has more than 65 years of expertise developing connectors to build safe, strong homes, so imagine the result if you applied our connector solutions to your new workbench.

Perfect Pergola Planned: Elements of an Achievable Pergola Plan

Lumber prices are continuing to return to Earth, making it possible to start dreaming once again about backyard projects. It’s the perfect time to take our new, easy-to-use Pergola Planner Software™ for a spin. Pergola Planner Software enables contractors or homeowners to design the perfect pergola in just a few minutes. Earlier this year we asked homeowners who might be considering a new backyard pergola to try out the software and send in their pergola designs.

How Jackson Lumber & Millwork Used Pipeline LBM Software from Simpson Strong-Tie to Boost Takeoff Speed and Efficiency by 50 Percent

Can running takeoff software and generating materials lists for new construction projects be as fun as playing a video game? The inside sales team at Jackson Lumber & Millwork sure seems to think so. Founded in 1946, Jackson is a third-generation, family-owned lumber and building materials dealer serving custom homebuilders, contractors, remodelers, and homeowners across Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

DIY: How to Spray-Paint Metal Connectors

While many people like the look of galvanized metal connectors on their DIY projects — as we have shown with the Simpson Strong-Tie® Rigid Tie® RTC connectors on our DIY standing desk and heavy-duty workbench — others prefer a painted look.

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DIY: Nominal Lumber Size Versus Actual Lumber Size

Every so often a homeowner tackling a new project will reach out to ask why their lumber doesn’t fit the connector. We sympathize. Lumber size can be confusing, especially when someone is first getting started with DIY woodworking. Nearly every single time this question comes up, it comes down to “nominal” dimensions of the purchased lumber.

2020: The Year You Did It Yourselves 

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.

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Builder Solutions Webinar Series: Pipeline Estimating Software

This summer we hosted a successful Builder Solutions Webinar series dedicated to highlighting innovative new product solutions to help get houses on the market faster. The thirdwebinar in the series lightly touched on our web-based material management and estimation logic software solution — Pipeline. Due to the popularity of the topic, we’re launching the Pipeline Webinar Series.

Great ShakeOut 2020: Reddit Asks Us Anything About Earthquakes

Each year, Simpson Strong-Tie teams up with the West Coast’s top earthquake scientists and preparedness experts to take questions from Redditors about earthquakes and tsunamis. The Reddit AMA is part of the Great ShakeOut, the world’s largest earthquake drill, where 55 million people drop, cover and hold on. The next Great ShakeOut is scheduled to take place at 10:17 a.m. on October 15, 2020.

5 Things to Know Before Building a Chicken Coop

So, you’ve decided to build a chicken coop for your yard — congratulations! But now you’re probably thinking, “Where do I even start? What materials do I need? How many chickens can I put inside?” Simpson Strong-Tie has partnered with the backyard chicken experts at Chickens and More to answer these questions and many more.

Woodhouse Pergola

6 Free Pergola Plans (Plus: Pavilions, Patios and Arbors)

Free pergola plans by Simpson Strong-Tie will help beautify your backyard while providing your family and guests with shade to relax in. These pergola designs were developed by Simpson Strong-Tie engineers, so you can be confident that not only will they look great but they’ll be safe, strong structures. We’ve set out to create a diverse selection of architectural styles to make it easier for you to find the structure that best enhances your outdoor space.

DIY: Building a Potting Bench with the Workbench Hardware Kit

Many of us have found ourselves spending more time at home this summer trying our hands at do-it-yourself projects or making long-overdue home improvements. Simpson Strong-Tie has a helpful DIY website filled with inspirational photos and free project plans. Many of those projects, like our free pergola and garage shelving plans, were produced in house by our engineers. Others came from the creative minds of brand ambassadors we’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years, like the Rogue Engineer and Jen Woodhouse.

Extreme Environments and Shipping Traffic Batter Aging Marine Infrastructure, Necessitating Flexible Repair Solutions

Pounding waves. Ship collisions. Saltwater corrosion. Freeze and thaw cycles. Storm damage. From coast to coast, the nation’s wharves, sea walls, docks, and piers take an annual beating from sun, sand, wind, and surf, not to mention the wear and tear from supporting maritime and recreational boaters. Sure, they’re built tough, but extreme conditions put these structures in need of regular repair and restoration.

Builder Solutions Webinar Series: Anchors, Curved Framing, Coiled Straps, Fasteners and Prescriptive Framing

Do you want to learn how Simpson Strong-Tie is creating builder solutions to help get houses on the market faster? Since many of us are relying more on online solutions, we’ve developed a builder webinar series highlighting new innovative product solutions that reduce labor time and help decrease the opportunity for misinstallations, while meeting code requirements.

Deck Planner 3D Render

Dream Deck Designed: Elements of an Achievable Deck Plan

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.

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