Author: The Strong-Tie Blog Team

Protecting Your Home from Earthquakes

On a Sunday morning in late August 2014, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake surprised Napa, California residents and caused structural damage to many homes and businesses in the area. One of the most powerful earthquakes in Napa’s history, local news outlet KQED reported $300 million in damage to homes and commercial properties.

Napa is right in our backyard, about 60 miles north of Pleasanton. Many Simpson Strong-Tie employees felt the quake, but fortunately no one was injured. If you’ve ever been in a large earthquake, you would probably agree that it’s a frightening and unsettling experience. And unlike other natural disasters, there’s no warning. Here is one woman’s story about the Napa earthquake:
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Earthquake Checklist: How to Prepare Your Home

Whether you’re buying a new home or planning to stay in your current home for years to come, it’s important to make sure the building you live in is structurally sound. The following earthquake checklist will help you determine whether your house is properly connected and reinforced to withstand an earthquake.

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5 Tips for Homeowners Living in Earthquake Zones

You might not think you live in earthquake country, but at least 42 states are considered at moderate to very high risk earthquake zones. As you evaluate your home’s ability to withstand an earthquake and prepare for a seismic retrofit, knowing these simple steps will help ensure that your home is structurally sound and earthquake resistant.

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Should I Seismic Retrofit My Home?

Certain types of homes are more likely to need a seismic retrofit than others. If you answer yes to any of these questions, you should consider retrofitting your home.

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How to Build a DIY Garage Storage Wall System

Is your garage workshop starting to feel a little cluttered? Elisha Albretsen from Pneumatic Addict has teamed up with Simpson Strong-Tie to bring you an easy DIY garage storage wall system.

I love my garage. I love having a space where I can get creative and build things. Organizing said garage is a different matter. Until lately, I’ve had virtually no storage space for my tools. Everything was piled up in boxes or on the floor.

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DIY: How to Build a Workbench-Style Custom Desk

This post is part of an occasional series featuring guest bloggers. This post is by DIYer Jaime Costiglio. She’s a mom of three and describes herself as a DIY girl who works with wood, fabric and paint. She built a beautiful custom desk with our WBSK Workbench or Shelving Hardware Kit.

The workbench is perhaps my favorite place to spend time building different projects, so when it came time to build myself a new desk, I knew it had to have that workbench feel with desk-appropriate storage. Today, I’m sharing my industrial-style desk built using the Simpson Strong-Tie® DIY Workbench or Shelving Hardware Kit, plus additional fasteners.

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DIY: How to Build an H-Leg Table Bench

This past Thanksgiving, my wife Jamie and I built what we called an H-leg dining table because we needed a table that would seat 10 people. Since we knew we would want to use it outside when it warmed up, we built it out of cedar. However, we hadn’t got around to building the benches to go with it. Well, the time came where we really needed them, so we stopped procrastinating and got to work.

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DIY: How to Build Suspended Garage Shelves

This Suspended Garage Storage unit was designed and built by Amy from Hertoolbelt. She’s a tractor-driving, tool-loving mom of two. We’re delighted to share her DIY garage shelves using the Simpson Strong-Tie® Workbench/Shelving Hardware Kit.

I’m always looking for great storage ideas and solutions, especially in the garage where things tend to pile up. There is a lot of empty space above the garage door, so why not take advantage of it and add suspended garage shelves? These shelves are great for seasonal item storage and stuff that you want to keep but do not need that often. Simpson Strong-Tie connectors make these DIY storage shelves easy to build and install. The depth of the shelves are 2-feet deep but can be easily modified for 3-feet deep.
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DIY: How to Build a Mobile Kitchen Island

If you have a small kitchen or one without much counter space, one way you can create additional prep space is with a DIY mobile kitchen island. But if you cruise around online looking for mobile kitchen islands, you’ll find they can range in pricing from $75 to $1,500, with quality ranging likewise.

Yikes! It’s far more reasonable to build your mobile kitchen island than to break the bank buying one. So we teamed up with Jamie Schmitt to create this mobile kitchen island.

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What Are the Components of a Strong Wooden Fence?

Spring is officially here, and that means a lot more outdoor living and entertaining. Is your outdoor space ready? While most homeowners focus on building a new deck or on deck maintenance, redoing your fence can also transform your space. Do you know what the crucial structural connections of a strong wooden fence? We will outline them here, along with a sneak peek at our newest fence bracket, the FBFZ, just in time for spring.

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