Building a custom pergola, gazebo or patio cover is one of the best ways to enhance an outdoor living space. Beginning your project with a few simple construction tips in mind — and the right hardware on hand — can go a long way toward making your job easier, and toward creating a pergola that’s both structurally sound and stylish. Here are four tips on how to build your perfect pergola or other backyard structure.
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Category: Residential Construction
Simpson Strong-Tie offers a comprehensive set of products and solutions residential construction. We’re dedicated to ensuring that the products used in the construction of your home meet or exceed all structural and safety codes for your area and building use, even in the face of natural disasters such as earthquakes or high-wind events. We also offer a variety of educational resources, such as videos, preparation tips and detailed checklists, to identify ways to strengthen your home. Our solutions for single-family construction include Connectors for High Wind Resistance, Building Earthquake–Resistant Homes, Modular Building and Building Stronger Roofs.
A Well-Connected Home Is a Smart Home
In the digital era, we’ve observed technology grow ever “smarter,” as our devices, tools and appliances advance steadily toward greater connectivity, autonomy and responsiveness. Even homes are getting smarter, as lighting, temperature and security systems operate with increasing integration and diminishing oversight on our behalf.
Does Tension Keep Your Deck Up at Night?
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.
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Retrofitting Your Home for High Wind — 5 Questions to Ask Yourself
Nearly all parts of the country are subject to high winds. It’s important that your house is designed to withstand a high wind storm. Knowing whether your house is storm ready requires a few simple steps.
One of the first things to consider is where you live. Coastal areas, for example, are more susceptible to powerful winds such as hurricanes. Local building codes for these areas typically require homes to resist much higher wind speeds than inland homes. You’ll want to check with your local building department to learn about the codes that govern your area.
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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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A Deck Style for Every House
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.