DIY Weight Storage: Using Simpson Strong-Tie Strength to Organize a Home Gym

One of the nicest outcomes of the COVID pandemic has been the reduction in commuting time for people who have shifted to working 100% from home. With less time in transit, many people have had to figure out how to work effectively from home.

Renegotiating time and space for work hasn’t been the only challenge, though. Not only did many places of employment close, but the businesses where people spend their time, like churches, salons, and gyms were also shuttered. When COVID restrictions began, most gyms were closed, and once restrictions were lifted and doors reopened to customers, only a small percentage of people could congregate inside at one time. For people whose workouts are a central part of their lives —stopping them altogether or waiting until things got back to normal just wasn’t an option. So, when my coworker described how she reimagined her family’s workout time, I was immediately inspired and couldn’t wait to share her story.

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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.   

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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 GreaShakeOut, 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. 

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Protecting Homes Against Earthquakes — a New Blog Series

October is Earthquake Preparedness Month, and October 15 is the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill. In this blog series, we thought we’d share some steps homeowners can take to help minimize the risk of damage from earthquakes. Depending on your location, you may find further information and resources at the end of each blog post, with links to local cities that participate in resiliency plans for homeowners and contractors. 

If an earthquake were to strike at this very moment, are you confident your home is adequately constructed to withstand its forces? Continue reading “Protecting Homes Against Earthquakes — a New Blog Series”

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.

Building a chicken coop doesn’t have to be an intimidating or impossible project. As long as you have some basic woodworking skills (or a willingness to learn them), space, time, and determination, we’ll guide you through the rest!

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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. 

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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.

Simpson Strong-Tie Fasteners product marketing manager Robert Shirley turned to our website and the Simpson Strong-Tie WBSK Workbench and Shelving Hardware Kit when he was trying to find inspiration to build a new potting bench. He tells his story and shares photos of the finished project below.

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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.  

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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.  

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How to Prepare for Hurricane Season

The Simpson Strong-Tie Mission is to “provide solutions that help people design and build safer, stronger structures.” Safety is an important part of the work we do and the products we provide.

In addition to supplying products that help make structures, and therefore people, safer, we also collaborate with outside groups that focus on educating the public about how to stay safe in the face of natural hazards.

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