Blog
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Choosing a Wood Fence, From Species to Posts
A wood fence in Western Massachusetts lives or dies by its posts and by how it handles wind, snow and wet ground. Cedar and treated pine compared, the main styles, setting posts in frost country, gate…
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Checking Your Deck After a New England Winter
Months under snow leave their marks in predictable places: the ledger, the posts, the joist tops and the stairs. A spring walk-through with a flashlight and a screwdriver, and how to tell a repair fro…
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Fence Care Through a New England Winter
Plowed snowbanks, road salt and frost heave do most of their damage to fences between December and March. What to do in the fall, during the snow months and after the thaw, and how wood, vinyl and met…
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Patio Pavers, Poured Concrete or Stamped Concrete
A patio in Western Massachusetts has to survive frost under it and salt on top of it. How pavers, plain concrete, stamped concrete and natural stone cope, and why the gravel base and the slope matter …
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Pergola Design and Materials for a New England Yard
An open roof of beams and rafters still has to stand up to wind, frost and wet snow. How a pergola differs from a gazebo or pavilion, the materials that suit Western Massachusetts, footings, spans, at…
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Planning a Backyard Gazebo in Western Massachusetts
A gazebo is a small building with a roof that has to carry New England snow and footings that have to stay put through frost. Size and siting, foundations, roofs, screens and power, permits, and kits …
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Planning a New Deck in Western Massachusetts
Frost, snow and a short building season shape every deck in the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires. Permits, footings, the ledger, framing for snow, guards and stairs, and decking that copes with freez…
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Wrought Iron, Steel or Aluminum for an Ornamental Fence
Most black metal fences sold as wrought iron are tubular steel or aluminum, and the difference shows after a few winters of road salt. How the three compare, what pool barrier rules ask of a fence and…