Thomas Martinez

If you don’t know what’s creating the sloping surface you’re measuring, there’s no way to accurately measure a roof despite a day of measuring. A … Read more

Sand becomes stabilized and transforms loose, grainy material to a solid base. It is similar to concrete but has none of it’s shrinking or cracking … Read more

Everyone approaches a driveway project as though it’s a basic geometry exercise. Length plus width equals volume. You measure the rectangle, you choose a thickness, … Read more

The way you begin: You’ve got this vision in mind, the expanded storage, the covered porch, whatever it might be. And then you run into … Read more

Calculating Roof Area The roof isn’t flat, it’s sloped. And while you’re in the attic with your tape measure, you realize measuring is more complex … Read more

The weight of a brick comes from its mass, yes. But that’s not all. There’s also the weight of the water it contains. There are … Read more

I think the way a brick veneer facade looks is part of what makes it seem like a solid wall, after all, it’s supposed to … Read more

The wall is blank, and there you are, staring at it, envisioning what it will become. A rustic façade for the garage door? Dramatic accent … Read more

So here’s what it looks like at the bottom of a new entry way. The Rise is measured to the threshold of your door. Twenty … Read more

A common reason DIY ovens don’t work out (or at least turn into half-assed attempts) is that person who built it ordered less thermal mass … Read more

It’s hard to build circles out of square bricks. Curves expose tiny measurement mistakes that is hidden by straight walls. If you’re making a fire … Read more