Thomas Martinez

The steel needs cutting. There’s a deadline for turning in your quote by lunchtime, but the machine is already humming in the corner. No problem … Read more

What most envision when they think “A-frame” is some massive triangle whose roof touches the earth. That’s not what it looks like in real life: … Read more

But, here’s the thing: The easiest-looking building to construct… What looks like a single pitch roof, can catch the uninitiated in a real mess. That’s … Read more

The math follows the dream Most DIY builders begin with a dream; they finish with the math. You want something that looks right, like a … Read more

Think about a bedroom. Imagine standing in a quiet room, looking at a perfectly good wall; then think about wanting to put in a window. … Read more

Roof trusses is just static triangles nailed to the wall, right? Not really. They’re complex tension and compression structures, designed with their exact shape to … Read more

The #1 reason porches fail is that the roof is too low or drains too slowly. Ideally you want one where you can stand up, … Read more

The roof pitch are an important detail of your pole barn plan. This isn’t merely about looks: it’s also tied directly to the question of … Read more

We tend to think of framing in terms of its ability to hold up. Stiffness is what’s more important. Even if a floor is structurally … Read more

A bad floor shows itself without your needing to walk on it. There’s a nervous creak in the floorboards, not because they’re old, but because … Read more

It’s the same with your floor. You want to make the garage into a home gym or you buy a heavy aquarium, the floor becomes … Read more

At times, when you build up to your deck beam, you might discover that you have more space then expected. That one foot beyond where … Read more

In the finished basement, you walk in and notice how the floor feel alive beneath your feet. When you step onto the rug, it bounces; … Read more

Guess what? You’re likely doing this: You’ve estimated the size of your roof from ground and have tried a mental calculation about how much material … Read more