Thomas Martinez

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

First up, you have a giant blank ceiling that feels slightly too big for the room. How do you give it more architectural weight? How … Read more

A concrete footing is not just something to throw some mix in and call it good. Tons of folks dig out a hole, dump some … Read more

When framing a rake wall you have a straight bottom plate and a sloped roof line. That means that your vertical wall studs is all … Read more

Roof replacements are one of those jobs where failure precedes leakiness. You know it’s time for a new roof when: 1) the shingles is faded; … Read more

First, there’s a roll of tape measure. And then there’s nothing but hole in ground. There’s no wall here. You are just standing in the … Read more

Most failed tiles aren’t bad tiles. They’re tiles with something wrong behind them. Most often, it’s some unseen void that traps moisture and allows water … Read more

Almost all of these start with that little metal bracket. It’s too big, too small, the wrong finish, screwed on with wrong screws. Usually it … Read more