Thomas Martinez

A pergola can be seen by most homeowners as little more than a decorative framework to hang vines from. However, nature doesn’t like flat things … Read more

Staring up at the framing over your head in an incomplete room, you think: those rafters are just some pieces of lumber… right? Wrong! Every … Read more

Why do most people go wrong with their shed roofs? They do it before they hammer a single nail: in the planning stages. Because, after … Read more

That’s why the cantilever is the most difficult component to build in a deck; it contradicts all your intuitions about how things hold together. Wood … Read more

The idea starts out on the blueprint, open-concept living room, but when it comes time to do the math in the field, it’s got to … Read more

As you’re getting ready to screw down the first sheet of plywood, you notice the wobble and feel the floor flex under your boot heel. … Read more

Bad Driveways Have a Sound. Tires slap on wet mud. Stones crunch as they are pulled out of a hole. The first mistake every homeowner … Read more

If you’ve ever stood in an unfinished home and felt your boot bounce, take note: It’s not just embarrassing; it’s a red flag that something … Read more

It seems like a long way from one side of the room to another, standing there in the middle of an open basement. Or you … Read more

Probably you know how to write roof pitch in an easy-to-remember ratio: say three inches rise for every 12 inches of run. It sounds purely … Read more

Have you ever stepped on a floor and thought it was wobbly? It’s more than just annoying. When the floor wiggle it tells you structure … Read more

Look at a wall. Stand in a room. What’s behind that wall? The weight of your family. It is a tub. It might even be … Read more

The most common reason for a failed landscape project is lack of good planning, not bad brickwork. “I’m gonna build a curving edge to that … Read more

[ {“text”: “amount of mortar required”, “format”: “bold”}, {“text”: “back butter large format tile”, “format”: “bold”}, {“text”: “irregularly shaped natural stone”, “format”: “bold”}, {“text”: “dry … Read more