Q. We have a water- and weather-damaged support post (load bearing) and attached railing that rotted under the weather coating. We need to replace them, but I’m wondering about the scope of the job? A ...

Porch column wraps aren't meant to be structural — they're decorative pieces that surround the existing, load-bearing post to make it look better. Premade column wraps can be pricy — while some are ...

Q: Tim, you helped me years ago, and now I’m back. I’m going to build a free-standing deck at my house during my vacation. After watching lots of online videos, I’m somewhat confused about how to ...

This is the year of the deck at my home. I've scheduled the time off and I'm ready to build. However, I need your help on several things. How do I connect the deck posts to the deck? How do the posts ...

The view from Daughter No. 3’s front porch is one straight out of a magazine – verdant pastures dotted with tan Belgian draft horses and black-and-white Holsteins; a pond; and a curvy, hilly road that ...

correctionA previous version of this report misstated Gary Lofdahl's title and company. He is an architect with Wilder Design/Build, not head of business development for WilderWorks. The report has ...

Q. Tim, you helped me years ago, and now I’m back. I’m going to build a freestanding deck at my house during my vacation. After watching lots of online videos, I’m somewhat confused about how to ...

Q: I’m going to build a free-standing deck at my house during my vacation. After watching lots of online videos, I’m somewhat confused about how to connect the deck posts to the concrete piers. What ...