Need to build your privacy fence on a slope? It’s not hard as long as you plan and build carefully. You have four options. You get to decide which is best for you. Here they are:

Level Rails, Level Pickets: As my amazing drawing below shows, this method gives the top of the fence line a stair-step look. The tops of the pickets will be more stable and supported than the bottoms of the pickets. You could strengthen the bottom of the fence with a rot board running parallel to the ground. Using level rails means you either have to put your rails closer together or use fewer rails.

Level Rails, Sloped Pickets: The top of the fence line is parallel to the ground but the tops and the bottoms of the pickets are left unsupported. You can strengthen the fence pickets at the top with a top rail, which also makes the fence look nice, and you can strengthen the bottom with a rot board.

Sloped Rails, Sloped Pickets: I like this one the best but you have to decide how level you want the top of the fence. Do you want to trim the tops off the fence pickets or do you want to leave them untrimmed with a small rise from picket to picket? It’s up to you and it barely matters. This is my favorite method because it easily allows for three rails AND the pickets are well-supported from top to bottom along the length of the fence.

Sloped Rails, Level Pickets: This is my second favorite method because it allows for three rails but the drawback is that you still end up with pickets that are unsupported at their tops. If you want the stair-step look in your fence, this is probably the way to go.

IMPORTANT (REALLY): If you are building a gate on the slope portion of your fence, put the hinges on the DOWNHILL side so it will open towards the downhill side instead of swinging into the hill.

Level Rails versus Sloped Rails:  Unless you are building your fence on unusually rough or unlevel terrain, I would suggest always sticking with sloped rails and sloped pickets. Levels rails are easier to build if you are building in an area where you have to move a lot of rocks or something. Some people might just prefer the straighter lines of the level pickets.

Whichever method you choose to build your fence on a slope, you can use a rot board at the bottom to strengthen the fence and protect the bottoms of the pickets and a top rail will improve the looks of your fence and provided additional strength up there as well. Screws are better than nails and always use properly treated wood.

Here are more tips on how to build a fence that lasts.

How to Build a Fence that Lasts

Building a wooden fence can be backbreaking work but, conceptually speaking, it is very simple. You choose your layout, mark your corners, stretch a string to keep your lines straight, set your fence posts, add rails, add a gate, add pickets, and you are done. Again, at its core…

Here’s some help if you are building your fence on a slope.

How to Build a Fence (the basic version)

1. Choose Your Fence Layout
2. Mark the Fence Corners
3. Stretch a String Between Corners
4. Set Your Fence Posts
5. Add Fence Rails
6. Add Gate
7. Add Fence Pickets

How to Build a Fence that Will LAST

The main point of this article is about how to build a fence that will last. There are a few things you can do to build a fence that will outlast the other fences in the fence line. Your neighbors will be replacing old worn out fence materials while you sit atop your fence saluting their hard work and poor construction methods.

Building a long-lasting fence can also be broken down into a short list similar to the one above but with a few additional details…

Steps to Build a Fence that will Last

1. Choose Your Fence Layout (same)
2. Mark the Fence Corners (same)
3. Stretch a String Between Corners (same)
4. Set Your Heavily Treated or Coated Fence Posts
5. Add 3 Fence Rails (not two) Using Screws
6. Add a “Rot Board”
7. Add Gate
8. Add Fence Pickets Using Screws

The builder of this fence went for longevity using .60 CCA treated 6×6 posts and a “rot board.” The fence also looks beautiful because of the trim boards at the top and the fact that the rails and pickets are set inside and between the posts. This can be done using 4×4 posts but it looks funny because the posts are so small (relatively).

There are three main components of any project. In no particular order of importance, they are:

1. Design
2. Materials
3. Construction

Each of these three components must be respected for any project to produce a strong and long lasting result. Building a fence is no different. Taking these components into account, here’s a brief overview of what you can do to build a fence that will outlast your expectations. It is easiest to analyze proper fence construction at the components level.

Think Longevity by the Piece

Design your fence with longevity in mind. A fence is only composed of four basic components:

1. Posts
2. Rails
3. Pickets
4. Fasteners

Build your fence so that each component supports, and is supported by, the components around it. Think about how you want the fence to look five years from now as you design it, buy your fence materials, and build it.

Fence Posts - A Strong Foundation

Posts rot at the ground line so protect against that. Use posts that are well treated and come from a reputable location. For the absolute best results, use posts coated with a polymer coating such as the ones produced by the folks at American Pole and Timber. They coat the bottom three feet of treated posts with a polymer coating that is guaranteed for 25 years. 4×4-8′ posts cost about $17 each instead of $8 but you will probably be able to use the posts again for your next fence - saving you time and headaches down the road.

Other long lasting fence post tips include:

• Plant deeply - about 1/3 the height of the fence.
• Tamp the bottom of each post hole to minimize settling over time.
• Encourage drainage with a thin layer of gravel (a few inches is fine) at the base of the posts.
• Level carefully to ensure the posts well aligned and straight.
• Pack the dirt tightly around the posts after they are installed.
• Cap, slant, or round the top of each fence post so water cannot accumulate.

Whether or not you want to set your posts in concrete is up to you. While concrete makes a post seem permanent I am not convinced it actually makes the fence last much longer and it definitely makes removal a real bear.

Along the same vein, you can also consider using larger fence posts such as 6×6’s. The look cool, are really strong, and are usually treated more heavily that 4×4’s. They also require larger holes and are very heavy so you will probably need help putting each fence post in place. Are they necessary? Probably not but they will provide an excellent foundation.

Fence Rails - Use Three

Rails sag over time and there two are primary ways you can combat this - build with your rails on their “edges” so you will have a stronger “depth-of-section” and use three rails so each rail supports less weight. A third option is to set the fence posts closer together. Always use treated wood. #2 grade treated lumber is great for a fence - cost effective and strong.

If you get nothing else out of this how to article, take this away - use three rails. Pickets have a weakness that shows up over time but is seldom considered when the fence is being built. Pickets have a tendency to warp. Using three rails dramatically improves the chances that your fence’s pickets will remain straight.

Use 3 Rails when Building Your Fence

Toenail your fence rails to your posts. Not only does it look better than butted rails but it leaves no spaces between pickets and rails where grass can grown and critters can hide. Birds and other nesting animals often build homes in the spaces between posts and pickets, especially in “neighbor friendly” fences with alternating panels.

I prefer to “toenail” fence rails because this method creates straighter lines and does not leave a space for grass, weeds, and critters to creep between the posts and the pickets.

Fence Pickets - Lift & Support

Most pickets come in 5/8″ thick but use 3/4″ thick pickets if you can find them. That would be the same as using 1″ nominal dimension lumber. Call around the local lumber yards. Yes, the will cost a little bit more but will last longer, warp less, and look better.

Make sure you use treated pickets. A good treated picket will last 10 years if maintained with the occasional stain. An untreated picket will last only a few years. This should not be a big concern because you usually won’t even find UNtreated pickets - there’s no point in making them. You can also consider cedar, redwood, or any other variety of “naturally resistant” wood species.

The best two things you can do to extend the life of fence pickets are to use a rot board and a three rail system. Again, if you take nothing else away from this article…use three rails. The rot board lifts the fence pickets off the ground where they are in contact with pests and moisture and keeps them aways from regular beatings by a weed eater. A three rail systems supports fence pickets more effectively to minimize warping.

Fasteners - Use Screws

Use screws for everything. Good deck screws such as Primeguard Plus coated deck screws do not rust and will not pull out like nails. Building your fence with screws minimizes warping and helps keep your fence solid and tight. When building your fence gate, use excellent hardware - not the cheapest kit you find. Use galvanized or zinc coated hinges and hardware to minimize rust.

Fence Maintenance

Now that we have gone over the basics of how to build a fence that will last, let’s look quickly at fence maintenance. There’s not a lot to do, really. Just spray the fence with a great high quality deck and fence sealer every few years and you should be great. A few of the best brands are Cabot and Wolman, according to a Consumer’s Report article as well as my experience.

Examine the fence occasionally for broken boards or sagging rails. If one rail is sagging, it is not properly supporting the components around it. Replace broken boards. Not only do they look bad but when they flop back and forth, they put unwelcome stress on the rails.

A long-lasting fence will cost a few dollars more up front but you will save money in the long-run because it will last longer and you might even get to re-use your fence posts. Most fences are still in service looooong after their aesthetic life died a slow miserable death. Another benefit of a well-built fence is that it will always look good.

State Building Codes

Finding building codes and construction permits in your state can be difficult as evidenced by the numerous requests for help I get so here is a list of building codes resources by state to help you find the building code and construction permit information you need.

Before you run off to build with a copy of your state building codes in hand, check your local building codes as well and look into whether you need building permits or approval from your HOA.

If you know of other resources for building code or permit information for your state, please add a link to it in a comment.

Alabama

Alabama Building Commission

Alaska

Alaska DPS Building Codes and Permits

Alaska Building Codes

Arizona

Department of Fire, Building, and Life Safety

Arizona Building Energy Codes

Arkansas

Arkansas Building Authority

California

Division of the State Architect

Building Standards Commission

Building Standards Code Development and Adoption Project

Colorado

Construction Permit Links

Office of the State Architect

Information for Developers in Colorado

Connecticut

Office of State Building Inspector

or Another Page in the Office of State Building Inspector

Delaware

Construction Weblinks Delaware Licensing

District of Columbia (Washing D.C.)

Washington DC Permits

Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs

Florida

Florida Building Codes

Florida Building Permits by County and City

Georgia

Georgia DCA Building Codes

Building Permits

Hawaii

How to Obtain a Building Permit

Idaho

Idaho Building Code Information

Idaho Building Codes

Illinois

Building Commission

Division of Professional Regulation - Engineers

Indiana

Residential Building Permit Statistics

Environmental Permits

Iowa

Building Code Bureau

State Fire Marshall Division

State Architect Professional Building Codes

Kansas

Division of Facilities Management

Kentucky

Office of Housing, Buildings, and Construction

Building Codes and Construction Licensing

Louisiana

Permit Place Building Code Resources

Office of State Fire Marshall

Maine

Main Model Building Code

Maryland

Permits and Development Management

Maryland Codes Administration

Massachusetts

Department of Public Safety

Lexington Construction Regulations

Michigan

State Construction Codes

Bureau of Construction Codes

Minnesota

Building Codes and Standards

State Building Codes

Mississippi

State Agencies

Missouri

Facilities Management, Design, & Construction

Montana

Bureau of Building and Measurement Standards

Building Standards Program

Energy Building Codes

Nebraska

State Fire Marshall’s Office

Nebraska Business Online Resources

Nevada

Nevada Public Safety

Building Codes Internet Resource Directory

New Hampshire

State Building Code Review Board

New Jersey

Division of Codes and Standards

New Mexico

Construction Industries Division

Environment Department

New York

Division of Code Enforcement and Management

North Carolina

State Fire Marshall

NC Building Inspector’s Association

North Dakota

ND Builders’ Association

Department of Commerce

Ohio

Board of Building Standards

Division of Industrial Compliance

Oklahoma

Office of the State Fire Marshall

Building Permits

Oregon

Building Codes Division

Pennsylvania

State Building Codes

Association of Building Code Officials

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Building Codes

Rhode Island

Building Codes and Fire Codes

Construction Permit Links

South Carolina

Building Codes Council

Office of State Fire Marshall

South Dakota

Fire Marshall Office

Tennessee

Fire Prevention Division

Texas

Texas Department of Licensing and Registration

Texas Online Construction & Housing

Utah

Utah Chapter of ICC

Uniform Building Codes

Vermont

State Resources (Building Codes Included)

Building Energy Codes Program

Virginia

Virginia Building and Code Officials Association

Department of Housing and Community Development

Washington

Washington State Building Code Council

West Virginia

Division of Energy

Construction Contractor Licensing Board

Wisconsin

Online Business Services

Safety & Buildings List of Administrative Codes

Wyoming

Fire Marshall’s Office

OSHA

Another great resource to check for building codes and compliance is OSHA. Always make sure you and your clients are in compliance with OSHA guidelines. Their fines are big and ugly.

Keep your customers compliant with building codes and OSHA regulations. In addition to keeping yourself out of trouble, it is a great service to them and is a great way to sell a few additional improvement jobs from time to time.

How to Build a Retaining Wall

When asked how to build a retaining wall, my response is almost always, “What kind?” This article covers the basics of how to build various kinds of retaining walls, including wood retaining walls, timber retaining walls, block retaining walls, and even vinyl sheet piling retaining walls. I will go over each wall in more details in following articles. If you want to know how to build another kind of retaining wall after you have read everything here along with the materials I have linked to, leave a comment and I will do my best to respond.

Basics of Retaining Wall Design
Remember that the forces on your retaining wall change with the weather. If the ground behind your retaining wall become saturated with water from rains or watering it will become heavier and put more force on your wall. The design and materials you choose for your retaining wall need to take into account what it will need to support during its darkest moments. If you have any doubts about your materials choice or retaining wall design, please call a civil engineer or professional contractor and spend a few dollars on a professional retaining wall design and/or installation.

Why a Retaining Wall Fails
Retaining walls typically fail in one of three ways:

1. Top Failure - the top collapses forward because the wall was too weak to retain the force behind it.
2. Breach - the wall bursts in the center. This is usually caused by weak or improperly installed materials.
3. Toe failure - the bottom of the wall comes up. This is usually caused because the retaining wall was not planted or supported deeply enough in front.

Each of these causes of failure can be avoided with the proper design, proper materials, and proper installation for your project. Please consult a professional before designing and building your retaining wall and please understand that this article should be used as a guideline only.

How to Build a Wood Retaining Wall

There are really two wood retaining wall designs. The main difference between the two designs is that in one of the designs the retaining boards are horizontal and in the other they are vertical. I personally think using the retaining boards vertically will give you a stronger wall because of the specifics of that particular design. Using the boards horizontally makes building the retaining wall a little easier, though, and still gives you a great wall that will last a long time.

Building a Wood Retaining Wall with Vertical Boards
This is retaining wall design commonly used to build wood bulkheads along shorelines. It is an effective design and the basic rules of it are pretty standard. The drawing is pretty self-explanatory but here are some more guidelines (PLEASE NOTE - the drawings leave out the tie back rods that I strongly advise you use. See the design for the vinyl retaining wall as they use the same tieback systems):

• The posts go about 50% into the ground (e.g., The posts of a 3′ tall wall will be 3′ IN and 3′ OUT)
• The retaining boards should go at least 1′ into the ground (part of the reason this wall is strong than using the boards horizontally)
• The filter cloth should be longer than the retaining boards and roll back away from the wall
• Use granular material (sand or small pebbles) to fill in behind the wall and allow water to drain
• Use at least two back boards but do not be afraid to use three
• For a stronger wall use “center match” or “sloppy tongue and groove” boards for the retainer boards
• You can use round posts or square posts
• Leave a comment if you have any other questions
• Use tieback rods and buried “deadmen” or other anchors for extra wall support to prevent top failure
• The tie rods should start at the front of the posts and extended through them and behind the wall where they bolt to the deadmen.

Building a Wood Retaining Wall with Horizontal Boards

This is probably the most common type of wood retaining wall built around gardens. Unless you are using really heavy materials or a professional retaining wall design, do not use this design to build a wall that is any more than 16″ or two feet tall. It is a simple design meant for small loads such as garden beds. For the moment, buildeazy has the best plans for building this kind of wood retaining wall so I will simply let you read their how to article and get on to explaining how to build other kinds of retaining walls.

How to Build a Timber Retaining Wall

Building a timber retaining wall is conceptually easy and physically back-breaking. If you use properly treated timbers and build the wall properly a timber retaining wall might last 30 years. Timber retaining walls are simple to understand, simple to design, and simple to layout. Using a backhoe or tractor to manipulate the timbers will make building one easy as well.

To build a timber retaining wall, begin by digging a trench along the line of where your wall will be. The trench should be approximately the depth and width of the timbers you will be using to build the wall. If you need space to work on the back side of the wall, dig that space out before you begin building the wall. Use a line level to level the ground where the timbers will lay. Place the first row of timbers flat in the trench. After your first row of timbers is laid along the ground begin stacking your second row of timbers and make sure to stagger the ends of the timbers to ensure a strong wall. Attach each layer of timbers to the layer below it with spikes (8 inch long 60D nails). Timber retaining walls are built straight up - not slanted like stone walls - so keep your timbers plumb as you stack them.

Timber Tie-Backs
If your wall will be higher than about 18 inches use tie-back timbers every eight or ten feet on various levels to hold your wall upright and make sure it will not fall forward due to the constant pressure exerted upon it from behind (top failure). To add a tie-back timber, simply lay one timber perpendicular to the other timbers but with its length extending into the area that will be back filled. When the area is back filled this timber will act as an anchor to hold the wall in place and ensurer your timber retaining wall can withstand time and rough conditions.

Timbers United into One Structure
One aspect of my retaining wall design which is a little different from others you may see is that I prefer to unite the entire timber retaining wall structure with re-bar driven vertically through all the timbers and into the ground via a hole that is drilled through all the retaining wall timbers after they are completely stacked. The re-bar should fit tightly into the drilled hole. This step might be an overkill but I like strong stuff that lasts a long time. An alternative but similar method is to drive re-bar through the bottom two or three layers when the wall is about half-built and then connect the bottom timbers to the top layers once the top layers are added (see pictures).

Use Properly Treated Quality Timbers
Some books and sites will recommend that you use “garden timbers” (those cheap ones with two round sides and two flat edges) to build a retaining wall but I strongly advise against that practice because “garden timbers” are typically made from the cheapest pieces of wood leftover from the production of other lumber or plywood and contain mostly heartwood which does not accept pressure treatments. They will probably be heavily rotted within a few years and will eventually fail. Building a timber retaining wall is hard work so use timbers that will last. You might even consider using timbers with a vinyl or polymer coating. American Pole and Timber is a reputable company that ships quality timbers nationwide and offers a few types of vinyl coatings that can make wood last virtually forever.

How to Build a Vinyl Retaining Wall

Building a vinyl retaining wall is basically exactly like building a vinyl bulkhead and since I have made a sketchast about that before, I am using it here (below). The main things to remember about building a vinyl retaining wall are:

1. You push vinyl sheet pilings into the ground. Don’t hammer them.
2. Lead with the male edge of the sheets because the female side gets clogged with mud and makes it almost impossible to add the next sheet.
3. Keep the sheets straight (vertically and inline) as you drive.
4. You may find it easier and faster to drive two sheets side by side instead of strictly driving one at a time.
5. Use properly treated wood for your wale and backboard and make sure they are solidly connected to the sheets and one another.
6. Use galvanized or stainless steel hardware.
7. Building a vinyl retaining wall is hard work and requires equipment. Expect it.

How to Build a Block Retaining Wall

Block retaining walls are built very much like the others and some people consider them the easiest type of wall to build. They also look very nice and allow you to easily build a wall with curves. The process of building a block retaining wall is fairly slow and painstaking because you are building with such small pieces but the end result is probably worth it. There are a million great tutorials already existing about how to build block retaining walls so for now I am going to point you to them and get on with other projects.

This video from Alan Block is far-and-away the best about how to plan a block retaining wall. I am not endorsing their products (at least not intentionally) but this is a really great video.

Other great tutorials for how to build block retaining walls can be found at PaverSearch, this student’s page, DoItYourSelf, and Lowe’s.

There are the basics of how to build retaining walls - five kinds of retaining walls, in fact. If you have any questions or want to know about another kind of retaining wall, leave a comment below. I will respond as quickly as I can. Thanks.

Construction Span Tables

I often get asked by engineers, architects, and designers (and farmers) about the span tables for dimensional lumber. So, I have compiled a list of many places with various span tables for your reading enjoyment and project fulfillment. The idea here is to create a one-stop shop for span tables so let me know if I am missing something.

Roof Truss Span Tables: This is a great find for roof truss span tables. It is easy to use and breaks down the span tables by truss type, pitch, and length. Here’s a list of roof truss manufacturers, too.

Maximum Span Tables for Joists & Rafters: The MSR Lumber Producers Council created and published these span tables floor joists, ceiling joists, and roof rafters. The pdf is 12 pages long and the span tables start on page 3.

Span Tables for Structural-Use Panels: Free pdf download from the APA Engineered Wood Association for Structural-Use Panel Span Tables.

Floor Joist Span Tables: Southernpine.com probably has the best publications - like this one showing floor joist span tables.

Residential Steel Beam & Column Span Tables: This is a pretty specific span table (warning: 29 page pdf) developed by the American Iron & Steel Institute. The span tables start appearing on page 12. If you are having trouble sleeping, start at the beginning. Otherwise, stick to the span tables.

Lumber Span Tables: This is a span table for U.S. Spans for Canadian Species from the Strober Organization, Inc. a supplier for contractors in the eastern U.S.

Header and Beam Span Tables: These span tables are a great find if you are trying to build with beams and/or engineered lumber. The pdf is free from The Southern Pine Council.

Deck Joist Span Tables: Their is a good span table tool in here for deck joists but I cannot link directly to it so go here and click on “Joist Calculator” about halfway down the page. You might have to sign up/in.

Span Table Pocket Card: This is like a cheat sheet from The Souther Pine Council. Every wood professional should have a copy of this around somewhere. The pdf is free or you can order the real thing (laminated) for $0.50 each.

Beam Span Tables: The American Institute of Timber Construction has a nice list of tools and span tables for timber construction.

Bridge Span Tables: This is just interesting and offers no actual value. It is a chart of the longest bridge spans around the world. By “span” they are referring to the distance between the two farthest-apart supports on the bridge (the longest spans). The lengths, which are in meters, are not referring to the total lengths of the bridges.

Tell me what I missed. I know there are a million other span tables out there and I would like to list them here. If you know of something, add it yourself as a comment and I will add it to the list.

Patio Designs - Design Around HOW You Will Use It

The best patio designs are created around how the owner will use the patio. That is, the best patios are those that were designed carefully to cater exactly to the users natural interests and normal activities. For instance, I wanted my patio to be a place where I can “get away” but still very accessible so I built it far out in my yard with a wooden walkway extending to it. I like hanging in a hammock and reading (and writing) on rainy days and evenings so it is a covered patio with lights timed to turn on when it gets too dark to read outside. It is even large enough to hold about 10 people comfortably so I have gatherings there on a regular basis.

My patio is perfect for me and I use it almost daily. I might sell my house if I could take my patio with me. Your patio needs to be perfect for you, too.

Typical Patio Designs

“Patio” is a Spanish word for garden or backyard. Officially, the word “patio” refers to an area that is adjacent to (not necessarily joining) a residence and has a paved floor and an open roof. Patios are traditionally paved with concrete, stones, or bricks but some people prefer gravel or even sand or dirt, which tends to be cheaper (and more messy when wet).

Covered Patio Designs

The most common patio cover, if you want to call it that, is a good old fashioned umbrella. While patio umbrellas will no keep you dry if anything more than a light drizzle is falling they are life-savers in the summer sun. Patio umbrellas are also relatively cheap and install almost instantly - especially when they are built into your patio furniture.

Another way to cover a patio is to integrate a gazebo into the design. Gazebos offer nice cover from sun and rain and often look very nice as well. They can be pricey, though.

The best way, in my professional opinion, to cover a patio is to build a permanent structure over part or all of your patio that allows for your preferred amount of sunlight and wind. A well-built covered patio might offer built in seating, places to hang hammocks (my favorite), a table or bar, and will allow you to enjoy the outdoors rain or shine. Great covered patio designs are unbeatable as far as I am concerned - but that is just my preference.

Common Materials for Patio Designs

If you look closely at enough patio designs, you will find some made out of just about everything. Before choosing your materials, consider more than just aesthetics. Make sure the material you choose will allow you to use your patio the way you want. For instance, flagstone often create an uneven ground that makes it difficult to level a table and pea gravel gets in your toes but makes for a soft landing if you fall out of a hammock (not that it ever happens). Common materials used to build patios are:

• Concrete
• Flag Stone
• Pea Gravel
• Brick
• Slate
• Tile
• Combinations of the Above

Get creative as these are not even close to being your only choices. Waterfalls make an interesting addition if you can deal with the extra maintenance. Consider leaving patches of grass or building part of your patio around an existing tree to incorporate more of the natural surroundings into your patio design.

Where to Find Ideas for Patio Designs

Concrete Network . com is a great source for concrete patio designs. HG TV has a nice how-to on building stone patio designs and the Deck & Patio Company in New York has a nice gallery of decks and patios. You might even consider searching Google images. Taunton’s Deck & Patio Idea Book is a fantastic book for patio designs.

Patio Designs by You

There are plenty of places online to find patio designs but, really, the best ones are going to come from your own head after staring at your backyard for a while. Have a friend over or sit with your spouse one evening, enjoy a glass of wine, and brainstorm patio designs on a pad of paper.

It took me months (actually, about 20 months) of sitting outside staring at my backyard to decide upon the exact patio design I wanted and it was worth every single second and every pad of paper I went through. I must have drawn 100 patio designs before finally arriving at the perfect design for me - covered, allows plenty of light, hold three hammocks securely and safely, away from the house, allows me to cook under it, is well lit at night, and the overall design blends well with my house and yard. My friends love it and I spend as much time there as possible. Many of my articles are written under my patio.

The Boring (but important) Part of Patio Designs

Whatever you want out of your patio, all patio designs must meet your local building codes and the standards set by your home owners’ association, if that applies to you. I know, I know. This is the boring part, but you will save yourself some time, money, and aggravation later if you check into this before building. Usually, the HOA process is as simple as submitting a basic plan to “the board.”

If you are using wood in your patio design, please use treated wood of a good quality or cedar, redwood, or another wood that is naturally resistant to damage from insects and decay. You might also consider using a composite lumber material.

If your patio design includes electrical outlets or sockets, carefully consider where existing lines are when digging and be careful with electricity in general. Consider hiring an electrician.

Simple Board Foot Calculator

This board foot calculator from the University of Missouri is the most straightforward and simple to use board foot calculator I have seen. The calculator even includes spaces for quantity and price/board foot to calculate your total price for you.

Calculate Total Weight Using Board Foot

To calculate weight, you can use the wood weights chart at WoodScience (the old home of Lumber Talk) and multiply the weight per board foot of the species of wood by the total board feet given by the board foot calculator.

That is, total weight = pounds/bdft X total bdft

Calculate Board Feet in Logs and Poles

I do not have a board foot calculator for round stock but here is a fairly simple way to calculate board feet of logs and poles. Use the average diameter of the pole or log to find the radius (r, or half the diameter) and use that to calculate the volume of the log or pole in board feet. Remember radius is simply half of diameter. To find the average diameter of a log or pole use:

Average diameter = (tip diameter + butt diameter)/2

Keeping the length in feet, use the average diameter in the equation for the volume of a cylinder to calculate the total board feet. Calculate board feet of logs and poles using:

Board feet of a log or pole = ((pi (r^2)) X length ) / 12

That looks uglier than it is. Once you have the average diameter of the pole, you can treat the pole as a simple cylinder. If you find a good board foot calculator for a pole, please comment on where it is. I will be happy to post it here and link to you for finding it.

Barns for Sale

Finding barns for sale online is more difficult than you might expect. There is only a hand full of places listing barns for sale and most of those are not high-quality sites. There are many resources listed here to help you find what you are looking when buying or selling a barn.

Top Reasons You Find Barns for Sale

To help you in your search (and give you some ideas for search phrases) here are the top reasons you will find barns for sale. The reasons a barn is being sold usually falls into one of these categories:

• Profit - The barn was built (or bought) to be sold for a profit
• Moving/Relocating - The owners are simply moving or relocating a home or business
• Wood Reclamation - Old barns may be worth more when sold as reclaimed wood than as barns

Barns for Sale for Profit

Building and Selling Barns: Selling barns for profit is straightforward and simple. Just as with any real estate flip a barn can built on property to add value and that property can then be resold at a greater price to take the profit. Similarly, property with an existing old barn can be bought and the barn and property can be fixed up and resold at a nice profit.

Old Barns for Sale: There is also a market for antique barns that have been photographed, dismantled with the pieces marked, and stored so they can be sold and rebuilt on the buyer’s lot. This is a really interesting transaction altogether and a great way to maintain the heritage many people behold in old barns. There is actually money to be made selling old barns.

Barns for Sale Because of Relocation

Cheap Barns: You might find an excellent deal on a barn if you run across just the right situation. With that, let’s include death and estate sales in this reason for selling barns. Be on the lookout for bargain barns for sale and you might get lucky. Further, while I hate taking advantage of sticky situations, divorces are another reason for relocation sales. The lesson for this paragraph is to be on the lookout for divorce sales or estates sales that might include barns.

Barns for Sale as Reclaimed Wood

Old Barn Wood: Selling barns to break them down into the parts is sometimes profitable (not usually) but is often done as a cheap way of clearing the land. There are companies that buy old barns in order to carefully take them apart to sell the lumber as reclaimed wood, reclaimed lumber, antique lumber, or other such names. Common uses for the used barn lumber include reclaimed timbers for timber trusses and beams, siding, flooring, and furniture lumber and it is sold at an absolute premium.

Barns for Sale Online

(NOT sponsored listings)

Equine.com has barns for sale and their listing change fairly often.

Historic-Architecture.com lists barns for sale that have been dismantled and are ready to be rebuilt on your lot.

Timbermeisters.com builds, restores, and buys and sells vintage barns. They have a great inventory of barns for sale.

IowaBarnFoundation.org lists barns for sale and for donation because its mission is to preserve historical barns.

Barnsetc.co.uk has barns for sale in the UK “and abroad.”

Property.org.uk lists barns and other agricultural building for sale in the UK.

1st-for-French-Property.co.uk lists barns for sale in France.

Decks are easy to build. You level an area, throw down some joists and stringers for a deck foundation, screw deck boards to the top of all that, and trip finish by trimming it up. Sure, it’s easier said than done but - still - it’s not hard. For some reason, though, this question comes up repeatedly as a sticking point for weekend warriors: “How do you build deck stairs?”

How to Build Deck Stairs - It’s Easy

Deck stairs are built just like the rest of the deck. To add deck stairs onto your existing deck, you simply fasten deck boards (steps or treads) to the tops of decks stair stringers and attach the stairs to your deck. You can make the stair stringers yourself or you may be able to find pre-made stair stringers but even the pre-made stringers will need some customizing based on the height of your deck. Now, let’s build some deck stairs.

Calculating How Many Steps Your Deck Stairs Need

The easiest way to figure out how many steps your deck stairs stringers will need is to use the very simple rule of dividing the height of your deck by the riser height of your steps (and round to the nearest number). Risers are usually 6 to 8 inches high. The height of your deck is measured from the ground to the top of the deck boards (where you step onto the deck).

So, if you want 7 inch risers and the height of your deck is 48 inches then 48/7 = 6.86 steps. After rounding, you will build 7 steps into your deck stairs.

Materials Required to Build Deck Stairs

The two main components required to build deck stairs are stair treads and stair stringers.

The treads, or steps, are made from one of the following:

• side-by-side 2×6 or 5/4×6
• 2×10
• 2×12 (my personal preference)

The stair stringers are almost always made from 2×12’s, which are actually 1.5″x11.25″. You might want to use pre-cut stair stringers to ave yourself some time on measuring, layout, and cutting.

Other materials you may need to build deck stairs include:

• Coated Screws (Primeguard Plus are excellent screws)
• Metal Angle (for treads)
• Lag Screws (for treads and/or connecting stairs to deck)
• Hex or Carriage Bolts (for connecting stairs to deck)

Building and Attaching Deck Stairs - Build Deck Stairs from the Ground Up

It is easier to build deck stairs on the ground before attaching them to the deck but they get heavy once all of the stair treads are attached to the stair stringers, which makes them difficult to properly and safely maneuver into position at the deck. The best compromise is to attach your stringers together first and put only a few stairs treads on before attaching the stairs to the deck. Make to use strong hardware such as lag screws or hex bolts when attaching deck deck stairs as the consequences of failing stairs can be disastrous (hopefully this is obvious).

All I have done above is try to prepare you for a few of the sticking points that might make a deck stairs project less fun. Hopefully, by knowing those basics, you will be able to get through your building project a little faster. There are a million places online that will tell you how to build decks and how to build deck stairs. I listed the best of the best below for you.

Great Resources for How to Build Deck Stairs

Step by Step Plans for How to Build Deck Stairs: Installing Deck Stairs

How to Build Deck Stairs: Laying Stringers and Attaching Treads

How to Build Deck Stairs: Design, Layout, and Assembly of Deck Stairs (this is the best how to)

How to Build Deck Stairs Video: Video from This Old House About Building Deck Stairs