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The rails jiggle, the nails are popping, and Dad just limped in with a splinter. Softwood decks can last a long time, depending on how well they’re built, but it’s not uncommon for decks of cedar, pine, or redwood to hold up for 10 to 20 years, at which point they begin to disintegrate in ways that range from unsightly and inconvenient to downright dangerous. “I’ve seen decks built two years ago that we couldn’t do anything with,” says Phil Brown, owner of Archadeck of Central Connecticut in Wallingford, “and decks built 50 years go where the frame was perfectly...

It doesn’t take long to fill up a closet. Though we often start with the best of intentions, keeping closets organized can be quite a struggle. There are many reasons why closets get away from us. Our schedules get a lot of busier, families grow and our lifestyles change – sometimes, with all this going on, it’s easier to just close the doors for now, and get on with the day. Often, the result is overflow into the rest of the house as free closet space begins to shrink. With proper organization, it’s amazing how much can actually fit into...

Home organization and storage can be a big problem for many homeowners. Many of us either have too much stuff for a space that’s just not big enough or we are those people that never throw anything way. Regardless of which bucket you fall in, you still have to have somewhere to put all of it and that’s the real challenge we all face. Ask yourself where in your home can you find more space. Believe it or not, the answer can be just about anywhere such as under your stairs, the ceiling of your garage, or on the walls...

Choosing the right type of fence for your home can be a difficult project to complete.  There are various styles and options to choose from in addition to managing costs and installation. Use this article as your go-to guide for finding the fence that best meets your needs. Fences are important because they not only serve a key role in the exterior appearance of your home; they also provide a number of benefits such as security or privacy for homeowners. Before you go out and pick any option, have a specific goal in mind before installing a new fence. Picking...

Beauty may be skin deep, but when it comes to siding, at least, looks are everything. Google search “siding curb appeal” and help yourself to the roughly 1.5 million links on that topic, many leading to real estate agents' pages eager to point this fact out. But here’s the paradox: The people who own the house are usually in the house, looking out, not outside the house looking in. What they’re looking at right now is their kitchen, their bathroom, their boring den. If they want to change something, that’s probably where they’re going to start, buying what they can...