Celebrity Builders---pt.1

Celebrity Builders

Ok, when these celebs know their stuff, they can be ultra cool. When they don’t—Yes Dean, I mean you, it’s embarrassing for the celebrity and the entire trade is cheapened. Every celebrity builder has things that they are good at--and others they are not.

"Red Green is available for DIY advice daily on Home Envy .com "

(an example of a Tres Cool Builder!)

What absolutely grates on me the most is the makeover shows where they totally renovate, paint the house, build new decks and fully landscape with all the fittings for $1241.00.

Arrrrgh. Now, keep in mind that 20 people worked for a week for free, much of the materials and furniture were borrowed or rented or donated (in exchange for contra advertising), and the designers worked for gratis also. Most of the time they are honest enough to give a reasonable figure on materials only—but it makes people think it is easy, which in my mind is criminal. Nothing good is easy.

Ok, we’re nearing the end of today’s rant.

The ones I really love are the California and Texas “House Flipping Fiasco” shows. Buy a dump for $500,000 in a slum and turn it into 730,000 cold hard cash for a cost of 98,000 dollars for a profit of $132,000 in 3 months.

I want to see the episodes where they bought for $500,000 and put in $125,000 and filed for bankruptcy 6 months later when the house didn’t sell for $450,000 because the market corrected mid flip. NOTHING is that easy.

I have never seen a failure on those shows—I guess nobody wants to see that so it wouldn’t help ratings, or it just never happens. Who ever heard of speculators getting burned?

I am sure l'immigra is going to notice that those texans on the flip show are using all illegal labor and pull them off the air. Proceeds from crime getting snatched on national TV- now that would be a great show!

Happy Flipping To all—


L

Building Decks - Becoming a deck builder

Building Decks—

Learning about building decks takes time. There’s plenty involved in making decks into an art form. Designing decks, making the design fit a budget while still maintaining a profit. Decks must also fit the client’s needs and desires (wish list), while suiting their personal taste and fitting with their homes. The design of decks is likely the most difficult skill to master.

Technical Drawings for the building department is the next hurdle involved in building decks. Most building departments will accept a hand drawn sketch to build decks, however some expect every detail about your decks to be illustrated clearly. Here in Canada they want a BCIN designer’s number. When you are building decks it is better to have every detail down on paper before you build the deck—it keeps you productive and makes for few misunderstandings with the client.

Building decks is pure carpentry. If you are a good carpenter you likely can cobble a deck together, but there is more to building decks than just being a good carpenter. There are methods for keeping the decking tight, special fasteners for pressure treated, methods for making joints shed water as well. Standing water beneath decks as well as drainage issues to keep the water out of the basement should be of paramount concern. Deck builders know many ways of fastening things that most carpenters wouldn’t even need to consider.

Where our work shines is 5 years from now. When a composite deck is yellowing and many decks are looking old—a quick touch up coat of stain and the deck looks new again.

When you are ready to finesse building decks you are educating your client throughout the process to give them something to talk about to their friends—teaching things that other contractors don’t know.

Over the years the quality of your deck building work goes up—like any trade. If you are building on your own it may progress more slowly than if you are building within a group like GardenStructure.com where you are challenged to compete and build better decks you can expect to progress more quickly. We also teach you many techniques alluded to above to increase quality.

Learning “about” building decks is different than learning “To” build decks or “Run” a deck company. Becoming a skilled craftsman is different than becoming a good manager or business owner. A good deck builder can do very well—but a good manager will grow a larger company.
To determine if you are ready to join our “ Deck Builders Group ” give me a call at 888 293 8938 and we’ll chat about it.

L

Starting a Deck and Fence Business in 2007

For the New Article about Starting a Deck Company click




What do we expect from this year’s economy as it relates to decks and fences?





Garden Structure .com web traffic is up nearly 25% this year. So we expect more leads and less marketing required for our Builder Group Members.

Housing Starts are weak which means more competition for those in the deck and fence business going it alone—it means that if they are selling on price alone it could be tough going. Our Builder Group is not often involved in competitive bids—so it makes us more or less immune to price pressure.

NADRA is attempting to open a chapter here in Ontario—I am still not sure as to whether that is beneficial for our Builder Group—We’ll keep you posted. My initial impression is that it is just another Directory to assist with creating more and more competitive bids.

Global warming is helping extend the Northern States and Canadian Building season…so we'll just call that an unfortunate positive factor for some.

Illegal Labor is on our radar and we hope to see solutions to level the playing field this year.

The war has created positive economic influences in many areas with economic dependence on military industries.

Expect to see Duties and Tariffs on goods coming into the US and Canada shortly thereafter —It has to do with devalued currencies from Asia and it’s just further leveling of the playing field economically.

The deck and fence business is servicing 3-7 year old houses primarily. Record building during those years 3-7 years ago will make this a banner year for professional deck companies.

Amateur companies without proper portfolio and product line—relying on word of mouth may find this year a little challenging to say the least. Since the average deck company lasts less than 6 months you may wish to re-think your strategy.



There is simply no point in re-inventing the wheel when you don't have to. From someone who has--it's expensive and can take many years.


In short, our economic Outlook for the Fence and Deck Business 2007 is Highly Positive.

L

Deck Apples

What are Deck Apples?


How many times have we gone out to do an estimate and we have to bring up the phrase to our customers about comparing apples for apples? It seems like a common sense question, but a lot of people simply don't get what the phrase means?

A deck is a deck right? When you are giving it 1/3 extra foundation—it still looks like a deck, it’s just a deck that you could park your car on if you had to.

If you pre-dry and finish every single part in that deck and seal 6 sides… it still looks much like any other deck, it’s just much more expensive because it takes much longer to build.

If the deck is designed to suit the clientele and their needs and contains inspired details that have taken decades to develop it is my opinion that it is worth nearly double what a normal deck would be worth. It will age more gracefully, it will last longer and it will garner more praise from family and friends. It also takes much longer to install.

I would think more people would do more home work on their part before calling for a “Free Deck Estimate”, but it just isn’t so. It just seems like such a waste of time for a reputable fence and deck contractor to come out to give valuable expertise and time just for the chance to maybe get the job.

When “Joe Shmoe Custom Decks Contractor”, sells you a deck with no profit in the job he very likely won’t be in business a year from now to back any warranty. I guess that deck warranty really isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.

There are many reasons for the cheapest price to send up all kinds of red flags. If the contractor doesn’t know how to price a job-how can you be sure he knows how to build it? As a project manager I always threw out the low bid.

Just think about it this way would you rather pay 10.00 dollars for bushel of nice firm apples all the way through or take your chances on the 8.00 a bushel where the top is firm and the other two thirds are either punchy or half rotten? When it comes to clients I want to be able to provide good service—and that costs time, which I need to be paid for. For this reason I am rarely the low bid.

Salesmanship is about offering a service of value to the right people and helping them understand why our decks are a better value. A good deck salesman will teach the client how to identify quality construction and what exactly makes a deck great.

Mak ...

Comittee of Adjustment Application Fee $1250.00 YIKES!

Barrie Ontario January 1/ 2007


Committee of adjustment application fee is now $1250.00


This means if you want to build a 101sq' shed rather than a 100 square foot shed, or a fence that is 2.2 meters high or build a deck between 2 houses there is a financial spanking doled out.


From the creators of the "Do as We Say Festival", there is now a financial incentive to be good citizen and just accept what the city dictates. Not only do they want to inflict their taste on the masses--they demand we pay $1250.00 for the privilege of being told what we can or cannot build in our yards.


All the building department fees are ballooning--get caught without a permit... few hundred dollars, the cost of a basic permit is up.


Mississauga-- $150 application fee, Barrie $1250.00. Strange isn't it?


On the same subject--to obtain a permit in Oakville Ontario to build a deck you need a special permit with a deposit of a couple of thousand dollars in assurance that you will not make a mess on the street or boulevard in front of the house on city property.

BCIN numbers, insane fees, from people who don't know why a fence stands or a gate works--really is a bit of a joke.

L

Behavior on Site

I am only going to be able to touch the tip of the iceberg on this subject! There has been an expression among us carpenters for years. " What looks good is good" That phrase applies to more than just the out come of the project at hand.

It also applies too the way the project management performs and keeps everything moving along in a professional manor.

One of my pet peeves is to keep the job site clean and orderly through out the entire project even if we have to hire a laborer just for clean up. To me keeping the job site clean and orderly shows the customer that you take pride in what you do and that reflection carries on to the workmanship of the project itself.

I make sure every employee is busy doing something at all times. Just standing around lollygagging and smoking cigarettes does not cut it. My son Dan has been working for me since he was a freshmen in High school ask him how I feel on the subject? I won't keep my employees from smoking, but don't let it hinder your ability to keep the job progressing.

Another thing I will not tolerate is any swearing on the job. In the summer month people have their windows open and in the early morning the sound really travels if you get my drift?

Sorry if any one thinks I'm a mean boss but I was taught the correct way to act on a construction job site. Any other behavior is not going to help your company thrive.

Mak

Composite Decking -More

I received a note from a fellow that works at a large composite decking company. He gave some very candid information about the shortcomings of composite decking, such as deterioration of surface and puckering near the fasteners. He explained why it is such a struggle to create a good product with the technology that is presently available-- at least it makes sense to me.

His contention is that it is best to try because "trying" leads to eventual success. Experimentation and going through the motions leads to development and learning.

I agree entirely. That's how Honda and Toyota did it. If you remember their earliest cars--Would you ever imagine Toyota would be competing in Nascar next year?

With people like this trying--those who will compete with themselves for success-- I think they will create a superior product to wood decks some day. I would be happy to entertain ideas as to how I could work with the companies developing new composite decking products. I can see numerous ways they could improve.

"Rumor has it that there is a new composite decking product that should be
in distribution within 3 years that weighs half and is 3 x stronger than the
best composite decking is today."

Here's a laugh. I did an article on composite decking a couple of years ago.

Of 561,000 results it ranks #4 for Composite Decking (click for the search in Google)

I guess I should get that article re-written to include some recent developments.

A Prosperous New Year To All of You-- Happy 007

L

Snow Load on Decks

Snow Load on Decks

Logic in Building Decks is a relative thing.

photo by Jenzug (click for flickr site)
Think about it this way. You construct a home with 2x8 joists typically—you can nearly get away with 2x6 at times. Generally a deck needs to support slightly more “live load” than the interior of a house so the minimum joist size should be 2x8 – 16” o.c. You know that if you live in Southern California you are not likely to see that much snow—maybe the odd wildfire so see flame retardant coatings. You won’t need the structural reinforcement like they will need in Denver this month.

Some building departments will specify more strength in decks for snow load—but not all. Many just defer to the building department’s minimum standards-or apparently in rural Tennessee, there's just no rules.

Joist and Beam Spans must be reduced, footing sizes increased and joists should also be increased by at least 2” in size in areas where decks will need to support 4’ of snow. The connection to the house should be no less than ½” carriage bolts through the rim joists of the home on second level decks.

We built a deck on Georgian Bay where we were told the owner shovels the snow off the roof and on to the deck when it gets deep. This means up to 4 tons of snow on a deck platform from time to time. I helped him put a 10’ deep pile on the deck one day. 50 footings beneath a 600 square foot deck—but here we are 8 years later with a nice level deck.

L

Tire Kickers

Beware of the “Tire Kickers” !

I'm sure we have all had our share of dealing with tire kickers in the past? They take our time and energy and should be identified before wasting more of our valuable time.

Here are a few clues that make me think a potential client is a tire kicker:

They are looking for the cheapest price and a free estimate.

They seem to have all the answers about the project they want you to do and that they could do it themselves, but they don't have the time.

You ask them for a ballpark figure and they hesitate and say they don't have a clue.

Last but not least. They tell you they are getting several estimates and price is their priority, not quality.


Be careful not to judge a book by its cover. Some clients might just be shrewd shoppers and they want the best value and quality for the dollar! Folks like this just need logical explanation as to why your price is more.

When you get set up with GardenStructure.com they give you a lot of documentation to read that gives you the upper hand when rooting out tire-kickers.


I would like too wish all of you and the folks at gardenstructure.com a happy and safe holiday season and a very prosperous New Year!

Mak.

More Concrete = Stronger Footings? Not True

More Concrete Does not necessarily mean Stronger Footings.



A post in the ground is only as solid as the ground around it. Concrete holds moisture. Rot needs air and moisture and fuel (sugar) to form. The worst place to have a concrete/wood intersection is at ground level.

Second factor is that when you dig a hole, the top of the hole is normally larger than the base of the hole which causes frost to be able to lift the post (and your fence) out of the ground--dirt washes in beneath the footing and it gets higher every year.

Bell the hole you say? If the bottom of the hole is larger, and the top of the hole is larger, as the frost sets in it will shear the concrete between the two. Don’t underestimate the power of frost.

If you keep the concrete in the bottom half of the hole, frost will set in and anchor the footing in place. Use fine gravel or stone dust to set the post above the concrete footing and it will act as a lubricant and prevent the post from being lifted by frost.

L

What type of Nails to Build a Fence--

Here's an example of the wrong nails--


















Black Bleeding streaks.


It gets worse. If this is pressure treated-ACQ Rated Materials and regular galvanized nails, the nails may be rotted to failure within 3 years. If it is red or white cedar, you will find that there is no method for removing these streaks. The iron reacts with the tannins chemically to create the discolouration.

There are special double galvanized fasteners specifically for use with ACQ Materials.

Nothing will help this fence if it is ACQ materials. Wait until it falls apart and rebuild with the proper fasteners.


If it is cedar, think about a solid stain or a very dark semi-transparent finish.


L

Trompe L’oeil

Trompe L’oeil (to fool the eye in French)

Sometimes it is difficult to know what to put where. This is a decorative trelliswork panel that can work well in areas where privacy is needed, and it calls for more attention. Here, the client had the fountain in place, a table nearby, and knew she wanted decorative trelliswork installed here.


She offered artistic license—and this Exterior Designer doesn’t have to be told twice. I love a challenge.

Tough part is, all the installation crews were too busy for a time consuming nightmare of a job like this in the middle of the summer. It took me many months to put in the time—but the client was patient. It was one of my only installation jobs that summer. I’m not complaining—it’s better for me to keep my hand in it enough to not be totally inept.

Here’s what I did with it.




















I think this trompe l’oeil fits nicely.
















L

Garden - Home Improvement Industry Potential

Industry Potential:

Other companies estimate the back yard woodwork business to be worth 6-8 Billion. Garden Related products are in the 15 Billion Range. That means more than $20 billion dollars worth of business potential when you work with GardenStructure.com. It is expected that the gardening business will continue to grow for the forseeable future (major trend--which means for the next 20 years at least). There are not many business sectors with that expectation.

Learn more about our “Anti-Franchise “ Business Opportunities.

This is a business you can start for a few thousand (if you already are involved in the woodwork business) and about $10,000 if not. You really don’t need to be a carpenter, but design and sales experience helps.

You would need to be organized and efficient--so management experience also helps.

L

Naming your Business

Creating a Business name.
When formulating a business name there are many things to consider.

Your name is as important as your business plan. It’s the invisible snapshot—that critical first impression your business develops with every potential client.

For a contractor-if your name says, “Amateur”, or “Caution” or “Cheapest” you may be doing yourself a disservice.

If you want handyman work—it should imply that. “Odd Jobs Wanted”, or “Handyman Connection”.

If you want high-end work, it should give that immediate impression. “Precision Carpentry”, works well for Trevor in Mississauga.

Using your local area in your name works well for the web—but you may pigeonhole yourself and or outgrow it. Re-branding is expensive.

Pitch the name to 10 friends and gains a consensus… beg them to be honest. You want real criticism.

The ultimate test is if your phone rings after adopting the name and getting the marketing out.

Many of our contractors use the GardenStructure.com name that we know makes the phone ring. The name has worked very well for us—

Changing the name mid stream is tough.

My original business name in 1987 was functional at first. I was 20 and had little experience. I needed to gain the experience so I needed to be busy. The name did that, but it precluded much profit. It got me many low-end basic, price conscious jobs. I think I did 21 jobs on a single street. (When this happens your pricing is too cheap). The name implied that we did cheap work, which I couldn’t justify continuing with.

Many people when confronted with evidence later that their name is hurting them fight it vehemently. It’s worse still when it’s your initials, worse still when it is your nickname.

Spelling errors are to be avoided, and things that imply taste in music or slang should also be avoided, as with cultural and racial terms.

L

Fence Spikes ?

Fence Spikes

Did you know anyone still uses these things? Where I grew up it was grey/red Clay soil... with lots of rocks. These things were punishing to use. You could beat them until they bend...then the first good wind the fence lays down like that 40' cedar tree that took down part of my house last night.

They tend to run out of level when they hit an obstruction--rock, root, power or gas line... They make a wobbly fence. I don't like these fence spikes--and will never recommend them.

get my point? It's not smart to pound a piece of sharp steel into the ground around a house with utilities coming in nearby. I am amazed and astounded that no one has been killed by a hydro strike in damp ground with one of these things...

Now.. there's another type of fence spikes. This type I like... it's sort of medieval.

You too can have poly spikes on the top of your fence... since it's decoration and removable it might just be the thing to add 6" to your fence and send a message to that miscreant sociopath next door.

I have actually heard that the main reason people use them is because they can't stand the idea of local cats and other rodents walking along them. Maybe we should put this one in the "Insanity Folder".

With all the liability issues I just can't see these catching on in North America--any more than Screens in Windows would catch on in the UK.

But I like these fence spikes-- I really do.

L

Makela on Vinyl Fences vs Wood Fences

Here's a post from David Makela--

(He knows more about vinyl than I do).

Heres some info for the blog regarding vinyl fence products. As you know I prefer a nice custom built wood fence over a vinyl fence myself and I don't want to bite the hand that feeds me and try and compare wood against vinyl, but I do feel vinyl has its place in the fence industry just as ornamental aluminum and steel fence does!.

The out come of any fence is in the quality of the material used and the craftsmanship of the person or persons behind the installation. You can apply that rule to any style, type of fence that is to be installed. A vinyl or aluminum fence will magnify any flaw in the installation where a wood fence has a margin for error with the natural twisting sagging and bowing of the product. Vinyl is manufactured where all the material is true to form so if a post is set a quarter inch out of height or alignment it will show up where wood has a forgiveness.

Too me every style or type of fence has its place in certain applications. I like a ornamental around a swimming pool. A vinyl picket looks good on a vinyl sided colonial, A vinyl rail looks nice around a vinyl sided ranch house, And a vinyl privacy looks nice in the back of any vinyl sided home.

Like Lawrence said the vinyl fence business has come a long way since the pictures of the round coral fence shown in the previous pictures. It is not fair to judge vinyl by those pictures. I can't even buy that style of fence in today's market.

There are several companies today that manufacture their products to offer a transferable life time warrantee. The product is engineered so that they feel they can offer a product that will with stand the UV rays from the sun plus all weather conditions to prevent sagging. The product is also recyclable.

I assure you if a Quality vinyl fence is installed properly it will last and look great for many years too come!!

Some of the better products I have used are ultra guard, Buff tech, and Maximum. They are reinforced through out with a grid system of vinyl extruded on the inside of the rails Ultra Guard sells there fence in a 6 ft. on center increment. Some other manufactures have a I beam insert that is installed at the bottom rail.

Best Regards,

David Makela

Mak also Mentioned that this fence withstood a flood and looks much the way it did in these photos. If anyone has any other questions--Mak is happy to answer them in comments!

L

Rookie Fence Building - eposode 2

How do you spot a rookie fence builder's work?

No names-addresses or embarassment. I drive alot, and I see some horriffic fences. Here's a couple with critiques. I'm clearing off my desktop, so lets use up these photos.

Possibly a beginner fence builder will see this post and learn what they need to know ahead of time.

For the rookies--we sell DIY Fence plans at the web site... just click on DIY.


#1 Beginner error- not enough support. Most carpenters get it-but amateur builders may not get the principal. You can't really blame them. I've seen this design in a few books.

To span 8' you will need the equivilent of about 7-10" of material supporting.
Which means, 2-3 2x4's stood on edge built into the structure. A 2x4
upright--nailed to a 2x4 on the flat equals 5".

I bet this (below) was a really nice looking fence when it was new. Now--a waste of wood.

The new section is actually built on the ground--and has no support either. Same mistake-10 years apart.

When you build in an area where frost is a factor--you need to leave a couple of inches below the fence. (helps prevent rot too)

L

Here’s a shot of a that pergola (spy shots seen earlier during construction). It’s done for a banquet facility in Oakville. We think it turned out very well.

The purpose is for use in brochures and act as a lure for weddings. We designed it to drop a tent in behind—and stage it as an entrance to the outdoor function. Group shots can then be taken at the entrance—be it day or night functions and the backdrop will always be fabulous.

There’s a similar bar area at the back of the main facility, (smaller).

L

Insane Neighbors ! - A Reason for Building a Big Fence !

Here's the best reason I know for building a big fence!

I can't even imagine being in these poor people's place.

You buy a house and do all the renovations the right way--they even had the wood windows meticulously restored rather than sticking vinyl windows in.

The neighbours seem ok... until they change the furnace and stick the pipe towards your property. Not thinking much of it, you ask them to move the pipe, never realizing that the guy is about to go nuclear on you.

I've seen neighbors paint their fences hot pink on one side, I've seen stop work orders for fences on retaining walls down the street from this residence and the comittee of adjustment exist just for cases similar to this one--but mark my words, this one is different.

This one has gone way beyond reasonable and rational. One neighbor has passed through to manic behavior it's about to get interesting. (believe it or not-the one exhibiting irrational behavior is involved in the psychology field)

So, when I get the call a fence nearly 8' tall has been built, with a solid gate and a roof structure right up to the property line so that the owner can scurry around like he's in his own comfortable little nest free from the prying eyes of his neighbor.

And-he's installed 3 surveilance cameras so that he can view my client's home.

And a 2 million candle power motion sensor security light (to illiminate my client's bedroom at night)

The ladder is a permanent fixture....

And a security sign-- 8' in the air, directed at my client's dining room window.

Stay tuned...

Strategies are in place...

Lets see how it all plays out.

L