From the Yard
Tips, guides, and material notes covering fence selection, maintenance, temporary fence planning, and jobsite questions that affect the work.
A retired Philly contractor explains why dark composite deck boards get dangerously hot in summer, why grey stays manageable, and how to pick the right color if you've got kids or bare feet.
A no-nonsense guide from a retired Philly contractor on how to plan a backyard fence — purpose, privacy, materials, gates, budget, and how to read a quote without getting hosed.
A Philly contractor's straight-talk checklist for inspecting fence posts, gates, hardware, and panels before the next round of summer thunderstorms takes them down.
Ten red flags that tell you a contractor is going to burn you — from a Philly guy who's spent three decades cleaning up other people's messes.
Fall protection is OSHA's number-one citation year after year — and it's not just a contractor problem. Here's what homeowners need to know before anyone climbs a ladder on your property, and what to do when you're the one going up.
Fence quotes hide more than they show. Here's what should be on the page — gate hardware, post depth, demo, delivery, and the details that separate a real quote from a bait-and-switch.
A Philly contractor breaks down why fences rot, lean, and sag long before they should — and what homeowners can actually do about it.
How composite, PVC, and wood decking stack up on a 90-degree Philly afternoon — and what to do if your deck is already too hot to walk on.
A no-BS guide for homeowners on the three deck details that get people in trouble: flashing the ledger, meeting railing code, and waiting to stain new pressure-treated wood.
A retired Philly contractor breaks down what a fence really costs — materials by type, per-foot install prices, hidden fees, and how to build a budget that doesn't blow up.
Straight talk from a Philly contractor on when to choose a privacy fence versus an ornamental one — including zoning, HOA rules, security realities, and the trade-offs nobody warns you about.
A retired Philly contractor's checklist for reading a fence quote before you sign — the missing scope, gate details, and vague allowances that separate an honest bid from a bait-and-switch.