Most homeowners sign a contractor estimate without fully understanding what they are agreeing to. That is not a criticism. Estimates are written by people who do this every day, and the shorthand that makes sense to a contractor can look like a foreign language to someone who has never hired one before. Here is what to look for before you put your name on anything.
The question we get asked most often about decks is whether to fix what is there or tear it down and start over. The honest answer is that it depends on the framing. Decking boards and railings are replaceable. Footings and framing are the structural core, and if those are compromised, putting new boards on top of them is just delaying the real problem.
A deck that heaves, tilts, or pulls away from the house in the spring is almost always a footing problem. In central Vermont, where the frost line runs between 48 and 60 inches depending on the site, footings that do not reach that depth will move. It is not a question of if. Here is what you need to know before you build.
The sill plate is the piece of lumber that sits on top of your foundation and carries the weight of the entire wall above it. When it rots, the wall above it loses its bearing. Most homeowners do not know they have a problem until they notice a door that will not close right or a floor that has developed a soft spot near an exterior wall. By then the rot has usually been going on for years.
Cedar is a good fence material for Vermont. It is naturally resistant to decay, it takes stain well, and it looks right in this landscape. A cedar fence installed correctly and maintained occasionally will last fifteen to twenty-five years. One installed with the wrong post depth or left completely untreated will start showing problems in five. Here is what makes the difference.
Most homeowners do not think much about what species their interior trim is made from until they are standing in a lumber yard trying to figure out why one board costs twice as much as another. The choice matters more than people expect, both for how the finished trim looks and for how it holds up over the years. Here is the short version.
A general contractor is not just someone who swings a hammer. On a larger renovation project, the GC is the person responsible for pulling permits, scheduling trades, managing the sequence of work, and making sure the job gets done in the right order. If you have never hired one before, the process can feel opaque. Here is what it actually looks like from the first call to the day you get your keys back.
Built straight, built to last. Write to us
Learn more about what we do.
Read more → The story behind crimson trail works AboutMeet the people behind the work.
Read more → Reach us directly ContactCome visit, or drop us a line.
Read more → Privacy PrivacyLearn more about what we do.
Read more → Terms TermsLearn more about what we do.
Read more →