Dear Bonnie: With a sloping backyard close to the same height as the first floor as yours, it is trickier to build the support structure for the deck. Another option is a slightly raised deck, but you ...

Q: I’m facing some building projects. One is a tall deck, another is framing a garden shed, and I need to help a friend with a room addition. I’m wondering about diagonal bracing. I don’t understand ...

DEAR TIM: I need to build a deck, and I’m told that the wood posts that support the deck must then sit precisely on top of concrete piers. How in the world do you connect the wood posts to the ...