Building a Ground-Level Deck: Footings, Framing and Fasteners
A freestanding deck under 30 inches avoids the two hardest parts of deck building: the ledger connection and the guardrail. What remains is entirely doable in two weekends.
Dana Whitfield
Dana spent eleven years as a residential remodeling carpenter in Oklahoma and Kansas before moving to writing full time. She tests every tool that appears on this site in an actual job, not on a bench.
4 articles
Guides in this section
Running a Kids' Woodworking Workshop at Home: Six Safe First Builds
A workbench, four tools and a birdhouse. Here is how to run a genuinely safe children's build session at home — including the age-by-age rules most guides skip.
Cordless Drill Buying Guide: Voltage, Torque and Battery Platforms in Plain English
The number on the box is marketing. Here is what voltage, torque, chuck size and amp-hours really tell you, and the three questions that decide the purchase.
The 14 Hand Tools a First-Time Homeowner Actually Uses
Ignore the 200-piece case. These are the fourteen tools that come out of the drawer every month, why each one earns its space, and what to buy instead of the filler.