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Selected WeatherBest, ABTCo, and Veranda decking and railings may be deteriorating prematurely.
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Both new and older homes are at risk of deck failures in summertime.
When the June 2007 Angora Fire burned its way into the residential streets of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., firefighters were ready. The neighborhoods, unfortunately, were not.
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If you're old school, you probably like your music on vinyl, your cup of joe black, and your business luncheons at a steak joint with dark wood paneling. You're also likely to want your deck made out of wood. And who could blame you: Wood is attractive, inexpensive, and lasts a good 20...
TimberTech. Dress up any deck with the Classic Black composite railing system. The industry's first black composite railing is made with the same precision as the maker's other composite materials for a durable, attractive surface. The low-gloss finish complements all TimberTech decking, including...
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Interest in wood-plastic composites—commonly used for outdoor decking and indoor molding—is growing as builders look for low-maintenance, rot-resistant materials. One problem: Composite boards are thick and heavy.
AT FIRST GLANCE, THIS house, nestled in a cove on the Connecticut River shoreline, looks like a classic shingle-style East Coast cottage. However, a closer look at its robust symmetry, its upside-down floor plan, and its broad double decks supported by big wood posts also reveals a metaphorical...
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The best reason to attend the International Builders' Show always has been, and always will be, the products.
RECENTLY, CHICAGO-BASED U.S. Plastic Lumber (USPL) stopped making composite products, citing problems with staining and other issues. Instead, USPL has turned all of its energies toward making “pure” plastic products made with 100 percent HDPE.
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THE INTERNATIONAL BUILDERS' SHOW can overwhelm even the most seasoned trade show attendee. That's why each January we pull together a collection of the best products on the exhibition floor—ones you should be sure to see.
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With factories running 24 hours a day to meet demand, makers of plastic-based building materials such as decking, fencing, and siding are moving into the mainstream at warp speed. Are these products the answer to our durability woes, or merely a fresh face shaking up an old business?
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Although all of the lots in this community were plotted at 45 feet wide, the builder narrowed some of them and made others wider to achieve a lower sales price per square foot.
It's not unusual to hear land planners talk about communities that have dedicated themselves to being good stewards, about local officials and developers working together to preserve precious resources, about building plans that promise to maintain habitats and open space. There's a lot of that...
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By BUILDER Magazine Staff. Each year, with feedback from builders nationwide, the NAHB Research Center's Annual Builder Practices Survey (ABPS) documents materials usage in new-home construction. A review of 2002 results shows a continued movement toward the use of durable exterior materials.
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CEO Brownell pegs his future on conservation design techniques. "It's the future ... the way we'll all need to do development," he says. Bielinski Homes scored big with its 39-acre Prairie Glen community, in Germantown, Wis., on agricultural lands that included "partially degraded wetlands."...
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Wondertec International, based in Newberry, S.C., says that its new cement-based landscaping and subdivision wall system is faster to build than concrete block and is as much as 40 percent cheaper. Moreover, with recent Dade County Miami approval, the wall can be built up to 15 feet tall in...
Until recently, there weren't a lot of reasons to get off Highway 80 at Hercules, Calif. In fact, many San Franciscans probably aren't familiar with the little town, which is on the Bay side 16 miles north of Oakland. Promenade, built by Western Pacific Housing, is the first residential project in...