What makes a deck board “green”?
by Greg Burnet, Expert business and legal advice 

Marketers regularly invoke the term "green" today to sway consumers who are conscious of how their purchases impact the environment. The construction industry in particular seems to be full of "green" products. But what is green, and who determines how green a product is? The answers are: There is no agreed-on definition of what's green, and until a uniform standard is created, you'll need to judge for yourself where a product ranks on the green scale. I found that out recently when asked to rebuild ... read entire article >>

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EDITOR'S LETTER: Pick a business model, any business model  
by Andy Engel, Editor, Professional Deck Builder

I get reader feedback from around the nation on a variety of issues. Often, it's about how something shown in the magazine wouldn't meet code in Wherever, USA. Our supposedly national building code is enforced in surprisingly varied manners. Consequently, I allow a fair amount of leeway when it comes to code issues. That said, I have turned down articles that featured what seemed like major compliance concerns. For example, one respected Midwestern deck builder I know uses no joist hangers or even ledger strips. He simply end-nails the... read entire article >>