View The Garlinghouse DIY Deck Plans collection. This two-tiered, ground-level deck is made entirely out of ChoiceDek, a composite material created by mixing wood fibers (red cedar or some other type of softwood) with polyethylene, which comes from recycled consumer waste. Photo courtesy of ChoiceDek. Backyard decks are great because they offer level...
by Bruce Arant, Editorial Director for The Garlinghouse Company I've lived in "Tornado Alley" all of my life. That being the case, wailing tornado sirens, along with the chirping of birds and the buzzing of bees, have become just another familiar sound of springtime (although, not quite as calming). At 2:30...
If you think your living room furniture takes a beating, imagine what your outdoor furniture goes through. The "elements," as we call them, will really do a number on any unprepared thing left to their mercy. Outdoor furniture has to take this beating, remain useful, and still look good. Creating Backyard...
Today we cook outside for fun more than ever. It is estimated that Americans will cook and consume three billion-that's 3,000,000,000- meals outside this year on 80 million grills, at about 37.5 meals per grill each year. But like nearly everything else we do today, we tend to "supersize" things....
by Bruce Arant, Editorial Director for The Garlinghouse Company For those of you who don't already know - we're currently providing many of our home plan books for free. (All you pay for is shipping) This is definitely something that's worth your time to check out. As popular as online home plans are...
The Coolest Thing in New Home Construction A pool surrounded by a sturdy deck of either concrete or wood and set in a nicely landscaped yard can provide hours of recreation and a beautiful backdrop to your home. Photo courtesy of Donna and Ron Kolb, Exposures Unlimited. We’ve all heard that a...
Building a house is a lot of work for the builder, but it's also a lot of work for the homeowner. Here is some seasoned advice to help smooth the construction process. The homeowner's work begins with hiring the builder, or general contractor, which is where many projects start to go...
By Cynthia Doggett You know you want to build. You have your dream house plan in mind. But where? Haven’t you heard? Location, is everything. In fact, location has the greatest effect on everything to do with your investment—in terms of property value and your family’s well-being. Choosing a neighborhood sounds easy...
By Cynthis Doggett In a lifetime, there are not many projects that equal the enormity of building a new home. It is a tremendous investment of time, funds and for many, the realization of a long awaited dream. One way to ensure that your dream house becomes a reality is to...
by Adrienne van Dooren According to the EPA, "the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities." Since most people spend 85-90 percent of their time indoors, the health risks (asthma, lung disease, cancer, etc.) are...
