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LETTER FROM MATT WEBER
Outdoor building is bigger than ever. Transforming a home’s yard into a living space has been a hot trend for many years, and now that people are spending more time at home, more people are jumping on board. Over the years that we’ve spent covering home-improvement projects, the HIR staff has also
DEPENDING ON THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT, CONSTRUCTION OF A DECK, PATIO, PORCH CAN BE A HUGE UNDERTAKING. PUBLISHER JEREMY HOLLINGSWORTH jeremy@HIRpub.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MATT WEBER matt@HIRpub.com
noticed another trend among homeowners: They like to work on these projects themselves. Depending on the scope of the project, construction of a deck, patio, porch can be a huge undertaking. The nice thing about property ownership, however, is the owner can choose to tackle a small project or repair, and then hire a pro for the big installations. Or, an ambitious DIY’er might even attempt to break ground and build up a project for themselves. We’ve learned that DIY’ers are often more eager to test their mettle outdoors than indoors, because all the associated mess and chaos of remodeling stays outside the house. However, there’s a lot to learn about outdoor building. Professional deck builders and landscape architects make good money because they employ the
ADVISORY BOARD JEFF WINKLE CHIP LOVELADY JIM BUTTERS KATHY ZIPRIK MARK CLEMENT ROB ROBILLARD LARRY CLEMENT
proper construction techniques to ensure the safety and durability of the project. To assist that learning process, this issue of HIR offers our readers a handful of stories to help upgrade a home’s outdoor living space, from a look at building materials and deck-building advice to patio and sidewalk construction. We hope you enjoy this special issue, and you can expect many more stories from us in the future about outdoor living. Please drop us a line to recommend what we should cover.
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTERS CARTER SWIFT TOM MATTHEWS COPY EDITOR DIANE WEBER
CREATIVE DIRECTOR WESLEY GLASSCO wesley@HIRpub.com
AD DESIGN/COORDINATION SPECIALIZED MEDIA SERVICES, INC. ads@HIRpub.com PRODUCTION MANAGER SHANNA QUIGLEY ONLINE/SOCIAL MEDIA DEVELOPMENT GLORIA BERRIO
Home Improvement & Repair is published by Pine Mountain Media Group LLC, 130 Inverness Plaza, Suite 226, Birmingham, AL 35242. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission. The editorial content is intended to explain and simplify home-improvement tasks. Tools, products, materials, techniques, building codes and local regulations change. We assume no liability for omissions, errors or the outcome of any project. The reader must always exercise reasonable caution, follow current codes and regulations that may apply, and is urged to consult with a licensed professional if in doubt about any procedures.
PINE MOUNTAIN MEDIA GROUP LLC
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Home Improvement and Repair | The Deck, Patio & Landscape Issue
