Click below to read more on HGTVpro.
For most of my career I’ve built in what I would call “thickly settled” neighborhoods. In other words, not many back-forty type lots for me to bounce around it. Instead, I’ve only got a little room to make a big impression. And since homeowners love their privacy when it comes to deck projects and backyard living–whether it’s townhouses or single-families with very small side yards between neighbors (whom all get along with swimmingly by the way)–one important make-or-break on a happy customer often boils down to building an elegant but effective privacy screen.
![author avatar]()
Related Posts
The Red Ripper Tears Into Shingles
Ripping off shingles is so-o-o-o-o not a refined task. But that doesn’t mean the standard tool I’ve used for tearing them off — basically a…
17 Aug 2009
JELD-WEN’s IWP Aurora Doors and Simpson Doors
When beauty and brawn meet in one package it’s worth a second look. The IWP Aurora custom fiberglass doors/jamb packages and the Simpson impact-resistant Mastermark…
22 Jul 2009
Video! How to build a wood playset, Part 1
Mark & Theresa take you through the steps to build a custom backyard wood playset using pressure-treated southern pine.
22 Jun 2011
FixitUp Find: Worx 10-inch Compound Miter Saw
I haven’t used a fixed-head 10-inch miter saw for about six years. The reason: after my last one wore out, I got a 10-inch slide…
30 May 2009
Sherwin-Williams DeckScapes
Oil and Water I’m fired up about how green the building game is compared to just four years ago. I’m excited about products and processes…
24 May 2009
FixitUp Find: Plug and Play with Safety Quick Light
Twisting wire, screwing on wire nuts and neatly folding wire into a junction box not only takes time, it gets old after a while. So…
17 Jul 2009
Pergola Design
Dear MyFixitUpLife, a question: I’m designing a pergola. Instead of using 4-by or 6-by posts, I want to laminate a 2×8, 2×6, and 2×8 together…
01 Jul 2011
FixitUp Find: Boar Blade
Boaring through. Okay, here’s something that makes sense: a recip saw-blade that cuts in two directions and, what’s more, is easier to use for plunge…
06 Sep 2009
FixitUp Find: GatorGrit Sanding System
Pushing Paper There are two sad realities to my life. Reality #1: I’m …um …frugal. I frequently ask, “Why would I pay someone to do…
20 Sep 2009
FixitUp Find: Stanley FUBAR III
If your adrenaline doesn’t spike when you see Stanley’s FUBAR III wrecking bar, I’d be a little worried. One look and what you see is…
23 Sep 2009
FixitUp Find: Dunham Crew Chief Boots
Good boots are an expensive but undeniably important tool, and good ones help us do our jobs more comfortably. If your boots date back into…
26 May 2009
Add Some Style to Your Tile
I love tile. Sure, my zeitgeist is wood, but tile tells a house’s story in a verse much different from its leafy cousin. It has…
23 Jan 2011
FixitUp Find: CAT Power—CAT 303.5CR, CAT 262B Skid Steer
Many building contractors—especially remodelers and custom home builders—have problems maintaining their schedule with excavation contractors notoriously delayed by weather and other problems. When excavation and…
26 Jul 2009
FixitUp Find: Quadra-Fire Wood Burning Stoves
For builders scouting heating features and upgrades for a new home or remodel, thinking green (or greener) or fielding questions about effective ways to keep…
28 Jul 2009
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Joplin – Real Wood Playset: Day 2
Theresa brings you an update on the Real Wood playset from the set of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Joplin, MO—part of the special ‘7…
24 Oct 2011
