Best contractors near Kincheloe, MI

When deciding if you should use 2x6 or 2x8 deck joists, consider the size of the deck, joist spacing, and materials. Larger decks, larger-spaced joists, and weaker wood all require more support, meaning they need larger joists. For example, 2x8 redwood joists spaced 16 inches apart can only safely span up to 10 feet and 7 inches. On the other hand, 2x10 southern pine joists spaced 12 inches apart can be as big as 16 feet and 2 inches. If you aren’t sure what size joist is best for your project, speak with your deck builder.

Most Cape Cod houses are two stories tall at the peak, although they’re considered one-and-a-half stories tall because the steep roof pitch cuts off a portion of the living space on the second story. Unless you raise the roof on your Cape Cod house to add a dormer, the interior rooms upstairs will lose some usable living space to the sloped ceilings.

The easiest way to tell if a wall is load bearing is to check if it’s an exterior wall or if it runs perpendicular to the joists above and below it (or parallel to beams). Exterior walls are almost always load-bearing, and walls that run under beams or parallel to them are also usually load-bearing. There are exceptions to these rules, and walls that don’t fit into these categories can still be load-bearing. If you’re unsure, hire a structural engineer to look at your home to assess whether or not the wall is structural.

Homeowners can increase the usefulness of their garage space in other ways, and one option is to extend the length of the garage by making it deeper. The process is similar to traditional garage extensions, but the end product is a garage with a different layout rather than additional parking spaces.