We’re not talking splinters here. Decks collapse, and usually they do it without warning. Your kids may be running, dancing, and stomping on your deck one day, and then the next day, the whole contraption might fall completely apart. Inspecting your deck can be a matter of life or death. Just glance over the tips we’ve gathered in the information below. Maybe you’ll decide not to wait until May to carry out your own deck safety check.

So, how do you accomplish much-needed privacy in the backyard while keeping both parties happy? There are quite a few easily and not so easily achieved solutions from which to choose. From the trusty, traditional wooden fence to the bigger pergola or patio cover – you have options. Careful planning and consideration are in order to create backyard privacy that is both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional. Take a look at some of our favorite privacy options.

Doors. You open them daily, slam them occasionally and probably give them little thought 99.9% of the time. Yet these rectangular household accessories have the ability to reveal - or protect - the most valuable possessions you own. The FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program tracked 2,188,005 burglaries for 2011; 60.6 percent involved forcible entry. An earlier report from 2009 showed 34 percent of burglars enter the home through the front door; is yours protected?