Calculators and guides
Rebar vs Wire Mesh vs Fiber in a Concrete Slab: Which Do You Need?
In short: none of them stop concrete from cracking. Concrete shrinks as it dries and will crack. Reinforcement holds the cracks tight so...
Read guide →Deck Footing Requirements Explained: Size, Depth and Spacing (IRC)
In short: deck footings must be concrete (or another approved system) , sized for the load they carry and your soil, with the bottom at l...
Read guide →Live Load vs Dead Load Explained (With a Real Deck Example)
In short: dead load is the weight of the structure itself, which is always there. Live load is the weight of people, furniture and anyt...
Read guide →Roof Pitch Calculator: Pitch, Angle, Slope % and Roof Area
Quick answer: a 6/12 roof rises 6 inches for every 12 inches across. That is an angle of 26.6° and a slope of 50% . Its pitch multiplie...
Open calculator →Deck Board Calculator: How Many Boards, Screws and Clips?
Quick answer: a 12 x 16 ft deck with boards running the 16 ft way, using 5-1/2" wide boards and a 3/16" gap, needs 26 rows of...
Open calculator →Rebar Calculator for Concrete Slabs (Bars, Spacing and Weight)
Quick answer: a 20 ft x 20 ft slab with #4 rebar at 16 inches each way, 3 inches in from the edges, needs 16 bars each way , about 624 ...
Open calculator →Gravel Calculator: How Many Tons or Yards of Gravel Do I Need?
Quick answer: a 10 ft x 10 ft area, 3 inches deep , needs 0.93 cubic yards of gravel, which weighs about 1.3 tons . A typical gravel dri...
Open calculator →Stair Stringer Calculator for Deck Stairs (Rise, Run and Stringer Length)
Quick answer: for a deck 30 inches above the ground , you need 4 risers of 7-1/2" and 3 treads of 10" , a total run of 30...
Open calculator →Concrete Slab Calculator: Cubic Yards and Bags for Any Slab
Quick answer: a 10 ft x 10 ft slab, 4 inches thick , needs 1.23 cubic yards (33.3 cu ft) of concrete. With 10% extra, that is about 1.36...
Open calculator →Concrete for Post Holes Calculator: How Many Bags Per Post?
Quick answer: a standard fence post hole, 10" wide and 24" deep with a 4x4 post, takes about 0.9 cu ft of concrete. With 10% ...
Open calculator →Deck Footing Size Calculator (How Big Should Deck Footings Be?)
Quick answer: a typical attached deck with 12 ft joists and posts 8 ft apart puts about 2,400 lb on each post. On average soil (1,500 ps...
Open calculator →Deck Joist Span Calculator (IRC Span Chart for 2x6, 2x8, 2x10, 2x12)
Quick answer: under the IRC deck joist table, a 2x8 joist at 16" on center spans up to 11'-10" in Southern pine and 11...
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