One way to operate the most profitable business possible is to implement highly efficient systems. In this article some of the best deck-building specialists offer their tips for top-notch project management and construction.

Living space dedicated to outdoor entertaining continues to be on a meteoric rise in popularity across the country. More often than not, outdoor living spaces will include an open-air kitchen

Materials such as glass, wire and engineered composite products are winning over traditional wood offerings in railings and balusters. Consumers are interested in the new products with an eye toward durability and design. Deck railings and balusters have the capability to turn a ho-hum deck into a showpiece.

Keeping a deck looking new can seem like a monumental task for busy consumers. These homeowners are flocking in record numbers to maintenance-free decks for fear of having to invest their precious weekend hours cleaning, staining and waterproofing natural wood decks to keep them looking their best.

A tentative deal reached last week that would settle the U.S.-Canadian softwood lumber dispute still runs the risk of being scuttled over the planned distribution of $1 billion in collected duties to the U.S. government and U.S. industry.

Many of the decks that hang off the backs of houses in this country were added after the house was built and after the local building inspector had been and gone for the last time. The safety and structural integrity of those decks was a pure roll of the dice and depended completely upon the skill and experience of whoever did the work. As you can imagine, this is a recipe for disaster.

If a man's home is his castle, can his porch be his fortress?

Since 1999 hydrophobic concrete has grown in acceptance in the U.S., an innovative waterproofing solution that lies in the alteration of concrete's performance properties, transforming it from a hydrophilic sponge into a hydrophobic, waterproof, construction material.

A patio, a pool and a charcoal grill used to be enough to maximize the use of your backyard. These days, the pool and patio are just the basic beginnings. The charcoal grill is a primitive prop that's largely been dispensed with. Today's state-of-the-art setups are bringing the best of a home's inside out into the open.

The home's stylistic palette ranges into the industrial when you notice the black-steel stairway and post-and-cable railings. Your memory of that part of the house actually diminishes as you walk around to the back, where an expansive arc patio overlooks a wide landscape of mesas and buttes.

How do you turn a drab shoe box of a house into a breathtaking multi-level showpiece worthy of Architectural Digest?

Top building officials and a structural engineers agree that maintenance is the key to preventing residential decks from collapsing and causing injuries.

The newest place for flexible living is on the outside of the home, where the traditional yard has been replaced with roof decks, master suite balconies, covered porches and courtyards designed to feel like outdoor living rooms.