You're Ready for a Deck, Where Do You Start?

Winter time is a great time to start brainstorming about your outdoor project. You may be thinking about a new deck, remodeling your old deck or adding to it. There are a lot of things to consider when researching deck ideas. So where do you start?

There are many things to take into account like your budget, the kind of maintenance required, how long your deck will last and what environmentally sustainable products are available. This post will start with some planning ideas and share some information on the types of materials that are available. This will help you get started on designing and building the deck that's right for you

Planning Ideas

First you really need to spec out the site where your deck will be going and how it will be used. Depending on the size of the area and your budget you could create a multi-level design or "rooms". Maybe you want to have incorporated seating or include your hot tub or pool. Perhaps you'll want planters for flowers and plants as part of the deck. If you like to entertain you may want to have an area for dining or barbecuing. You will also want to think about the shape of your deck and how it may fit into your yard and what focal points might be included like a fire pit or water feature.

Deck Materials

Aesthetic, maintenance and durability are important factors to consider when you decide what materials to use when building your deck. Fortunately there are a variety of options. In additional to traditional wood there are composites, vinyl decking, and pressure-treated wood and enhanced lumber. I will briefly touch on all of these.

Natural Wood

The most common woods used are redwood, cedar and cypress. Heartwood redwood is naturally resistant to insects, rot and decay, but is pricey. Cedar, most typically red cedar decking, has many of the same qualities of redwood but the cost is lower. Cypress is also naturally resistant to insects and rot. Cypress doesn't readily absorb moisture but it takes a long time to dry when it does. It must be dried carefully to avoid warping and twisting. Most hardwoods decks are durable but require a lot of maintenance each year to maintain it's color.

Pressure-Treated Wood

Pressure-treated wood is cost effective but has been treated to resist rot and insect damage which can be harmful to the environment. Because the compounds used are highly corrosive hot-dipped galvanized and stainless-steel nails and screws are recommend as fasteners.

Composite and Vinyl

Some of these products are made from wood fiber and plastic that has been reclaimed. Others are made from vinyl. They are pre-colored and you have design options you made not normally have with wood. Composite is pretty pricey more so than top-quality wood. Many composites do not look like real wood even though manufacturers do their best to make them that way.

Enhanced Lumber

This technology is fairly new on the scene. An environmentally friendly polymer that makes the lumber highly weather and insect resistant, fungus free and is class A fire rated meaning it won't burn. Our own DreamDex is created with this scientific breakthrough. There are no poisons or plastics making this a very green product and requires little maintenance.

You've got a place to start in the planning of your deck. In the next installments we'll go further talking about who you can use to help you design and build your deck, maintenance, where to get your materials and more.