Tips for Building a Deck
An outdoor deck can expand your living area and can make a great place to entertain friends and family or simply to kick back and relax while enjoying the outdoors.
Whether you want to build a large deck where you can place your barbeque and have huge cookouts or you simply want a small deck where you can kick back with a good book after a long day and relax in the sunshine there are several things you need to consider before building a deck. These tips should get you started.
The first thing you will need to decide is how large you want your deck. You should consider how large your yard is, what you want to use the deck for, and how the deck will look with your home. At this point you probably also want to consider the shape of your deck. Decks can be square, rectangle or rounded, they can have stairs and multiple levels and they can features like built in benches or planter boxes.
During the planning stage it is helpful to take some graph paper and draw out a sketch of the floor plan of your home as well as your yard and then experiment with drawing out different deck shapes to see what will be the most functional and pleasing to the eye.
You should also do an elevation sketch, which is simply a sketch of your house as seen from the side where you plan to put the deck with a drawing of your deck idea attached. You don’t have to be a great artist to do these sketches - you are just trying to get an idea of what style of deck will work best with your home.
While you are deciding what style and size of deck to build you should also check the building codes in your area to make sure that the deck that you want will be allowed. It isn’t much fun to get your heart totally set on a deck design and then have it shot down by the building department.
While you are talking to the people at the building code office be sure to find out if there are any special permits or requirements that you need to fulfill before building your deck. Taking care of these things early will ensure that you don’t have to sit around and wait before you can start work on building your deck.
As you are planning your deck also keep in mind that decks need sturdy support so you will need to dig holes and pour concrete for the footings. To keep work to a minimum it is a good idea to plan your deck so that no holes for the footings need to be dug in difficult places or fall directly over an existing sidewalk.
You will also need to decide what type of material you want to use for building your deck. The three most common types are redwood, pressure treated lumber and decking composite. The pressure treated lumber is the cheapest option but doesn’t look as pretty as the other two. If you want to save some money on your deck but still have it look beautiful, try using pressure treated lumber for the inner supports of your deck and fronting the outside with redwood.
Composite decking material is a great choice if you don’t want to have to do a lot of upkeep on your deck. Traditional wood decks require staining, painting or sealing to protect them from the weather. Composite decks, however, do not require upkeep. Although the composite decking material is a bit more expensive it may be well worth it to you in the long run for the maintenance hassles that it saves.
Building a deck is a great way to increase the size of your living area and get a comfortable, fun, relaxing area to enjoy outside. By using careful planning putting together your dream deck will be an easy and enjoyable process and will leave you will the deck of your dreams.
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