Decking Design For Your Home

Decks: Building A Design Outside Of The Box
Often called outdoor living rooms by design professionals, decks are becoming more and more popular for modern American homeowners. At best, a well-planned deck can transform your backyard into a roofless sanctuary for relaxation and entertaining that also accentuates your home’s distinct style for the entire neighborhood to see. And with today’s real estate prices making it progressively harder for people to find larger spaces, many affluent homeowners are adding on instead of moving out. Whether you prefer the softness of red cedar or the woven look of true Honduras mahogany, your beautifully designed deck can provide your family with more space and endless hours of enjoyment while simultaneously increasing the value of your property.

Bringing The Inside Out
Let’s face it: our choices define us and at MyHome we strive to build projects that bring out the unique character of your home’s architecture along with your inimitable personality. To that end, MyHome encourages you to think of your decking project as seriously as you would a room inside your home. This means that your outdoor space should also reflect your most intimate needs and interests to ensure years of outdoor fun. Whether you’re a true barbecue master, an amateur mixologist, or you simply enjoy sunbathing next to your personalized Zen garden, our MyHome Remodeling Consultants and work people are dedicated to building your dreams both in and out of doors. As a full-service, remodeling firm, MyHome can handle one or all aspects of your decking job whether it’s simply providing the high quality materials or building a custom-made perimeter to your in- or out-of-ground pool.

Designing Your Deck: Getting Started
Once you call us for your free consultation, your MyHome Remodeling Consultant will advise you on design and material choices as well as come out to your home to get a sense of what you want in the context of what is possible for your space. We will then present you with a proposal that will outline the project parameters, costs, and an estimated completion date. Remember, every home is different and any construction will be hinged on its individual limitations.

But before building the outdoor oasis to compliment your indoor haven, there are some things to consider. Because a deck is an entire structure that includes foundation considerations, framing, and zoning and load-bearing issues, the design and execution of any decking project can often be very complex, requiring meticulous planning and preparation.

For instance, keeping the deck’s perimeter at least two feet away from your window is a necessary precaution, unless you want to be looking out the window at a deck railing for the rest of your life. Some people even choose to forgo a railing and opt for benches to mark the perimeter of their deck. It’s also important to plan the deck’s entrance. Ideally the entry point will be flush with a screen or kitchen door, but if you worry about snow crossing the threshold in winter, you might want to add a few steps to avoid such a fiasco. Avoiding water spigots, vents, below deck windows, and other variables are also important to think about before beginning. Even determining basics like the footing (the actual foot of the foundation) and the pier (the column that transfers the load or deck weight onto the footing) choices can be tricky, depending on the frost line and potential termite problems.

Further, thinking seriously and carefully about how you’ll actually use the deck most of the time is an invaluable process. Most people use their decks for outdoor entertaining beyond basic grilling needs, which can mean the inclusion of hot tubs, pools, gazebos, and outdoor kitchens, depending on your tastes. Even screened-in decks have become a recent trend since the West Nile Virus scare a few years ago. However, finding a place for your grill in relation to your kitchen is a great place to start. Remember, keeping an eye toward the future will only ensure that you are completely satisfied as your deck ages with you.

Decking Materials
The color, texture, and longevity of your deck will rest largely on the materials you choose. For example some wood changes color with age while synthetics like polyurethane are treated chemically with UV protectors to keep their shades over time.

Natural Fibers Used in Decks

Pressure Treated Wood
By far the most popular choice in America, preserved wood offers longevity, a clean attractive look, and maximum resistance to termites, rot, and water damage. With numerous choices in look from knot-free to close grain, as well as water-repellent selections, pressure treated wood is a low maintenance option that lasts.

Western Red Cedar
Classic and elegant materials like newly cut cedar can range from light brown to salmon pink in color. It eventually turns silvery gray and then dark brown if it not treated or stained. A soft wood, cedar weathers easily and requires some maintenance, although it’s more durable than other natural wood products.

Ipe or Imported Hardwoods
Extremely dense, tight-grained woods, Ipe ranges in color from amber and red to sepia. Virtually knot-free, these natural fibers bear some similarity to pressure treated wood in terms of resistance. Ipe is very difficult to work with in terms of nailing and screwing, as these woods tend to split if not pre-drilled and can be very expensive—often costing an extra four dollars a yard for labor.

Mahogany
Honduras mahogany is the only true mahogany even though there are other “Philippine” variations that adopt the name. Attractive with its woven texture, only the dark red and brown varieties tolerate outdoor decay rather well.

Synthetics
No longer plastic or flimsy looking, these synthetic options offer lower maintenance solutions for your decking needs.

Composite Decking
Environmentally savvy and diverse as can be, most composite decks (both polypropylene and polyethylene) are made from a mixture of recycled hard plastic (from keyboards and TVs) and fine wood particles. These decking materials can be made to resemble almost any wood style. Both polypropylene and polyethylene models tend to lighten a little with time. Polypropylene composite retains its shape when bent for railings while polyethylene usually comes with a matching railing system.

100% Polyethylene
Usually recycled from milk jugs, this pure synthetic offers all the versatility of the composite while maintaining its color over time with a UV inhibitor. Like wood, this material can be cut and drilled easily and can be fashioned to resemble almost any kind of grain.

Aluminum
The most resistant of all the materials in that these planks have the least amount of expansion and contraction due to weight and weather, they are often embossed with a powder coat finish. This tough material can only be cut with a carbide saw and the edges need to be filed down smooth for efficacy and safety. With many options for color, aluminum boards can be fashioned to hide all surface nails and screws. Some manufacturers offer glass fillings for railings.

Laminated Vinyl Membrane
Good for keeping below-deck areas dry, this laminated membrane provides extra protection for your deck surface. Only about 50 mm thick, the fabric is surrounded by two vinyl films.

Styling and Designing Your Deck
These days the sky is the limit for design options–even if you’re not building a roof deck. The style and make of your deck will be largely contingent on the skill of your craftspeople and on your designer’s imagination. At MyHome we staff only the most prominent creative professionals who are dedicated to building all of your dreams to your complete satisfaction. Whether you want a bi- or multi-level deck, a floating deck, a roof deck and garden, or a pool or spa deck to for you and your friends, MyHome will help you realize what is right for your particular space based on your budget. We encourage our clients to spend some time looking through the latest magazines for styles that appeal. Make sure you bring pictures of decks that have made an impression on you to your Remodeling Consultant for review.