You’re all comfortable in your favorite lounge chair, reading your latest novel with a cool beverage nearby...
aroma of your favorite BBQ drifting from grill teases everyone... catching a few rays of sunshine never felt better. Warm weather calls us outdoors, and what better place to enjoy life than your deck!As an extension of your home, a deck can provide an attractive outdoor area that you can enjoy every time weather allows. Whether just hanging out and lounging, entertaining or playing with your kids or pet, a well-designed deck can be a favorite part of your home. Understanding important deck design and planning considerations will help your deck become successful project that you want.
Here are some considerations for having deck that’s right for your home:
1. Where should your deck be placed? A characteristic of good deck design is when deck can merge into environment of your backyard without being obtrusive and highly visible. If you’re fortunate and have a great view, take advantage of view and locate deck to enjoy it. If you don't have a spectacular view, perhaps your deck could be located near a beautiful garden tree. Maybe you want your deck in a shady area or with a sunny southern exposure. Is privacy from neighbors an issue? Are you near a busy street and is noise a problem? If so and if your space is limited, consider use of shrubbery, walls or fences to resolve problem.
2. Will deck be connected to your home? If you are considering placing your deck near living room, doing so could be a problem if foot traffic will soil your carpets and disrupt anyone that is watching TV or talking. Placing deck next to kitchen will make it easier to move food and dishes back and forth when eating outside on deck. Use sliding glass doors to make outdoors look even more inviting from kitchen. Would having two doors connecting different rooms to deck be a possibility? Having two doors accessing deck will be most efficient and best solution for easy foot traffic flow.
3. Do you want a destination deck? The deck doesn’t have to be built connected to your house. It can be a place to go all by itself. If your backyard extends to woods, maybe locating deck near some beautiful trees makes sense. If your property fronts a pond or lake, what about locating your deck so that it reaches out into water? If you have a flat roof, say, over a garage - what about a roof deck? The possibilities are endless!
4. How will your deck be used? If your property is small and you're not expecting to entertain large groups, you likely don't need a huge deck. Your deck should maintain a reasonable scale between your home and property size, size of your family and deck size. You should not have a small house, small property and a very large deck. The elements should be proportional. You should not build a small deck if you have a large house on large property.
