Back to Decks
STEP ONE: PLANNING
The first thing is to layout your deck Draw your home as best as you can in a top view ( looking down ). If you have a ruler, try to scale it out. For example: If the front of your home is 40' long, using a ruler, make each inch the equivalent of 10' and draw the outside walls of your home. Now you can impute the size you would like for a deck and get an idea of how it may look.
Think about how you are going to use the deck.
Do you have a large family, will you be using it for entertaining? Items such as a
built in bench allows for additional seating or create an area specifically designed for a
grille to keep kids from walking by. If you've seen "the perfect deck", take a
picture or ask your contractor to go by a take a look. Remember half the battle is knowing what you would like.
Another thing to think about is, will there be very young children on
the deck ( safety gates, splinter free decking ). Time spent now is well worth it. Look at
pictures in magazines, on TV, or in your neighbors yard. Make your deck your favorite
place to hang around.
The deck we are going to build is a basic
rectangle, with 5/4 x 6 Pressure Treated (PT) Decking, a 2x8 PT frame, and a
2x4 PT rail system with 2x2 PT balusters.
Your size may vary but the fundamentals are the same. GOOD LUCK.