Five Tips for a Backyard Deck

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Are you planning to build a backyard deck this year? Maybe you already have a deck and simply want to update it to make it more a part of your lifestyle. Whatever your specific situation, you’ll want to incorporate some backyard deck ideas that will allow you to have the best possible deck for the least possible investment. You’ll also want a deck that will last for years and years with little or no maintenance. Here are some ideas for backyard decks that may help you design the deck that is perfect for your home and your family.

Consider a spa deck. It can be so relaxing to come in from a hard day of work to sit in a hot tub of Jacuzzi on your backyard deck . If you are planning a spa deck, incorporate some privacy in your plans. You can do this by placing structural timbers on the side of the deck which are visible to neighbors and planting climbing vines so that they will climb these timbers. You can create the same effect by stringing lightweight rope from nails placed at the top and bottom of the deck supports and allowing the vines to grow to cover these ropes. At the end of the growing season, you can remove the ropes and re-do the vines next spring.

Built in plants are great. If you love plants, why not build planters into your deck design? You can easily create flower boxes, or containers in which you can plant large specimen plants or small trees right on the deck. Use the same materials that are used for building the deck to provide a sense of continuity and wholeness to the overall design. You can create planters that have interesting geometric designs using the materials, or simply build boxes. Either way, you’ll want to include a means for the planters to drain easily and make sure the planters are positioned so that the drainage will flow off the edges of the deck.

Use low maintenance materials. You can create an all-wood deck and keep it low maintenance by treating the wood with an all-weather finish product specifically made for use on decks. Be sure that any finish you apply to the wood deck is not going to become slippery when wet to prevent possible accidents. Today, with composite materials, you can build a deck that looks and feels like wood but actually contains no wood at all. These composite materials will last for decades without any refinishing whatsoever. While the expense may be slightly higher when you initially build the deck, it will become less expensive as the years go by because you will not have to invest in refinishing and retreating any wooden deck materials.

Create areas for sun and shade. When designing your perfect backyard deck, incorporate areas which are exposed to full sun for lounging on sunny days. But too much sun is not a good thing, so you’ll want to include areas that are shaded. This can be accomplished by building a roof over a portion of the backyard deck to shade one area and leaving another area without any covering.

Modular seating or not? You may want to have built-in benches along the sides of your deck, or you may want to use moveable seating in the form of outdoor furniture. That choice is entirely up to your personal preferences. However, you might consider including both! Create a built-in bench around a corner planter. Then place an umbrella table and comfortable chairs in the center of the deck or on the sunny side of a deck that contains both sunny and shady areas.

There are infinite ideas for backyard decks but it all comes down to building a deck that you and your family will love and use regularly. Make your [deck design] welcoming and homey and you’ll find that during pleasant weather you actually have another ‘room’ added to your home!

Tags: Deck Design