“Summers here are glorious and short,” Angie, who owns a home in the Framingham area, loves to entertain. “Our yard is just the perfect backdrop for the fall – when the leaves change color, it’s gorgeous. I want to host a harvest season barbecue, but I worry it’s going to be too cold to do much outdoors.”
As Framingham deck builders, we’re definitely see an increase in the number of people who want to make sure their decks stay comfortable when the temperature drops. Heating decks was identified as a cutting edge deck trend for 2017 by building professionals: top choices include deck designs that accommodate ceramic heater installation or built in fire pits.
“I had never really thought about having a fire pit built into our deck before, but when our builder suggested it, I fell in love with the idea instantly. It’s so fun for the kids – they can toast marshmallows! And it’s good for them to get at least some fresh air, which is hard to do when the days get short in the fall. Once bedtime happens?” Angie laughed. “It turns out adults like to toast marshmallows too – although we might have a glass of wine with our s’mores!”
Along with heating, adding lighting to decks is a popular trend in Framingham. “This really turned out to be an opportunity to add some personal style and do some creative deck design,” Angie said. “There are so many different ways to add lighting to your deck, and our deck builders came to us with many exciting suggestions. We looked those over and thought through what would work best for our family. Now that the lighting’s in place, I have to say it’s one feature of our custom built deck that really gets a lot of compliments: the lighting is bright without being harsh, and it creates a warm, welcoming space where everyone feels comfortable gathering.”