Creative Decks

Your Outdoor Living Specialist

"Design Drawings and Construction Plans"

Framingham, MA

508-877-1060

Decks

Home Improvements on List of 15 Smart Things to Do with $1,000

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Selena Maranjian is a financial expert who writes for the very popular website, The Motley Fool. She was asked the top 15 things that a person could do with $1,000 and we’re happy to see home improvements is on the list.

Here in the Metrowest area, home improvements don’t always require a huge budget. Maranjian offers several relatively affordable options for sprucing the place up: you could paint a few rooms or have new appliances installed. One suggestion that caught our eye was new porch furniture. Let’s talk about what you can do to improve your deck for under $1,000:

Porch Stairs: Porch stairs get a lot of wear, especially if you have children or pets. Over the course of time, stairs wear out. You may have noticed your porch stair boards sagging, warping or cracking. Maybe a board is missing entirely! When porch stairs aren’t at their best, they can become dangerous, particularly for anyone who has balance issues. If you have older family members or little ones that are just learning how to walk, having the porch stairs replaced makes good sense.

Deck Lighting: A simple and affordable upgrade that can greatly enhance the enjoyment of your deck is to have lighting added. Lighting can be built into deck features to provide low-level illumination – great to prevent trips and falls at night – or be deployed strategically to illuminate the most used part of your deck.

Railings and Banisters: A quick trick to modernize an other-wise serviceable deck is to have the existing railings and banisters swapped out for a more contemporary look. We’ve done this several times for clients who have told us their friends were sure they had had an entirely new deck put in when that was not the case – that’s how much of an impression this simple change can make.

Rustic Touches for a Sophisticated Deck: Creative Design Makes All The Difference

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“Ron was born in Boston and has lived here all of his life,” Kellie said. “I’m a country girl. I’m willing to give up a lot to be here with my guy, but I want our home to reflect some of my personality and what’s important to me.”

Creative deck design begins in the acknowledgement that the home is an expression of the self. If there’s only one homeowner, that’s easy enough, but most families include more than one person. Understanding and integrating the multiple personal preferences into a deck design that works for everyone can mean marrying seemingly disparate elements, such as rustic with sophisticated, or big city with country casual.

As Metrowest deck builders, we’ve found one successful route forward is to have each party identify essential, must-have features they want in the deck. Areas that are essential to more than one person can be the starting point of a creative deck design. In Kellie and Ron’s case, that meant the fire feature for their deck. Both of them enjoyed the idea of relaxing by a fire under the stars; Ron’s vision was of a sleek gas fireplace while Kellie wanted a more traditional wood burning fire pit. Compromise was found with deck design that combined the look of a traditional fire pit with the easy care and maintenance of a gas fireplace.

“I always loved the cornstalks and pumpkins on the deck in the autumn,” Kellie said. “But Ron thinks that looks cluttered and trashy.” Navigating a balance meant building in areas for seasonal displays that could be both contained and festive. This included built in flowerboxes as well as strategically positioned posts for hanging wreaths or other decorative displays. “When Ron saw everything could be displayed tastefully, he came around,” Kellie said. “And I think having a great Christmas display really sold him on the idea. Anything is possible with good design – even getting my Boston guy to appreciate some country decor!”

Custom Deck Design: Creating Relaxing, Restorative Outdoor Living Spaces

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“When I get outdoors, it’s like a weight slips off of my shoulders,” Jordan said. “There’s something about having a blue sky overhead and the breeze blowing that is so relaxing. All the stress of the day disappears and I can just be in the moment.”

Creating relaxing, restorative outdoor living spaces is what custom deck design is all about. In the Metrowest area, many families use their decks for yoga, meditation, and quiet contemplation. Designing for these spaces can include decks that have adequate space for everyone to participate, decking options that maintain their visual and tactile appeal through many years of extreme weather exposure, seating and storage, and, if desired, privacy elements such as decorative screening.

Seating is especially important on a deck. There are many types of deck seating, including arm chairs, lounge chairs, built in benches, and suspended seating, such as gliders, swing chairs or hammocks. Identifying what types of seating will make it easy for your family to engage in relaxing, restorative activities should happen early in the process, so your deck builders can integrate these elements into your custom deck design.

There are other activities that families find relaxing, such as cooking a meal or enjoying a night time fire with friends. Custom deck design can incorporate these elements, by building in grilling or food prep areas, which can include running water and refrigeration; fire features come in a variety of styles, including popular sunken fire pits and free standing fire pits designed to be used on a deck.

The presence of green plants can be very relaxing. Custom deck design that includes built in flower boxes or planters for tomatoes, roses, or other favorite vegetables, herbs, and flowers is very popular in Massachusetts. These features can be built to suit any home aesthetic, from classic to casual.

Handcrafted Decks: The Artisanal Exterior

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“Aesthetics are very important to me,” Devon explained. “I want things that are beautiful and well-made. And when I choose things for myself – whether it’s my clothing or objects for the home – I prefer that they be unique, one of a kind pieces, as much as possible. I like to know who’s involved in the creative process.” The Metrowest homeowner smiled. “And that’s the same mindset I apply to the exterior of my home as well.”

Decks bridge the space between the interior of the home and the outdoors. Providing a gradual transition between humanity’s space and nature’s, the deck is ideal for relaxing with friends. “There’s a point in your life where you’re done with the whole bar scene, but you still want to hang out with your friends,” Devon said. “That’s where the deck is ideal. We had a small refrigerator installed right next to the built-in grill, so everything essential is right there: cold beer, some burgers – when the fire pit’s lit up, it’s absolutely perfect.”

Creative deck design includes incorporating color and design elements chosen to compliment the home’s exterior. “We enjoy a really natural, organic feel to our home,” Devon said, “and that influenced our choice of a cranberry and green color scheme for the deck. The composite decking material comes in an amazing array of colors, and it’s a sustainable, environmentally friendly building material.”

“We want our home to be unique,” Devon explained. “When we were talking to our Metrowest builders, we said we didn’t want the same deck everyone has. There was an actual design process, based around our tastes and how we wanted to use the deck. All of those ideas got incorporated into a plan. The whole thing took less time to build than you might think, and we absolutely love it. All of our friends say how relaxing it is, and I’ve never seen another deck like it. It’s perfect in every way.”

Was Your Summer Too Much Fun? Deck Repair and Replacement

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“We’re an active family,” Jan explained. “Two kids in sports, a dog, and a household routine that means we’re always on the go. We’re blessed with a great family and lots of friends, and we entertain a lot. Our oldest turned 16 this year, and his party got a little rowdy. The railing on one side of our deck definitely needs repair, the steps are looking sad, and frankly, I’m wondering if the whole deck needs to be replaced.”

Your deck can take a lot of wear and tear during a busy summer. If it’s looking a little rough around the edges now, you may be thinking deck repair or deck replacement. The autumn is the ideal time to address deck condition: the kids are busy in school and the weather’s still nice enough to have your Massachusetts deck builders do the work.

People often ask us how long a deck is expected to last. The answer to that question depends on a few factors: the materials your deck was built of, the amount of use the deck receives, and the environmental conditions the deck has been exposed to. Wooden decks don’t last quite as long as decks built out of PVC or composite decking: this is because they are vulnerable to weather, moisture, mold and insect damage. Decks that are used heavily wear out faster than decks that don’t see as much use. In local weather conditions, a wooden deck with proper treatment can last as long as 40 years – many are replaced after 15 to 20 years.

Your Massachusetts deck builder can help you determine if it is time for deck repair or deck replacement. If the deck is structurally sound but needs attention paid to the railing and stairs, having these repairs done can extend the useful life of your deck. If the deck has been damaged by insects, moisture, or rambunctious use, deck replacement may be in order.

Decorating Your Deck for Fall

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We know – it’s way too soon for summer to be ending. But there are back to school sales everywhere and the apples are getting red on the trees. Like it or not, autumn is here. You want to be sure your home is well-dressed for the season, and that means decorating your deck for fall.

The nice thing about the fall is you have a lot of decor options.

Are you really, really into Halloween? Go full on spooky with skeletons, ghosts, black cats and jack o lanterns – all types of seasonal decorations are in the store now, so it’s clearly not too soon to start. Many families choose to introduce a few Halloween elements early in the season but save the large animated monsters and other elaborate decorations for closer to Halloween. If you know you’re going to be hosting a Halloween party on your deck or plan to thrill trick or treaters with an over the top display, now is the time to talk to your Metrowest builders about ensuring adequate lighting and power supplies are in place.

Meh about monsters? The traditional autumn decor decoration colors draw heavily on seasonal produce. Red apples, orange pumpkins, golden cornstalks, and a rich range of harvest browns can appear in the form of seating cushions, deck rugs, and decor pieces, either in representational or abstract forms.

For safety reasons, keep all seasonal decorations off of the steps. It’s also a good idea to keep railings in heavy traffic areas clear from decorative elements. This includes lights. Secure strands of lights and other decorations with appropriate colored zip ties in short lengths to reduce the risk of a child or pet becoming dangerously tangled.

Make sure to take a picture of your deck when it’s freshly decorated. That way, if you love the look, you can use the image as a reference to recreate it next year!