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Decks

Great Decks for Small Lots

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“Even if we’re not sheltering in place by the summer, we’re going to be close to home,” Dana said. “And our kids are only going to be this young once. I’m determined that we’re going to enjoy ourselves as best we can.”

Dana was concerned the narrow dimensions of her lot limited her deck design options. The Hudson homeowner found out that was not the case after a conversation with her local deck designer. “They really opened my eyes to the possibilities. I’d never thought about having a multi-level deck built, or considered building a deck around a corner of the house.”

Strategies for creating great decks on small lots include converting the area beneath a second story deck into a screen porch or three-season deck. Another idea is the floating deck – the popular elevated platforms that are positioned strategically in the yard to make life more fun for everyone. Floating decks can support a screen room, making them ideal for families with small kids who need shade and protection from biting insects.

“The screen room is really ideal for nap time,” Dana said. “I love the idea of a quiet, restful space outdoors for the kids to calm and center. And it makes for a nice change of scene when they want to do their reading or have a little time to themselves.”

Don’t let a small lot limit your summer plans. Working with an experienced local deck designer can help you overcome the design challenges that come with a small lot.

Superior construction is the key to a satisfying small deck. When you’re working on a smaller scale, every detail becomes that much more important. Choose an experienced Hudson deck contractor to build your new deck. It’s an investment that will make enjoying your summer easier for the whole family.

It’s Going to Be a Long Summer: You Need a Better Deck

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At this point, no one knows what the future holds. However, we can make some guesses, and for most people, that includes the fact that summer is going to be spent close to home. What’s involved in making this as pleasant as possible for everybody involved?

One answer is to embrace outdoor living. Let’s be real: the hardest part of quarantine is staying in the house. The kids need fresh air and so do you. A great deck is your answer: it can serve as your command center while the kids and pets run around the back yard. Enjoy the shady comfort of a screen room while the little ones take a nap. Take the heat of cooking dinner outdoors – after all, nothing could be easier or more kid friendly than hot dogs on the grill.

Lincoln Deck Trends: Smart Style

Lincoln is a very family friendly community, and the custom built decks in the region feature those amenities that make outdoor living fun and easy. A great example: local deck builders integrated built-in storage for kids’ toys and garden gear into the design for an active family with three small kids.

And we’re all doing more cooking at home. Outdoor kitchens are easy to love, but with running water, gas lines, and electrical, they can be tricky to build. One of the advantages of working with a Lincoln local deck contractor is the seamless coordination with the appropriate trade professionals: it’s a smart way to keep expenses down!

Keep your family out of the sun’s harsh rays and away from biting insects with a screen porch. The cost-effective way to add a shade feature to your deck is to have a screen porch built on your existing deck. Another option is to have the space beneath a second-story or elevated deck converted into a screen porch.

Keeping the Kids Entertained At Home is Easier With A Great Deck

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We’re living in unique times right now. Everyone’s concerned about the COVID-19 virus. Events, festivals, concerts and vacation plans are being cancelled all over the place. Many children’s schools are closed for the moment, and it’s not clear what’s going to happen when summer vacation season arrives.

If you’re thinking that you’ll be staying close to home, you’re going to need a strategy to keep the kids entertained. Easier said than done – especially if you don’t want the little ones glued to their phones or tablets all day long. Luckily, having your Franklin deck company hook you up with a family friendly deck will make keeping the kids entertained easier than you ever imagined.

Here are the essential features of a family-friendly deck:

The Screen Room

Screen rooms can be built on your deck, or you can have the area underneath a second story deck converted into a three-season room or screen porch. There are several reasons screen rooms are great for families with kids: they make keeping the kids contained super simple, the screen prevents bites from ticks and mosquitoes, and the screen room can provide much needed shade on a sunny day.

The Kid’s Zone

The advantage of working with a Franklin deck contractor is you can have a fully customized deck. If you’ve got small kids and want to have a covered sand box built into your deck, that can absolutely happen. Need a platform to set up the trampoline or other outdoor toys? Floating decks are a great solution. Want climbing features, built in storage for the kids’ toys, or a slide that takes kids from the deck into the back yard? Everything is possible!

Investing in Your Deck Boosts The Value of Your Home

In addition to making your home more fun for the kids, a great deck boosts your home’s curb appeal. And as we all know, good looking homes command higher market prices. It’s a smart investment!

The No-Maintenance-Required Deck

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“I don’t know about you, but I only get two weeks of vacation,” Dan said. “That’s my time to kick back and relax. I don’t want to spend any of my precious leisure time doing chores around the house.”

If you’re looking for a no-maintenance deck, you’ll want to talk to your Wayland deck builder about your composite decking options.

While decks are traditionally built of wood, wooden decks require lots of maintenance. Every year or two, wooden deck owners need to sand, stain, and seal their decks – a labor-intensive process that can take several days. Additionally, wooden decks are vulnerable to the weather. When the temperatures are too high or too low, decking boards can warp, twist, split and bend. Obviously when this happens, those boards need to be replaced – which is more maintenance work for you.

Composite decking is the alternative. Composite decking is made of a mix of virgin and recycled plastics. It’s similar in many ways to PVC. Composite decking is available in a variety of colors, from the traditional brown wood-look products to eye-popping vivid shades that add definite personality to the home and boost curb appeal.

One advantage of choosing composite decking is that it’s a very stable product. This means composite decking stands up very well to extreme weather conditions. Even if it gets really hot or super cold – as it sometimes does in the Wayland area – you don’t have to worry about your decking boards twisting, bending or splitting. That means less maintenance work for you.

Additionally, composite decking’s color stays vivid and strong for years and years. You never have to strip, stain, or seal it. To keep the deck looking fantastic, give it a quick spray with the pressure washer if it starts looking grimy. That’s it!

As an added bonus, composite decking is resistant to mold, mildew, and rot. This makes it an ideal product to build a deck in a damp environment. Insects aren’t interested in composite decking either, so if you’re worried about carpenter ants or termites, it’s the right choice for you!

Need More Living Space? A Great Deck = An Outdoor Room!

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If things are getting crowded in your Hopkinton home and the family needs a little more elbow room, it’s time to consider having a deck built. Today’s trend for outdoor living has Hopkinton deck designers creating one-of-a-kind outdoor rooms your family will love.

Planning a Great Deck: Never Too Soon to Start

If you’re thinking about having a deck built, this is the exact right time to start gathering inspiration and ideas. Many local homeowners turn to social media to spark their creativity. There are lots of great deck ideas on Pinterest and Instagram. Save the looks you like the most – showing these images to your Hopkinton deck contractor will help you get the design process moving faster.

Customized Decks for Your Family’s Lifestyle

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all deck. Great deck design means customizing the deck to meet your family’s needs and preferences. Are you all avid videogamers? Creating an outdoor room with a sheltered space for your tv and console is absolutely possible. More of the curl up in a hammock with a good book type of family? Your Hopkinton deck designer can make that happen too!

Outdoor Kitchens – Super Popular Upgrade!

Everybody loves to eat, and most people love to eat outdoors. That’s part of the reason outdoor kitchens are among the most popular deck upgrades. Outdoor kitchens can be streamlined and simple – think a prestige barbecue grill and all of the necessary accessories – or a full fledged luxurious range, refrigerator and sink with lots of counterspace to please the most demanding gourmet cook.

Choose Composite Decking for Low-Maintenance Happiness

While puttering around the house can be fun, no one wants to spend their vacation time stripping, staining, and sealing the deck. Composite decking is a planet-friendly product which stands up to all four seasons of Hopkinton weather. Best of all, it doesn’t need any special care beyond a quick spray from the hose every now and then.

Staying close to home this summer? You’ll need a great deck.

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While we don’t have a crystal ball, you don’t need to be a fortune teller to know that for most families, summer travel plans are going to be curtailed. There’s just a lot going on right now, from COVID-19, economic events, and other factors that make family travel seem not the best idea ever.

That doesn’t mean you have to forgo the summer fun. If you’re going to be hanging out in the neighborhood, you want to have a fantastic deck to serve as your family’s base of operations. We talked to your Hopkinton deck builders, and here’s what they recommend as must have features:

The Outdoor Kitchen

What’s everyone’s favorite summer time feast? Burgers and dogs on the grill are a top choice. Make barbecues fun and simple with a great outdoor kitchen. Your Hopkinton deck contractor can integrate an outdoor kitchen into your new deck design, or you can have an outdoor kitchen built on a floating deck – this hot new trend allows families to get maximum enjoyment from their yard for minimal expense.

The Screen Room

While everyone’s freaking out about COVID-19, let’s not forget that soon we’ll have mosquitoes and ticks adding their diseased bites to the mix. If you’re worried about Lyme Disease, West Nile Disease or any of the other insect-borne illnesses that are prevalent in the Hopkinton area during the spring and summer, you’ll appreciate the restful retreat a screen room offers. No bites + shade = a winning combination for kids, pets, and many adults!

The Fire Feature

For the ultimate in relaxing summer entertainment, gather with your favorite people around a nice fire. Kids love toasting marshmallows, and after bedtime, it’s nice to watch the flames while enjoying adult beverages. Fire features for the deck can be built in, or free-standing that sit on the surface of the deck. There are advantages to each style: talk to your Hopkinton deck builder for details.