Creative Decks

Your Outdoor Living Specialist

"Design Drawings and Construction Plans"

Framingham, MA

508-877-1060

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3 Top Home Additions in Framingham, MA

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“After we had the entire family here for Thanksgiving, it’s clear that we just don’t have enough space anymore,” Dawn said. “Our youngest is still living at home, and my Mom just moved in. Obviously, we’re family, we’re going to make it work – but it would be a lot easier to make it work with a home addition!”

Adding living space, storage space, and space for a home business are among the top reasons families have home additions built in Framingham, MA. There are many different types of home addition, with three particular types popular locally:

The First Floor Addition: By far the most common type of home addition, the first floor addition adds space to the home by expanding the home’s footprint. This type of addition is particularly useful when you’re seeking to create living space for older family members or anyone who has mobility concerns; a first floor addition removes the need for stairs. First floor additions can also be part of extensive kitchen remodels, or used to house a home business.

The Second Story Addition: There are times when expanding the home’s footprint is not an option. When the home is too close to property lines, or trees and landscape features preclude building, the need for extra space forces homeowners to build up. Second and third story additions are useful for providing extra living and storage space. In the Framingham area, second story additions are most often built to house master suites, bedrooms, and for storage.

The Sunroom: Whether you’re having a sunroom built on your deck or as a home addition, you’re gaining a beautiful, open space to enjoy with your family and friends. Sunrooms can transform a summertime deck into a area you can use year round, and are great for families who have kids that need room to play. Pets love sunrooms too!

Outdoor Decks for Active, Athletic Families with Busy Lifestyles

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“When we first met with our outdoor deck builder, I tried to stress to him how busy and active our 3 kids are,” said Roy. “But then our dog Wilson came bounding up to introduce himself. Did I mention that Wilson is a Saint Bernard? That’s when the builder laughed and said, “We’ll have to build you an extra sturdy deck!”

When families are active, especially when they have pets, the outdoor deck can see a lot of use. For this reason, the best outdoor deck builders will recommend using a composite decking material. This composite material is more durable than wood, and requires less maintenance. “If your kids ride skateboards or you’re not hyper-vigilant about getting your dog’s nails clipped,” Roy said, “a wood deck might not necessarily last that long. Ask me how I know.”

When a family is very active and frequently on the go, special attention must be paid to porch stair design. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve got big feet,” Roy said. “I hate it when you go up the stairs and you have to turn your foot so it fits on the step properly. My son’s feet are 2 sizes bigger than mine already – and he’s only 12!” Custom deck design allows homeowners to have what they want – in Roy’s case, wider than average porch stairs. “The railings are built to stand up to a lot of wear and tear,” Roy added, grabbing onto the porch railing and pulling hard. “Which is good, because we need this deck to last for a while.”

The other issue that concerns busy families when it comes to their decks is maintenance. As outdoor deck builders, we’re often asked which type of deck is the easiest to keep clean. Composite decking and PVC decking are top choice for easy maintenance deck: a good power washing periodically is all you need!

Outdoor Decks for Introverts

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“I like to be outside, by myself,” Dani said. “You can call me an introvert – I admit it. My job requires me to spend a lot of time with people, so if I can get a chance to relax all by myself, you’d better believe I take it.” When it came time to put a new deck on her home in Western MA, Dani had some definite design ideas in mind. “I wanted pretty and private,” she explained. “While still being able to enjoy the sun and the breeze.”

There are a number of ways to create private-feeling outdoor spaces. Creative deck design can involve using trellises, screening, plants, and even artwork to compose retreat-like areas that exist, serene and tranquil, within even the busiest metrowest MA neighborhoods. The choice and positioning of deck stairs and railings can also communicate a sense of enthusiastic welcome or genteel reserve to the passerby; your deck designer will help you make the right choices for the type of impression you’d like to make.

“The fire pit is by far the best part of our new outdoor deck,” Dani said. “The days are getting shorter now, and it’s been cold. But you turn on that fire pit, and grab a mug of hot cocoa, and it’s perfect for getting away from everything. I don’t bring my phone out on the deck. It makes it a space that’s truly relaxing. Even if you’re out there for only 10 minutes, you feel better.”

“One thing I really enjoy doing is reading,” Dani added. “I love getting absolutely lost in a good book. So as part of our creative deck design, I wanted to be sure there was space for reading. We chose a two-level deck, and our deck builders created a nook in the corner of the second level that provides shelter from the wind and has deck lighting built in. It’s been wonderful.”

Pet Friendly Deck Design

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Decks are meant for the whole family to enjoy. For many families, this means dogs and cats as well as children – not to mention more exotic animals like iguanas and guinea pigs. Here are some points to keep in mind for truly pet-friendly deck design:

Have a plan to keep your pets on the porch: There is no amount of animal training that will result in your pet reliably staying on the deck 100% of the time. There are just too many tempting distractions, including neighborhood dogs that want to play, cars to chase, and strange smells and sounds that demand investigation. Having a gate that closes will provide some measure of containment, but be aware that dogs can jump much higher than you think and a gate will do nothing to keep cats in.

Shade and shelter are a priority: A pet shouldn’t be left unattended on the deck for any prolonged period of time, but if you do, make sure your pet has shade and shelter. The sun in the Metrowest area can be brutal, and rainstorms do happen, even when the weather forecast says they won’t. Having a shelter also gives your pets a place to hide from predatory birds and neighborhood animals that may want to get too close.

Food and water stations: Your pet needs continual access to fresh food and water. Your Metrowest deck builder can integrate a food and water station into the deck design to allow your pet metered amounts of food and water. Many of these systems can be shut off when your pet is indoors, which keeps your deck from becoming an all-you-can-eat buffet for neighborhood animals and birds.

A word about the bathroom: Pets need to go to the bathroom, and they can’t necessarily wait until they get back inside with their litterbox. Set up a litterbox for cats and other small animals outdoors; have a plan in place to allow the dog to access the yard as needed.

Is Your Deck Ready for Halloween?

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Halloween is right around the corner, and you know what that means: trick or treaters! Is there anything cuter than a parade of costumed tiny tots going door to door? You’ll want to be sure your porch is ready to welcome your tiny visitors. Here’s what you need to know:

Check your porch stairs now: as Metrowest homeowners, we can become accustomed to the fact our porch stairs are less than ideal. But if the porch steps are sagging, unevenly spaced, or otherwise damaged, they can be hard for little ones to climb safely. Give the stairs a quick inspection and if things aren’t up to snuff, call your deck builders for repairs: it’s a small job that can make everyone’s holiday better.

Test your lighting now: Families feel best about trick or treating at homes that are well-lighted and inviting. Don’t count on your porch lightbulb to be up to the task if you haven’t used it in a while. Test your deck lighting now. Turn it on and stand on the street or sidewalk: is it easy to see a route to your door? If not, change lightbulbs or install additional lighting fixtures.

Position decorations strategically: Wild witches and scary monsters are part of the Halloween fun. You want to be sure that all of your Halloween decorations are securely in place – it does get windy in the Metrowest area! – and positioned in such a way that children can approach your house without being too frightened. Some families have decks with two entranceways and decorating accordingly – one family friendly entrance that’s not so scary and a terrifying entrance for older kids who enjoy being scared.

A word about teal pumpkins: In nature, pumpkins are orange, white, and very occasionally pink. You may see teal pumpkins for sale or displayed at homes. These teal pumpkins are for homes that give out treats for children with food allergies, such as nuts, chocolate or soy. Many times this means toys or stickers instead of candy – it’s a nice gesture to be sure everyone can enjoy the holiday.

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.