Creative Decks

Your Outdoor Living Specialist

"Design Drawings and Construction Plans"

Framingham, MA

508-877-1060

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Most Popular Home Improvements in Framingham MA

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Every year, Realtor.com tracks which home improvements are the most popular, making special note of which improvements do the most to improve the value of the home and which contribute the most to homeowner satisfaction. The report echoes much of what we see on an everyday basis as Framingham building contractors: kitchen renovations top the list, followed by bathroom upgrades. Both of these choices make a lot of sense, as these rooms see a lot of use, and are subject to fashion trends that can make a room feel out of date and obsolete – if you’ve ever walked into a kitchen that hasn’t been redone since the 1980’s, you’ll understand what we’re talking about.

Other popular Framingham MA home improvements include room additions and having a porch or deck added to the home. Both of these improvements deliver more space for the family to enjoy. The trend toward outdoor living definitely drives the desire for porches and decks: these spaces are ideal for relaxing, entertaining, and cooking. Today’s high tech composite decking materials means you can have a very attractive, durable deck for the same prices as an old-fashioned wood deck – and you never have to worry about your deck warping, wearing out, or needing time consuming scrubbing, staining, and other maintenance.

It’s never too early to begin talking with your Framingham home improvement company. They can help you plan your project, determine a realistic budget and timeline, and make design suggestions to maximize the enjoyment you get from your renovation project.

Laying on the Deck, Getting a Tan: Life’s Simple Pleasures

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Summer is getting closer every day. It’s time to start thinking about how you’ll be spending those wonderfully warm, sunny days. Many of life’s simple pleasures like laying out on the deck getting a tan or curling up with a good book and a tall glass of iced tea take place in the summer – especially in Framingham, where the skies are exceptionally blue and there’s a pretty view in almost every direction.

Another simple pleasure is enjoying a fire. Summer is the ideal time to gather with friends around a fire and catch up – we all live such busy lives, it’s really a treat to spend time together. Kids love toasting marshmallows. Your deck builder in Framingham, MA can incorporate a fire feature into your deck design, or you can choose a self contained unit that’s designed to sit on your deck and safely contain a small fire. It’s a good idea to make sure there’s a fire extinguisher positioned on your deck – safety first!

Is there anything better than a burger cooked on the grill? BBQ fans love having everything they need to whip up a great meal easily accessible on the deck. Outdoor kitchens run the gamut from the bare-bones basics to luxurious grill stations even a professional chef would love. Your Framingham, MA deck builder can incorporate refrigeration, running water, and more into your deck design – just let them know what you’d like to have, and they’ll make it happen.

Sleeping under the stars is a simple pleasure. Kids love staying outdoors late at night: it’s a chance to count the stars and try to spot fireflies blinking on and off in the yard. Set up the sleeping bags: if bugs are an issue, consider a screened-in porch for sleeping quarters. You get all of the fun of being outdoors without aggravating mosquito bites!

What Are Good Plants to Grow on Decks in Framingham, MA?

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Gardening is incredibly popular because people love having their own fresh grown vegetables, herbs and flowers. One easy, convenient way to enjoy all the benefits of a garden without a ton of physical work is to to grow plants on your deck. Creative deck design can include built-in planters and flower boxes. It’s a smart idea to position these features strategically, to take advantage of the best sunlight.

Framingham is in hardiness zone 6A, which means popular garden vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, and lettuce all grow well here. You can also grow Asian vegetables including bok choi, tatsoi, mustard spinach and bitter melon. Love the idea of having an orchard on your porch? Have your deck designer include space for container-grown fruit trees: miniature varieties of apple, cherry, plum, peach, and citrus trees will all thrive in the Framingham sunshine. Fruit trees will need some special care and may need to be sheltered indoors to survive through the winter – you’ll want to keep that in mind when making your garden plans. To enjoy fruit on your deck with less work, choose to grow strawberries or blueberries. They do great in containers and add a bright pop of color to your deck.

You can grow a lot of different kinds of herbs in Framingham, MA. Herbs grow very well in containers. Oregano, basil, dill, parsley, chives, and other herbs are really pretty plants as well as being very tasty additions to your cooking. Growing herbs from seed can take a lot of patience – some varieties take weeks, even months, to sprout. The quicker route to a great herb garden is to buy herb plants – try 4″ pots in flowerboxes.

Growing flowers on your deck is a fun way to add a splash of color to your home. Zinnias and marigolds are fun for the kids to grow from seed. Petunias, pansies, impatients, and other colorful annuals come in gorgeous shades of yellow, red, orange, pink, purple, and more. For a really dramatic look, choose to grow flowers that are all the same color family; if you’re aiming for a warm welcoming casual look, use a combination of your favorite colors.

Finding Reliable Deck Builders in Metrowest MA

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“Having a deck put onto our home was the first home improvement project I ever tackled, and I have to say it didn’t go very well.” Phyllis shook her head. “I found a guy on Craigslist, he came out, did some measuring, gave us a bid, took a deposit, and worked on the project for half of an entire day. Then he left for lunch and never came back!” She shook her head. “Now I have to get a deck built, but I’m worried about getting burned again. How do you find a reliable deck builder in the Metrowest MA area?”

Unreliable contractors are one of the top complaints homeowners have. People are very good at making promises and very bad at following through with what they said they’re going to do. When interviewing potential contractors, ask to see photographs of other decks they’ve built. You want to see the quality of the work – but you also want to see that they have numerous completed builds to show you! Be particularly wary of people who are building decks on the side or as a source of extra income: they often have career and family demands that can keep them from getting your deck built in a timely fashion. If professionalism matters to you, it’s best to hire a professional.

It’s a good idea to talk to people you know who have well-built, attractive decks you admire. Ask who did the work and if the homeowner has been pleased by the contractor. Personal recommendations are worth a lot, as people won’t generally recommend a bad builder!

When you’re trusting someone to work on your home, you want to know they’re skilled and reliable. Creative Decks has been serving the Framingham and larger Metrowest area for over twenty years. We’re an established construction company that’s in it for the long haul: you never have to worry about our crews not coming back after lunch! We’ll be there until the job is done properly.

Growing Families Need Space: Framingham Bedroom Addition

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The number one reason homeowners in Framingham have a bedroom addition built is a serious need for more space. Families grow in two ways – new babies join a family, and the kids in the family grow up – sometimes brothers who could share a room when they were four and five really, really can’t when they’re fourteen and fifteen! Having a bedroom addition put on to ensure the new baby has some space, or to give everyone a little elbow room, promotes family harmony.

It may not be your kids who need the space. Increasing numbers of Western Massachusetts homeowners are having one or both of their parents move in with them. This happens for a number of reasons. Sometimes there are financial or health concerns to be addressed; other times, having everyone living under the same roof may be the best way for grandparents and grandchildren to truly know each other. You can love your parents or in-laws very much and still find it uncomfortable to have them sleeping right next to your own bedroom: having a bedroom addition built on can give everyone some much needed privacy.

If your children are still living at home when they have children of their own, extra space is essential. As Framingham building contractors, we often build first floor additions that are complete small homes in themselves. In addition to a nice pair of bedrooms, these additions can have kitchen, bathroom, and living spaces included in the design. A separate entrance is a nice touch much appreciated by grandparents who didn’t mind outgrowing getting up in time for the school bus!

Whatever your reason, you want your new bedroom addition to be spacious, well built and comfortable. To see samples of our work and discover what it will cost to add a lovely bedroom addition to your Framingham home, give us a call. We’ll be happy to answer all your questions.

Our Dogs Are Destroying Our Porch Steps: Help!

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“We have two dogs, Jackson and Ponder. And they are definitely high energy canines,” Samuel said. “They go everywhere at full speed, all the time. That includes out the door, across the porch, and down the steps. You can definitely see where they travel. Their nails dig into the wood, and the edges of the stairs are all rounded off. The second stair from the bottom actually has a chunk gone out of it! We’re going to have the Framingham deck builders come and replace everything this summer, but I want to make sure we’re spending our money wisely. What can I do to keep the dogs from destroying our new porch?”

Dogs add a lot of joy to our lives, but they can be destructive. When durability is a top concern, you want to think twice about using wood for your porch steps and decking. Wood splinters, cracks, and crumbles under a steady onslaught of dog traffic. Your dog is not going to stop going outside for walks or to play once the new porch is in place! You need a building material that’s made to look great no matter who’s running across it.

Composite decking and PVC decking are two top choices for heavy traffic decks. This engineered materials are far more durable than wood. They resist the weather, standing up to all four seasons in Framingham. Whether the winter winds are blowing or summer sun is beating down, composite decking stays solid and strong. Many times dogs’ toenails damage decks in areas already compromised by the weather, expanding existing cracks or splits. Because PVC decking won’t develop those cracks or splits, it means less damage from your dogs.

Another nice thing about choosing composite or PVC decking is the color stays strong and true for many, many years. As you know, wooden decks have to be stained, painted, or sealed on a regular basis. If you’ve ever had your canine companion run over a freshly painted porch, leaving colorful pawprints everywhere they go, you know how much fun that is! With PVC decking for your Framingham porch, you never have to worry!