Creative Decks

Your Outdoor Living Specialist

"Design Drawings and Construction Plans"

Framingham, MA

508-877-1060

Composite decks

Can You Have a Great Deck Without Going Broke?

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“We’ve got three kids, two dogs, and a very busy lifestyle,” Meghan said. “That also means we’ve got a pretty tight budget for our home renovations. It would be great to have a deck, a really nice deck that is big enough for us to enjoy ourselves & cook out with our friends, but can we actually afford to do that?”

You can have a great deck without going broke. The key is to be smart with your deck design choices. Not all decking materials are created equal, and they certainly don’t all cost the same. In this article, we’re going to look at one decking option that gives you great lasting value for a reasonable price: composite decking.

Composite Decking Prices

When you’re considering composite decking prices, the obvious comparison point is wood decking. This is a little big tricky if you’re also concerned about the aesthetics of your home – the most affordable wood decking option is treated southern pine; if you’re not into the look of bare wood, you’re also going to need to invest in having your wooden deck stained or treated.

Moving from southern pine into more upscale wooden decking options raises the project price point considerably. While cedar decking is a big favorite in this part of Massachusetts, you’re going to pay a little more for it. The pricing is comparable to composite decking, which has the added advantage of being available in a multitude of colors, extremely durable and stable, and impervious to damage from mold, mildew and insects.

Comparing Composite Deck Prices to Wood Deck Prices – Maintenance & Upkeep

It’s important to understand that having a deck built is like any other home improvement. There are some costs you incur up front and some costs that happen over the life of the improvement – maintenance and upkeep costs. When we’re comparing the prices of composite decks to wooden decks, in this regard, composite decking comes out the clear winner.

Composite Decking: All The Joy, None of the Work

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A great deck is one of life’s sublime joys. But the traditional deck, even those that are built of pressure-treated wood, does take a lot of work to stay looking good. This is particularly true in Framingham, where we’re regularly treated to four distinct extreme weather seasons. Heavy snow in winter and blistering heat in the summer can really damage traditional wooden decks. Boards dry, split, splinter and bend in these conditions, leaving you with a deck that looks terrible and is potentially unsafe.

Luckily, man is an ingenious creature. We use technology to create alternative building materials that perform better than the traditional options. Way back in the 1980’s, people began experimenting with plastic decking materials. These first early decks looked wood – kind of – and they did stand up to rain and moisture better than wood. Sun exposure and sub-zero temperatures proved to still be problematic, however, sending those early inventors back to the drawing board in search of a better solution.

The industry has learned a lot about how to recycle plastic so it’s durable, attractive, and easy to work with. The result is today’s composite decking, which beautifies homes while helping the Earth. Now there are so many aesthetic options: you can choose composite decking that looks like gorgeous cedar or redwood without damaging a single tree!

Best of all composite decking gives homeowners what they really want: a break from maintenance chores. Composite decks never have to be sealed, sanded or refinished. There are no worries about the sun warping the boards or heavy snow causing them to break. Composite decks are strong enough to support your family, furniture, plantings, barbecues and anything else you’d normally keep on a deck. All it takes to keep everything looking great is an occasional power washing, freeing you up to really enjoy your home.