Deck building company in MA

What’s the purpose of a deck? For a lot of homeowners, a deck is a place to gather with friends and have a good time. If you like enjoying adult beverages, having a bar on the patio makes sense. It’s a great place to keep beers cold and show off your cocktail mixing skills. As a deck building company in Massachusetts, we’ve built more than a few patio bars, and have identified these essential elements:

A Place to Mix Drinks: An elevated, flat surface that’s at least a foot wide and a few feet long means you’ll be able to create and serve up beverages easily. It’s a good idea for the bar to be high enough to keep drinks out of the reach of small children. A nice bonus feature: having a built in sink and refrigerator allows you to keep everything clean and as cold as it needs to be. In the mood to be a little extra? An insulated drawer can be ideal for keeping ice on hand for the duration of your party.

Seating: Some homeowners love the classic bar stool to accompany their patio bar, but if you want to keep the whole thing a little more low-key, have your deck building company in Massachusetts hook you up with some built in seating. Comfy seating makes it easier to relax with a glass of wine while the kids are chasing fire flies around the back yard. Smart Moms know you grab a chance to rest whenever you can!

Shade & Screen Porches: If your deck is in the direct sunlight most of the time, it can get uncomfortably hot. Having your deck contractor add a partial roof or awning to create a shady area is a great idea. Screen porches are a great solution when you want to enjoy your cocktail away from biting mosquitoes and other insects.

Every year, the American Institute of Architects issues a report on what are known as special function rooms, identifying which of these purpose-built spaces are most popular and what homeowners want them to be like. This year, as in many previous years, outdoor living spaces like decks, patios, screen porches and sunrooms are ranked very highly on the list.

As a deck building company in Massachusetts, we found one item on the list of desired features particularly relevant. Homeowners have a number of choices when it comes to deck building materials. Each type of material has its pros and cons. Wood has long been used for building decks: it’s the traditional choice – yet many homeowners are reporting far greater levels of satisfaction when they choose a deck building material that needs less maintenance than wood.

What’s motivating the desire for a low-maintenance deck? The two top reasons are time and money. Many people who live in Western MA are extremely busy with professional and personal obligations. Free time is precious. Do you really want to give up a free weekend to stain and seal your deck? When you choose a deck made out of composite material, you never have to.

Let’s talk about the other costs. If you add up the amount of money you’ll spend buying paint or stain for your deck every couple of years over the life of your deck, you’ll find yourself looking at a good chunk of change. Choose a deck built out of PVC or composite decking material, and you’ll pay slightly more up front and save lots of money in the long run.

The other issue relevant to deck maintenance has to do with how well your custom built deck will stand up to all four seasons of Massachusetts weather. Composite decking materials don’t warp, twist and split the way wood does. This means less need for repairs and replacement as the years go by!