Creative Decks

Your Outdoor Living Specialist

"Design Drawings and Construction Plans"

Framingham, MA

508-877-1060

Metrowest deck builder

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.