As you prepare to add a new deck to your home, or replace an existing deck, have you thought about what amenities you want? You probably have! Whether you’re planning a deck made of wood or low-maintenance composites, your selection of deck amenities can go a long way toward enhancing your enjoyment. From deck lighting to railing styles, the choices you make will also contribute to deck safety at your home.
Every Homeowner’s Favorite: Deck Lighting for Ambiance
With our custom deck designs, we offer custom deck lighting as well. You don’t want to stop using your deck when the sun goes down. Even the most subtle deck lighting can make a huge impact!
Deck lighting is essential for nighttime aesthetics as well as for safety. Archadeck of Nashville looks at deck lighting from both angles, and we can help you make excellent lighting choices for your deck. The lighting topic our clients find most intriguing is deck lighting for ambiance. Especially as warmer weather moves in, the hours after sunset may be your favorite time to enjoy your deck. Archadeck can help you select lighting fixtures to set the mood you want without creating pockets of shadows. You may be surprised by the way well-placed lighting can turn your deck into an intimate space after dark.
While everyone loves to create ambiance on the deck at night, we don’t want to let safety become an afterthought. Deck lighting for safety doesn’t require super-bright lights. Often the same lighting can serve both purposes, ambiance and safety. Ultimately, that will depend on the size and layout of your deck. For safety we recommend tiny lights on your deck stair risers, along railings and on posts at the top of the steps. If you’re concerned that lights will draw bugs, we use LED lighting, which is less likely to attract insects than other light sources.
Nashville Deck Design With High-impact Railing Styles
As you visualize the deck you want, do you picture your deck railings adding flair – or disappearing from view? At Archadeck of Nashville we use Fortress railings for their low-maintenance qualities, durability and style. Speaking of style … Fortress offers a variety of railing formats that stand out or fade into the background, whichever you prefer. You can even mix and match materials for the top and bottom rails, rail cap, posts and balusters. An all-aluminum railing is a sleek option, while combining aluminum posts and balusters with a composite rail cap is a popular choice, too. No need for anyone to get splinters from running their hands along a deck railing!
One deck amenity our clients request occasionally is a drink rail. If you plan to use your deck for entertaining, and guests will be standing as they enjoy conversation, you may find a drink rail useful. Most of our clients prefer a more streamlined railing design, but we can easily incorporate a drink rail for an added convenience.
Importance of Traffic Flow in Deck Functionality
How much thought have you given to traffic flow on your new deck? Don’t worry if you haven’t focused on this aspect of deck design, because this is our job! Your Archadeck of Nashville deck designer will give plenty of thought to deck traffic patterns and how deck size and stair placement affect traffic flow.
In considering traffic flow on your deck, our goal is to maximize the space you have. Some of the variables include stair placement, grill placement and use of trim to highlight and define various living areas on the deck. With our vast experience in deck design, we understand what works and what doesn’t. We want to make your deck easy to navigate as people move from one area to another. Will your deck need one set of stairs, or two? Would you benefit from a “bump out” area for your grill or outdoor kitchen so guests won’t have to detour around it?
If your deck is large enough to offer two or more dedicated areas for sitting, lounging and dining, we can use trim to highlight them. This works especially well with low-maintenance composite and synthetic decking because we can use contrasting board colors as subliminal guides. As your Nashville TimberTech and TimberTech AZEK Deck Builder, we often use parting boards and picture framing for this purpose. Octagonal areas work especially well as defined dining or seating areas on a deck. Not only does multi-directional decking set off the specific areas, it’s also pretty and actually makes the deck stronger. When it comes to the design of your deck surface, we have plenty of tools in our toolbelt.
Do Deck Amenities Fill Your Dreams?
While most decks do include railings and many include special lighting, the possibilities for deck amenities extend well beyond the basics. Outdoor kitchens and fire features as well as shade covers, bench seating and privacy screens are some of the many elements we can add. Not only do these items serve to customize your deck, they will also increase its functionality. When we design your deck, most of all we design for what is appealing to you. What do you like, what do you need and what aspects of your new deck will make you most proud to show it off?
Regardless of what special features you want to include in your new deck design, the most important decision you can make is which builder you choose. For additional insight, consider the Top 7 Reasons You Want to Choose a Deck Builder to Build Your Deck.
Whether you’re adding a low-maintenance deck or a wood deck, we would love to design and build it with amenities to make it uniquely yours. Why wait? Contact Archadeck of Nashville today to schedule a design consultation for your new outdoor living space.
