If you found yourself overwhelmed by a DIY outdoor living project, what would you do?
Sometimes Archadeck of West Central & Southwest Ohio is called upon by area homeowners who might have bitten off more than they could chew, so to speak, in regards to a DIY project. Recently, this scenario played out when a homeowner reached out to us for help. After beginning a decking project and realizing it was more than he bargained for, he called Washington Township deck builder Archadeck of West Central & Southwest Ohio to take on the task.
The homeowner had the initial design in place but Archadeck made some suggestions to the deck’s current footprint by adding angles and incorporating the wide stairs. After considering all the time constraints taking on a do-it-yourself project of this magnitude entailed; permits, etc, we picked up the project and ran with it!
Wood or composite? How do you decide?
One of the first questions that always comes up is this: should we have our new deck built with wood or composite decking material? This decision is a personal one! Each homeowner must make their own decision weighing cost and aesthetics. Two additional factors are tied to cost: maintenance and longevity. By now, most homeowners know that the newer decking boards made of composite or synthetic materials are more expensive than wood decking boards. If affordability is your primary concern, you will probably choose wood knowing you’ll need to perform maintenance every year or two to keep the deck looking good. With affordability, you lose longevity. The more expensive materials may last twice as long as wood. If aesthetics means more to you than cost, which do you find more alluring, wood or composites? The answer to that question is not the same for everyone.
— New Washington Township deck by Archadeck of West Central & Southwest Ohio.
Our Washington Township clients were not concerned about the new deck’s longevity because as a military family, they relocate frequently. A rule of thumb we suggest is if you don’t plan to remain in your home for more than 5 years, go with a wood deck. You won’t be there to enjoy the deck’s longevity, so why make that investment? These clients chose to replace their old wooden deck of pressure-treated pine with a new wooden deck for that reason.
Replacing your deck? Change it up!
Some homeowners replace their deck because they want something altogether different. Perhaps they want a larger deck, a multi-level deck or a different railing style. Maybe they’ve been dreaming of a deck that incorporates an outdoor kitchen, built-in seating or an attached porch. This describes the typical clients who plan a new deck because they want it to be different from the one they have.
But suppose your deck is unexpectedly damaged and you simply want to replace like with like. Hmmm. When your deck designer is Archadeck of West Central & Southwest Ohio, it’s likely we can improve upon the design of your original deck. Once you settle on whether you want a wood or composite deck, you have the opportunity to consider other design changes. Just because you hadn’t been planning on a bigger deck doesn’t mean you wouldn’t love a bigger deck. Just because your original deck was square or rectangular doesn’t mean you have to stick with that same shape.
— Alternate angle of new wooden deck in Washington Township by Archadeck of West Central & Southwest Ohio.
Once you consider making changes to the design of your deck, there are infinite options available. Archadeck of West Central & Southwest Ohio can walk you through the options and make suggestions based on the information you provide during our design consultation. What did you like most about your original deck? What did you like least? These Washington Township homeowners, for example, selected a new and different railing system from Deckorators.
Altogether these clients changed their deck’s size, shape and railing design while keeping the same decking material, pressure-treated pine. That brings us to another significant point: just because you could change everything doesn’t mean you have to!
If you need or want to replace your deck, let Archadeck of West Central & Southwest Ohio show you the possibilities for designing a better deck than you started with! Contact us today at (937) 563-4847.
Let this be the year that Archadeck makes your outdoor living dreams come true.
