Planning Your Deck Addition
With Summer coming on you’re probably thinking about getting outdoors and a deck it’s the perfect place to relax in the evening or grill with friends. In addition to being a comfortable outdoor living space, a well-planned deck increases the value of your home.
When planning your deck, consider the site, what features you should and shouldn’t include and your budget. To help you get started here are some important points to think about:
Size And Position of The Deck
Your deck will be the focal point of outdoor gatherings, so it’s important to carefully think through what will be the best location to build it. To start with, figure out how you will access the house. It might be tempting to use the handy, back door of the kitchen but that will cause traffic to bottleneck through your cooking area, this especially becomes a problem when you have a lot of people in your house. To solve this, think about accessing through a living room or dining room and using French doors or sliding door. This may also open up the view from that room as an added benefit.
And thinking about the size, be careful that your deck neither overtakes the yard or gets lost in it. You want a size that is comfortable for the number of people you would normally entertain and is also complimenting the house and yard. It’s also important to check on local city and county limitations on deck size and proximity to lot boundaries.
Choosing where to position your stairs is an important part of the planning, you want to place them where they provide easy access to the yard. While the sun can be pleasant in the morning, it’s often unbearable in the afternoon. Watch the movement of the sun and use any sources of shade to your advantage, when possible, such as positioning with a tree on the west side to provide shade in the afternoon. Also, take into account how much privacy you want and how to shelter your deck from prevailing winds.
Maximizing Your Investment
To get the most out of your investment, it’s important to know the standard of your local area and build a deck that fits the market. Simply take a look around your neighborhood to get an idea of the decks on houses of similar value to yours. You don’t want to build a deck that’s below the local standard or overly the extravagant, it’s best to find that sweet spot where your deck will stand out in the local market but without significant extra cost.
Pay careful attention to local codes. Many home buyers will have a home inspection done and if the deck is not up to code they will often ask for it to be fixed. Doing it right the first time might cost a little more but pays off in the end.
Style of the Deck
Finally, consider the style of your deck. Aesthetics are priceless, a deck that complements the architecture of the home and flows with the landscaping may become a major selling point and vice versa a deck that clashes are likely to deter buyers.
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