From the article: The Essential Steps in Building Decks
Decks don't come cheap, especially if you hire a pro to build a deck for you. Decks also require maintenance, which may be hard to justify if you don't spend much time on your deck. But the benefits of building a deck can be considerable. A deck becomes an extension of your indoor rooms, creating a level, highly usable outdoor living area -- no small consideration if you live on a sharp incline. Of course, there are often alternatives to decks, such as patios and terraced areas. Taking all these matters into consideration, what's your opinion? Couldn't do without the deck you own? Why? Regret building a deck? Why?
Share Your Opinion
Decks Worth Trouble of Maintaining Them
- My opinion is that the benefits do outweigh the drawbacks. A deck doesn't have to be super expensive or difficult to build. Even a simple wood deck that gives you a place to sit out in the summer and do a little grilling is great.
- —Guest Signet Fence
Thumbs-Up for Building Decks
- The deck was built with the house. We changed the design to have the living area at the rear of the house, leading onto the deck. I have added shade cloth (warm, coastal, sub-tropical climate) to part of it and a passionfruit vine adds to that in summer. We have table, chairs and a few suitable plants. Maintenance is an annual event. The prep they sell to clean is worth it and a coat of oil or paint or whatever. Ours looks better every year (which may be due to the crappy wood used by the builder). Our house is small but we can cope with family get-togethers, as the different age groups can find an area. The deck is more the meeting spot than the kitchen. The oldies dominate the deck, and the others move, or squash in beside a favourite gran. My plan is an elevated path from the deck into the garden. Doubt it will happen. Cost. But the plan is still being worked on.
- —tabsey
"On the Level" About Building Decks
- Decks can now be made from engineered materials to be able to skip that maintenance problem. If you are not handy, there is still the cost to have it built. I like the ability to be able to just walk out level with the door base, with concrete you should have a step down for water to drain away from house. I used to like the idea of lots of solid concrete, but realize direct drainage is important. The look of a stone and vegetation patio is great and drains well, but it is easier to trip and difficult to slide chairs to dining table, etc.
- —quilt.garden
Down on Building Decks for Now
- This is a timely issue for me. My 40' x 10' deck that runs a good portion of the back of my house has shown some gradual pulling away from the house on the lowest end. It was not properly anchored to the house foundation; however, it does have "stiff knee" posts supporting the back and the front. Doing without a deck is not really an option due to the fact that doors open to the deck from the inside. I have no idea of what securing it will cost or if it will be effective. I guess you could say I am down on decks at the moment.
- —Guest Gerald
Benefits of Decks Now Clear
- I bought a house that already had a deck. The deck was not a selling point for me, as it was the house itself that I loved. Being a very active person, and someone "on the road" quite a bit, I resented having to stain the deck every year (I just didn't use the deck that much). But then, a lifestyle change altered all that. My elderly mother moved in with us, and we started staying home more. The deck got more use, particularly by my mother. She enjoys going out on the deck for a breath of fresh air, and it's something she can do safely, under her own power. The deck is suddenly a Godsend!
- —bednbreakfast
