In this second article dedicated to wooden deck building project, we are going to address the issues related to coatings, stairs, ramps, privacy screen and pergola. They allow you to personalize your living outdoor area according to your creativity and your financial capacities.
Coating’s choice for patio
Today, it’s strongly recommended to use treated wood when you build a deck. This material will respond to the standards related to weather and security conditions for all family members.
For the size, there is different decking’s dimensions that looks like 2x6. The important thing is to use a solid product that can resist to weathering. It needs to be resistant to the Canadian climate; rain, snow, freeze, sun… The product needs to be solid enough to be supported between 2 joists. If not, you need to reduce the distance between them.
Cedar is known for his resilience to humidity and for his distinctive appearance, since a lot of years. Therefore, this natural wood is a great option for covering your patio.
New synthetic products like mixtures of recycled plastic, called PVC, are more expensive, but more resistant to erosion and temporal degradation.
On the other hand, torrefied wood, naturally treated, change the characteristics of the wood to become more resistant to humidity. So, this product doesn’t need additional chemical products, compared to treated wood.
Therefore, it is interesting and important for you to estimate different products. Yes, the choice of your coating will greatly affect your budget. The Virtual Constructor, an interactive
online tool, is there to help you compare these information related to coating’s choices and costs, which will facilitate the planning of your project.
Stairs and ramps
The location of the stairs is not a simple choice to make. It needs to allow an easy access to the yard and must consider the furniture and the accessories that need to be stored. Stairs must be located to allow a great circulation and security. Ideally, a driveway passage will let people leave the residence and go to the descent without having to work around various obstacles.
Stairs arranged side, front or corner; change the appearance of the entire deck. It depends on the shape of your yard and your personal choice.
Ramps and bars ensure safety for you and your guests. They also play a role in the design and the look you want to give your deck. They can illustrate its personality because they represent a big part of the visual aspect for both, the exterior and the interior. We should not disregard this component, because it will take a prominent place in your visual field. This design challenge related to the choice of the ramps and the bars, optimizes the comfort and the harmony in your environment.
When it comes the time for selecting materials types, wood ramps can be warm and comfy, but generally require maintenance and regular application of paint or stain, every three to five years.
This other issue is important to be looked at, before taking any decisions. In fact, repaint ramps and bars is not that simple.
It goes without saying that the ramps of aluminum are more expensive, but they’re almost maintenance free, for a long time. Also, many colors are available. There are even trendy colors. It will allow you to harmonize everything with your coating color of your house, for example.
Privacy screen
The new trend in patio design is privacy screen with opaque appearance. By placing 1x6 boards horizontally or vertically, close to each other, you’ll get a very personalized result of urban places. Furthermore, by bringing the boars more tightly, children can’t climb and they will stay safe. A small space between the boards also let the air circulate and provide a nice privacy while adding a character to your space. This manufacturing process is altogether more advantageous, because it’s more solid than conventional products on the market.
Pergolas
For it’s part, the pergola represent this famous structure giving the impression to be surrounded by walls but it’s actually an open space. We can make it grow plants and add verdure to help oxygenate the planet. False beams could recall the Greek decor to contemporary taste. You only have to be creative; bird feeders, flowerpots, various colors, etc. These are all possible ways to give a look and a personality to your pergola.
Ready to build your deck?
The planning and budgeting steps for a deck building project has never been so simple, easy and entertaining, with this web and mobile application. You’re now ready to start your work. Begin with printing your project and go get your building permit from the relevant authorities.
Don’t be surprised if people are pleasantly dumbfounded to see your materials list with your integrated plan, when you ask them for a submission. Entrepreneur, carpenter, hardware store and merchant will certainly appreciate all this beautiful work of planning you have done for yourself, for which they will have fun to help you and serve you well.