If you’re looking to add value and functional space to your home, a beautiful new deck might be the way to go. Building a long lasting, attractive outdoor addition to your home through decking is one of the most popular home improvement projects. It increases your living area at a minimal cost per square foot, and homeowners typically recoup over 85% of their expenditure by increases to their home value.
When you’re considering whether to build a deck onto your home, there are several factors to keep in mind so you get the most from your latest project. From function and style to type, you need to do a little reflection as well as a little research to be on your way.
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What Do You Want From a Long Lasting Deck?
Think first of what you might do in this new space. Would it be for relaxing, reading, and sunbathing, or primarily for gatherings around meals with an outdoor barbeque or serving space? Might you want this space to be an extension of an existing pool area? Perhaps you might want to bring more sunshine and outdoor space with a large sliding back door that opens onto a deck with raised planters for herbs and flowers that brings your garden closer to home. Knowing your ideal use will help you plan for the best deck for you.
Materials, Design, and Shape
With many options on the table, you can weigh whether woods, composites, or alternatives like metal and plastic are best for your project. Even in the wood category, there are a variety of choices from the weather-resistant redwood, cedar, cypress, etc to the pressure treated lumbers or hardwoods like Brazilian and teak.
Your design and shape are also great opportunities to add even more value with an attractive complement to the look of your house. Adding rounded edges and finishes that echo the style of your home’s exterior helps to create uniform appeal.
County/City Codes
Before you start buying materials, check out your county/city website for details on what your area requires. You should have to get your blueprints approved to make your project legal, so find out the process and check what your area requires as far as permits and other legal considerations to remodel or add to your residential structure.
Budget
Check on your budget first, as this will determine how big of a deck you can build and any extras you might be able to build in. Consider whether you have DIY skills or friends and family with those skills who might be willing to guide you. Do you have extra time to learn and energy available to be the labor? Also, what are all the extras you might want to add on, and how much do they go for? Some options are lighting, built-ins (benches, flower boxes, etc.), finishes like copper accents or metal railings, privacy fencing, shade, etc.
Now that you’ve got an overview of this project, you can sit and weigh your preferences against your budget. Determine what you want this space for and what extras are non-negotiable. If budget dictates the most, perhaps start with your essentials and build on extras at a later date. Whether you start from your ideal or with a foundation to add on, a deck is one incredible way to quickly and cost-effectively increase your living space and your home’s value.
