Home Improvements | Deck Building

Whether you?re building a new deck on your home or already have one in place, adding a few home improvements to it will help you transform it into a more functional as well as beautiful space. Incorporate a few of these details into your blueprints for a deck that steps it up a notch.

Line the side of your deck with built-in benches. If you love entertaining, you probably already have patio furniture to comfortably seat your guests. By adding built-in benches along the perimeter of your deck, you?ll really increase the seating capacity for guests and family and friends. And, if your deck is a low deck, a bench also serves as a guard rail, so in most areas you won?t have to build a rail for your deck (check with your county?s regulations to be sure). To make the bench seating comfortable, purchase colorful outdoor cushions that can withstand the weather.

Have your deck builder make some built-in planters for your deck. Perhaps you want these at the corners of your deck or maybe your prefer them running along the edges. Discuss the size and shape of the boxes. Will they hold flowers, or would you like to incorporate a mini-vegetable garden area to your deck? You can purchase seeds for container-appropriate vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrots, lettuce and herbs, just to name a few things. Be sure you purchase soil that is designed especially for container plants so that the soil has the nutrients your plants will need to thrive in the containers. This soil will also help the plants not to dry out so fast,

Add a fire pit to your deck. With the arrival of fall, you may be mourning the end of summer and your outdoor entertaining. Not so fast. There?s nothing like a marshmallow roast to finish off?or start?a party. Pick out a fire pit for your deck that will have all your family and friends gathering around the fire for a nighttime marshmallow roast. You can find may designs of fire pits?just be sure you find a stable one that will not tip over.

Go up a step. If you love entertaining and you have the room, why not add a small addition to your deck? Deck building doesn?t have to be complex. Choose a simple design and have your builder add a small deck a step up from your current deck to function as the outdoor dining space. Now you can move your table and chairs there, freeing up the space on the lower deck for dancing or maybe adding a hot tub.

Let your imagination help you take your current deck from functional to fantastic with a few upgrades.

Tagged as: addition, bench seating, building a new deck, built-in benches, built-in planters, deck, deck builder, deck building, fire pit, home improvements, outdoor entertaining, rail

Source: http://www.my-home-improvement.com/2011/09/21/deck-out-your-deck/

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