If you could do it over, what would you change about your deck?

1. 70

   DIYmyOmyposted 12 years ago

   If you could do it over, what would you change about your deck?
   
   I am in the process of designing a deck for my recently-purchased house and am considering which material to use, whether I want a railing or not (deck will not be higher enough to require one to meet zoning standards), whether or not to add built-in seating and many other options. What do you wish you had added--or not added--to your deck, and why?
   
   

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2. 61

   win-winresourcesposted 12 years ago

   Hi DIY-
   
   From the famous line in the Graduate, "Plastics".  (Are you old enough to remember that?)
   
   I have had both on my three decks.  The wood (cedar and redwood) needed regular sanding and staining (a nasty job), and still rotted out (and this is in very dry Colorado).  I replaced them all with plastic recycled material (TREX) and after 12 years stilll no problem.
   
   Used plastic for the railings (snow fence) for the same reasons.  Even more so because painting or staining raillings is a lot of expensive and time consumming detail work.
   
   Built in seating is ok but reduces the flexibility of the layout.
   
   -DW

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3. 70

   DIYmyOmyposted 12 years ago

   Thank you win-win! I am very strongly leaning toward TREX (and, yes, I am old enough to remember The Graduate) and I concur as well, upon reflection, that built-in seating might end up being more a minus than a plus.

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