Deck patio tips

Get deck, patio done properly

Screen and hire honest, skilled deck, patio, and porch professionals, Spot and eliminate "bad apples" before they can become a problem. Negotiate effectively, decide what to do – and what not to do. Estimate costs before you begin, with easy-to-use charts on labor and materials. Understand the trade-offs in design, planning, and materials options. Keep contractors and subcontractors on the straight and narrow-on time and on budget. Move smoothly through every phase, from planning to code issues to completion. Sample checklists, forms, illustrations, and contracts make it easier to handle every aspect of your deck, patio project. Highlighted tips and traps warn you about money pits. Even if you have no prior experience with remodeling or construction thus this tips can help to make sure the job gets done right – at the right cost.

Synopsis

Whether you're looking for more usable outdoor space or you want to create more curb appeal to add value to your home, Decks, Patios is exactly the resource you need. You will learn about screening and selecting contractors, obtaining proper permits, avoiding zoning problems, choosing a design and having working plans and specifications prepared, specific code issues, selecting suitable sites, pros and cons of different materials, avoiding underground obstacles, such as utilities and bedrock, choosing a suitable foundation, sample pricing, and the bidding process.

Tips to maintain deck, patio

Seal a deck as soon as possible after cleaning it. Sprinkle a few drops of water on the wood. If it doesn't bead up and instead soaks right in, the deck. If the deck has taken on a dull gray color, the problem looks much worse than it is. Chances are it's covered with a thin film of mildew and needs only a cleaning. If any part of your deck stays wet for a day or more after a rainfall, take steps to see that it can dry out. You'll probably need to sweep away leaves and dirt from between boards, or where the deck meets the house. Perhaps a bush or tree limb needs to be trimmed back, or a gutter downspout moved to direct water away from the deck. If your deck was built with pressure-treated lumber rated for ground contact the wood will be very resistant to rot. If it was built of untreated redwood, cedar or other wood, there is a greater risk of rot particularly if the wood is light colored sapwood rather than dark-brown heartwood. Just about any wood, it can rot if it stays wet for long periods.

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