Composite vs. Wood Decks: Which Holds Up Better in Tennessee Weather?
You want a deck that still looks good in ten years, not one you have to rescue every spring. In…
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Deck Parts and Structure: What Actually Holds Up the Boards You Walk On
Most people picture a deck as a floor in the backyard. Boards, a railing, maybe some stairs. That picture is…
Garden Decking: A Deck That Sits in the Planting, Not Against the House
Most decks are an extension of the house. They start at the back door, they attach to the wall, and…
Covered Deck Plans: The Roof Has to Be Decided Before the Footings
A covered deck is the most requested upgrade in this climate and the one most often added as an afterthought.…
Deck and Patio Combinations: The Grade Decides Where One Ends
Homeowners usually arrive at a deck-and-patio combination by accident. They price a deck for the whole backyard, the number comes…
Two-Level Decks: You Are Building Two Decks, Not One With a Step
Multi-level decks get quoted higher than people expect, and the reaction is usually the same. It is the same square…
Freestanding Deck Plans: You Trade the Ledger for a Second Beam
Almost every deck gets planned as an attached deck. A ledger bolts to the house, the joists hang off it,…
Low Decks: The Inches Under the Frame Decide the Whole Build
Low decks look like the easy version. No railing to build, no stairs to lay out, short posts or no…
Raised Decks: The Space Underneath Is the Room You Forgot to Plan
A raised deck gets planned as a surface. Square footage, board color, railing style, where the stairs land. Everything above…
Backyard Deck Ideas: Small Yards Need Fewer Zones, Not a Smaller Deck
Most backyard deck searches are really small backyard deck searches. The lot is a rectangle behind the house, the usable…
Porch Decks: The Front of the House Has Its Own Rulebook
Porch deck searches split almost evenly between two very different projects. Half are people planning a front porch, and half…
Cheap Decks: The Savings Are Almost Always Below the Boards
Two builders walk the same backyard, look at the same drawing, and come back with quotes several thousand dollars apart.…