The big reveal! My #nicebigdeck

April 30, 2021

I am obsessed.

Since getting our Trex deck completed, I have a hard time staying off of it. I find any excuse to use it. We eat our meals out there.

We bundle up and watch movies out there. I even put up a tent for an easy glamping adventure.

The last leg of our outdoor renovation included adding electrical outlets, finishing the fireplace and installing outdoor lighting, and then actually installing a door to the deck. For a long time we actually had to jump out a window opening to get out there.

Once we removed the window to put the door in there was a place that needed to be patched and have flooring installed on top and I decided to have the kids leave their handprints there for a future owner of the house to find them. It’s always a nice idea to make things personal.

We could not be happier with our Trex deck! The process was fun and my TrexPro installer Garloff Carpentry did an outstanding job. I can’t wait to build my next Trex deck. Guaranteed, it’s coming J

Here are some of the things I learned from designing THIS deck:

- If you can afford it, go BIGGER than you were initially planning. Trust me, you won’t regret the additional outdoor space.

- Put your deck as close to your kitchen as possible. You will get the most use out of it if you do that.

- Even if you don’t necessarily have a view (we aren’t facing a beautiful beach or anything), I would opt for the glass panels. It just makes the whole deck look light and airy. And, when I need to clean my Trex Signature Railing, I just hose them down. Such easy maintenance!

- Install a water source on or near the deck. Soap and water is all you need to maintain Trex since composite decking doesn’t require sanding, staining or painting. I found this hose from a company called Garden Glory and I LOVE it! It is beautiful to look at and works great!

- A gas grill is a much better idea than a charcoal one. Embers from the charcoal can fly off the grill and damage your decking or furniture.

- If you have the space and the budget, I highly recommend including an outdoor kitchen. I opted to use Trex Outdoor Kitchens, which are constructed of stainless steel and have cool options like this pull out cooler cabinet.

- Including an island is a nice idea to increase your prep space. I found this driftwood one on Craigslist and I have to drive two hours to get it! It was worth every mile.

- Lighting is key to optimize your outdoor space. My railing has post cap lights from the Trex Deck Lighting collection, which are energy efficient (a huge plus!) and create a sophisticated ambiance. And, the café lights strung above the kitchen area add instant charm.

Best of luck with your deck adventures and happy Spring!

Evette

The thrills and spills of our #nicebigdeck

August 29, 2020

We are about half way through construction on the #nicebigdeck. The pilings were installed, and the decking is all in. It’s been a bit of a long haul with a big break because of the pandemic. Garloff Carpentry, the company that has been doing the install, has been doing an amazing job and, to be honest, I missed them when they weren’t around.

It’s always hard when you finally get started with a project because you start questioning and worrying about your decisions. Believe it or not, us designers can be really indecisive when it comes to our own homes. I think it’s because we understand that the options are truly limitless. But even more than that, we understand that almost every design decision COULD work. The reality is that there are no design rules. And, if anyone tells you that there are, just wait for them to praise someone who breaks them.

Once the decking was actually installed, the deck looked massive! I would just climb up there and sit, and I felt like I was sitting in the trees! It is truly amazing to get another vantage point from the house.

Here are some of the decisions I had to face as I headed into phase 2 of the deck design.

Plan Your Stairs – I had about 20 steps to get down to ground level on one part of the deck and it was important to me that the steps are safe. My mom (who is in her 80s, don’t tell her I told you!) and my grandma come over to the house sometimes, so I wanted everything to feel safe and stable. For optimal safety, you should only do a run of 10 steps before hitting a landing. I also wanted the stairs to flare out at the bottom to make them more inviting and gracious. I loved the idea and Garloff Carpentry obliged, but it definitely took some expertise (and time) to accomplish it. Being a certified TrexPro deck builder, Garloff construction was able to make it happen, but it does definitely require a lot more work and planning than a traditional staircase.

Incorporate Lighting – Lighting is super important, especially if you live in the country, like we do, where the nighttime sky is incredibly dark. Lights on the stairs and on the railing are crucial! I love the simple, tailored look of Trex® DeckLighting™, which blends in for a seamless look. These lights are energy-efficient, low-voltage lights are extremely durable and weather-proof – ensuring that they will endure the elements for years to come. Plus, Trex outdoor lighting fixtures are cool to the touch, making them safe for children and pets.

Railing Color – After narrowing it down to either classic black or white railings, it was still a real dilemma, and I went back and forth in my mind a zillion times. I chose white because the windows, trim and porch on my house are all painted white and I didn’t plan to repaint them anytime soon. And, I love them! They look crisp, clean and bright. BUT, if you are trying to have your railings “disappear” into your view and your view happens to be wooded, like mine is, consider black railings. A black railing with glass or wire inserts will visually go away more easily. Something to think about…

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Privacy Walls – I originally thought that I wanted the walls around the swim spa to be privacy walls. I imagined people skinny dipping all summer and I wanted everyone to feel free to do so. But, as the deck was going up and I started to visualize what it would be like to have a 6’ wall around you while you are in the swim spa, I opted not to do it. I did use a privacy wall around the outdoor kitchen to create the feeling of a separate room and block out the traffic noise since our house is pretty close to the road. Here it is in winter when it was JUST being put up!

Now that the deck is closer to being done, I have really been able to show it off! I did a home tour with House Beautiful and the deck got many viewers excited! Check out the tour here:

And, since I am working from home, like many of us are, I set up an outdoor work area to make the most of these summertime temps, and the Today Show aired my outdoor work tips. Check it out here:

What do you need to create the most ideal outdoor workspace? I will walk you through the products you need to create your ideal outdoor office.

I hope that helps you figure out some design and build decisions when planning your very own #nicebigdeck!

Tips for Designing the #nicebigdeck of Your Dreams

April 14, 2020

When I bought the #1796house a few years ago, I could not have predicted how much it could bother me that you couldn’t easily get outside from inside the house. And, I also couldn’t have predicted how much time I would be spending at home now because of the coronavirus.

If I could have cast a property for my dream mountain cabin movie, this house would have been a contender. As a designer, when I moved in I knew that there were some things that I wanted to tweak (I can’t live without a good home project), but it didn’t take living there more than two weeks to realize that there was no good way to get outside from the house. These are things you might not be thinking about when you are wearing the rose colored glasses of finding 95% of the things you want in your dream home. Ay!

The house is built on a hill, likely moved there at one point in its history from another location. So, there are stairs everywhere.

Being a historic building, the ceilings are relatively low and the rooms are pretty closed-in, so the main living room doesn’t get much natural light. So, over the past few years, those features of the house combined with living with two active little kids, I was more and more bothered by having no indoor/outdoor living space.

So, this year I decided to take the leap and get myself the #nicebigdeck that I knew we could really use. When it came to the material, I was pretty clear. I wanted to use Trex decking because the product is durable, looks natural and, even more importantly than all that, I wanted to use a sustainable product. Trex is manufactured from more than 95% recycled content. In fact, Trex reclaims and repurposes more than 800 million pounds of recycled plastic film and reclaimed wood fiber every year, which is pretty cool.

I have a wood deck by the stream in the yard, and every few years, the deck needs to be scraped, repaired and re-stained, a project that I am WAY overdue for now. I knew that I didn’t want that kind of maintenance with this deck, and so I wanted our new deck to be virtually maintenance free, which is another reason why a Trex deck was the perfect optionsolution. I can clean it with just soap and water!

Here is my first stab at the deck design:

Here are some general things you should consider when planning your own deck:

Timeline– Give yourself more time than you think it will take. A typical deck project can take six months or more from start to finish. Just deciding the layout can be time intensive! Sketch your design and really sit with it. Imagine yourself using it. What makes sense for your family? How will the flow be? What do you plan to use it for? A deck is something you build once and never want to revisit, so it makes sense to take your time with the design to make it perfect for your family.

Material – I chose a grey color with natural variations in it that make it look like silvery aged wood, it’s called Island Mist from the Trex Transcend decking collection. It was SO hard to choose, but this one blended in so well with the very grey color scheme I currently have around the property. My advice when picking a color for the decking material: Don’t feel like you have to match or coordinate it with the color your house is painted because hat can be changed! Instead, make sure the deck coordinates with the permanent colors of your home like any stone for steps or building foundation, or other permanent features around the house. I went with grey because it blended in well with all of the weathered wood around the property and the stone foundation of the house. There are SO many colors to choose from!

All of the Trex Transcend Colors…it was SO hard to choose!

The stone work and building around the property are all lovely shades of grey

Deck Size – I went with a deck that was 13 feet wide. To be comfortable for entertaining, make sure that your deck is at least 9’ deep. You have to account for at least 3’ of clearance for people to easily move around the space (48” if you have people in your family or visiting who might be in wheelchairs and you want to give them space to turn around). And then, of course you need space for furniture!

Location – I decided to put my deck right off of the kitchen, which makes a lot of sense since most people tend to congregate there. But think about where the ideal location might be for your home. Usually decks off of the higher-traffic spaces in your home, such as the living room, family room, kitchen, dining rooms make the most sense.

Substructure – I knew that I wanted a substructure that was strong and wouldn’t warp, rot, twist, split and decay over time, so I chose the Trex Elevations steel framing system. In addition to stability, steel ensures a flat surface for the life of the deck, while pressure-treated lumber can shift over time and move the boards for a less safe and less sleek-looking deck.

Zones – It’s a good idea to think about the different activities that you want to use the deck for. Do you want to have a grill out there? How many separate seating areas do you want? Are you including a dining table, sofas or other larger furniture pieces? Do you want a hot tub or fireplace? Think about what you expect to do out there and think about creating different “rooms” on the deck so that different activities can be comfortably going on at the same time.

Doors and Windows – Figure out how you plan to get OUT on the deck. Do you want more than one opening? Remember that wherever there is a window it is a relatively easy swap to put in a door of the same height. Creating a door where there was none is a much bigger undertaking.

Covered vs. uncovered – There are many, many options for gazebos that can be put on the deck and those are amazing! My initial design plans included a gazebo, but while I was thinking about the design and sitting with it, I realized that a gazebo (although it would add a nice architectural element and covered areas), would decrease the amount of sun that came through the kitchen window and I ultimately didn’t want to sacrifice that.

Railings – Do you want to enhance a view or block out noise or eyesores? There are so many railings available but you want to make sure that they work seamlessly with the decking material you select. One of my FAVORITE things about the kitchen is the view out the windows at the trees and visiting birds so I was SO excited to find that the Trex Signature Railings come with glass panels! So now I can have a deck and still enjoy an uninterrupted view of the trees and birds.

What is your dream for a deck? Have any of you already built one and have some advice for me?