How to Enhance Your Home with a Professionally Built Deck
Do you feel that the façade of your home looks bland and uninteresting? Maybe something is missing! Remember that your home exterior is the first look of your home at any angle. Make sure to make them love it at first sight! A professionally built deck is the styling you need to enhance your home exterior. If you have an existing deck, an upgrade is a great way to improve your outdoor experience.
Fig. 1: A typical wooden deck upgraded and enhanced by Modern Handymen
Your home's deck may set the tone of the overall design of your home. It is typically built as an exterior extension of your dwelling. It is an extension of your moments at home, finding a balance between indoors and outdoors. This may be a place to enjoy and relax, whether with your backyard privacy or an intimate outdoor gathering with family and friends. To achieve the look you imagine for your home, your deck must be well thought out, which will suit your taste and home design. Let your home's deck express the outdoor lifestyle and vibe you exude in living.
To give you a general idea of how extensive a typical residential wooden deck is built, here's a step-by-step way to do so. And compare how easier it will be to let your most trusted professional deck builder in Brentwood and Nashville, Tennessee, Modern Handymen, do that job for you!
How do you build a simple deck step by step?
Plan Preparation & Estimates- Lay down what you want your deck to look like and the details you need from your builder. Modern Handymen offers trust-worthy estimates and openly discusses the plan and design for your deck after a thorough inspection.
Material Purchase—After planning, purchasing the needed materials will be crucial. Make sure that the materials you buy are high-quality and cost-efficient. Modern Handymen has vetted professionals with a wealth of experience who may recommend suitable materials to use with quality and value. All materials will be subject to your preference and taste.
Layout & Staking—This is the most important part of deck building. An improper layout can cause a lot of problems. You can use batter boards as a guide.
Excavation for Posts- Excavate to the proper required depth. This will serve as the deck's foundation. This is where the structural plans come in, as the post will carry the deck's weight. Structural integrity is a must for our deck posts. A weak deck post is a weak deck.
Formworks—You can use dead forms or prefabricated forms that match the design and measurements of the post, as per the plan.
Concreting of Post Foundation- Ensure proper tampering of poured concrete per layer.
Installation of Anchor Bolts- Refer to the existing layout to securely embed the bolt to its proper location on the poured concrete post (while it's not yet wholly hardened).
Installation of Landscape fabrics- Lay the fabric on the evenly compacted soil. Lay the gravel directly on top of the fabric. This minimizes water run-off and prevents unwanted weeds from growing under the deck.
Installation of Timber Posts—Considering the height of the deck soffit, cutting the wood (size as per plan) is required to hold the deck beam in place. Anchor the wood using brackets on the pre-installed bolts and tighten as needed. Use nails for added anchorage.
Installation of Timber Beams—Ensure the squareness of the wooden beams according to the deck's required layout. Once this is done, secure the beam to the posts using another set of brackets and nails. Check for the leveling of the top of the beams.
Installation of Timber Joists- Install the wooden joists on top of the beams at the required spacing (per plan). Secure them in place using brackets and nails. Since the commercial length of the wood may not be enough to cover the whole length of the deck, ensure that wood splices are secured at supports (usually at center beams). For added rigidity, you can add blocking between joists. Cut excess portions of joists if there are any. Secure rim joists at the deck's perimeter and flush at the end of the joists. Check for the leveling of the joists to ensure that the boards to be installed will also be leveled.
Installation of Timber Boards—Install the wooden boards on top of the joist. When using dry wood, add gaps between boards to allow wet expansion. Ensure that the last board's edges are aligned with the rim joists. Double-check the leveling of the boards to ensure that no portions are sagged.
Installation of Railing Posts—Bolt the railing posts to the rim joists using a drill. Follow the required spacing of posts and height of the railing as planned. Make sure that they are plumb and square.
Installation of Baluster Supports—Install the top and bottom baluster supports between the railing posts. Make sure to leave a span for the stairs' entrance to the deck.
Installation of Balusters- Cut the balusters based on the distance between the top and bottom supports. Measure the span between railing posts to get the required spacing of the balusters. Screw each baluster to the top and bottom supports with equal spacing as computed.
Installation of Stair Footings—Excavate and compact the concrete footings to the required base level. Lay gravel bedding before you install the stair footing. You can use precast concrete footings or cast them in place per the plan. Make sure that the tops of the footings are leveled.
Installation of Stair Landing—Install the wood for the stair landing on top of the concrete stair footings. Check if the landing is leveled. This is almost similar to installing the main deck (a smaller version). The landing and its size are optional.
Installation of Stairs- Attach the stringers to the stair landing and rim joist. Install the stair steps, supported by the stringers. Add stair railings to continue the deck railings.
Installation of Railing Cap- Install railing caps on top of the railings. You can use the same boards with the deck. Screw them on top of the balusters.
Top Coating/Painting—Allow the wooden deck to dry before staining it with varnish, painting, or any other top coating you prefer. Smoothen the wood surfaces and edges. If steel was used for some portions of the deck, such as the railings, use the appropriate paint/coating.
Landscaping- Add landscapes such as grass and plants around the deck. Make sure to backfill and compact any left holes around the deck posts. Landscaping will be optional, but this will add beauty to your newly built deck.
These are the precise (including back pain!) Do-It-Yourself steps you have to take to build that most straightforward wooden deck possible. But there are more types of decks other than this simple wooden deck. Some decks include more complicated and lengthy steps to install steel, aluminum, composite, or synthetic materials. The most straightforward step is to book that call with your professional builder and get recommendations on enhancing your home outdoors. Connect with your professional deck builder in Brentwood and Nashville, TN, Modern Handymen, and get that quote now! Modern Handymen is a team of skilled deck builders offering high-quality deck design and construction services in Nashville and Brentwood, TN.
Modern Handymen builds not just your backyard deck but many different decks. One of its many deck projects is enhancing an existing pool deck with a stylish stroke of wood stains. From an old-looking pool, the pool has flourished, with its deck having a new, enhanced look, displaying a luxurious outdoor living style. See how a typical pool deck can be an oasis of fun and outdoor bonding for family and friends.
Fig. 2. Pool Deck staining by Modern Handymen.
Some people like their decks neat and clean, in addition to luxurious outdoor aesthetics. An upgrade on the deck boards might do the trick to get that fresh-looking deck.
Fig. 3. Modern Handymen upgraded the old boards as deck flooring.
Fig. 4. Overall Deck Staining by Modern Handymen.
A changed lifestyle may also mean we want to change our outdoor experience. Modern Handymen enhanced a veranda full of outdoor furniture by upgrading its low-budget flooring to modern-styled floor tiles. The veranda feels like a new, spacious deck that the homeowner loved!
Fig. 5. Veranda turned into a fresh looking deck with tileworks by Modern Handymen.
Modern Handymen is your best go-to provider of top-notch and high-quality deck-building services in Brentwood and Nashville, TN. Their wealth of experience in deck building will give you the confidence that from idea to finish, Modern Handymen will work with you to create a stunning, functional deck that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations. They also offer many services, including bathroom remodeling and other residential & commercial handyman works. Call 615-200-8071 and request a quote to kickstart your professionally built deck now!
