In the summertime when the living is easy, there’s nothing quite like a deck for cooking, entertaining, or simply relaxing. Not only an addition to boosting outdoor living space, a deck can be an asset when you sell your home.

Adding a deck can give you about a modest return on your investment, depending on where you live and size of your deck.

Planning a successful deck requires careful consideration of your site, your budget, and the features you should or shouldn’t include.

Here are some planning priorities to bear in mind

• Your deck will be a popular place, so give careful thought to where it should be located. Begin by working out how to access it from the house. The ever-handy back door to the kitchen probably won’t do the job. it will force traffic toward the cooking area, making a shambles of any large group entertaining. A better solution is a French door or slider that gives primary access from a living room, dining room, or family room while being handy to the kitchen. If the doorway can also be positioned to offer an expansive view, all the better.

• Next, make sure the deck neither swamps your yard, nor becomes lost in it. Your local council may set standards for how much of your lot can be occupied by a deck, and how close a deck can be to your boundary . These limitations will need to be taken into consideration

• Decide where to locate stairways off the deck so they provide unobtrusive access to the backyard. Also consider the suns orientation, the path of the sun and the location of shade trees.  sunlight may be pleasant in the morning but unbearable later in the day — having a shade tree to the west of your deck will help block the harsh late-day sun. Work out how to preserve your privacy and how to screen your deck from prevailing winds.

Suit the Market

To recoup a good portion of your investment, your deck needs to be right for your market. start by simply checking out other decks in your area. “Don’t make it too extreme with what’s typical in your market and Definitely don’t make it less than what is expected in the market.”  A quality built deck using quality materials may cost slightly more, but when compared with the lifespan of the product. it ends up being more cost effective. So speak to someone in the know and make sure your deck is built to the code and complies with council regulations.

Potential purchasers are having a home inspection done. If the building inspector finds the deck isn’t built to code, most of the purchasers are saying, ‘Hey, fix it, or we need to negotiate.
Codes exist not just to preserve property values, but promote safety. For example, railing balusters spaced too far apart can constitute a falling hazard (for small children). In addition, a deck inadequately tied in to the house can collapse, often during a party when the structure is loaded with the extra weight of many people.

Have your deck designed by an engineer and build your deck right the first time.

Regards,

www.hicksonbuilding.com.au

Stay tuned whist we add more information over the coming weeks.