Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Home & Garden
Outdoor decks provide
entertainment and value
Key factors include location, weather and how it will be used
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
A
dding a deck or patio to a home adds liv-
ing space and value. The project can also
be an enjoyable spring or summer building
activity.
“Decks and patios are great places for
entertaining and barbecuing,” Grant County Building
Supply owner Dan Averett said. “It’s a great place for the
grandkids to play.”
Designing is the fi rst step. Key factors include suit-
able location, weather considerations and how the deck
or patio will be used. Stakes and string can be used to test
drive a layout. Furniture can even be placed inside the
outlined project to see how the deck will function.
Four feet of space should be provided around a table,
for example, and while shade might be welcome on hot
summer days, it might make a spot too cold in the shoul-
der seasons.
Decks and patios can be built around trees or shrub-
bery, privacy screens can be added in denser neighbor-
hoods and awnings or lattice canopies can be used to
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Grant County Building Supply owner Dan Averett explains
the many colors and style of Trex synthetic decking.
block intense sunlight.
A multilevel deck can be a solution for sloped yards,
and retaining walls can be used for paver-block patios.
But homeowners should consult local rules and regula-
tions, which might dictate structural elements as well as
size. A homeowners association’s covenants also may
have aesthetic guidelines for materials, fi nishes and even
handrails.
Averett said Douglas fi r and cedar are the most popular
choices here for deck planking. He offers Sherwin-Wil-
liams SuperDeck stain to complete the job. To maintain
the original luster of the stain, wood decks should be
refi nished twice a year for the fi rst fi ve years, he said.
An alternative is composite or synthetic materials.
Trex, a popular decking product, comes in a variety of
colors and styles, including a hidden fastener design. Trex
also produces posts, rails and stiles for deck railing. Made
from recycled plastic, Trex comes with an outer UV-resis-
tant layer and never needs stain or preservatives.
“Trex is more expensive, but it cuts down on main-
tenance,” Averett said, adding that he chose Trex for the
See Decks, Page A7
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