Putting Deck Plans on Paper
You’ve pondered your deck’s function and style, and you’ve chosen the materials you’ll use to build it. Before you bring out the shovels and levels, however, it’s important to refine your plan, to clarify and map out precisely where all the final elements will go. Key Takeaways Detailed Planning is Essential: Before beginning your deck [...]
Deck Access
No matter how complete you make your landscape design, you won’t use even the most luxurious deck if you can’t see it from the inside, if you don’t provide an easy way to get to it, and if its uses conflict with the uses of the adjacent interior room. These factors—visual access, actual access, and [...]
Lumber for Decks
Pound for pound, wood is almost as strong as steel. Its warm, natural beauty and remarkable workability make it ideal for decks and other outdoor structures. The uses of lumber are endless. It can be used to add privacy screens and planters, create ornate railings, build ornamental trellises for climbing plants, or ease the transition between one [...]
Laying Out Deck Site
Whether you start the layout of your deck with a ledger or are expanding an old deck from an existing framing member, the next step is laying out the site for footings and post locations. Here’s how to get things right. ”We are extremely pleased with the railings you installed. The design goes perfectly with the style [...]
Installing The Ballusters
Purchase ready-cut balusters or make your own from 2x2s. You may want to angle-cut one or both ends on the outside faces. Determine where you will drive the fasteners. Set a group of balusters side by side. Use a framing square to mark fastener positions, and drill pilot holes. ”From the very first telephone conversation with Yevgeniy, [...]
Installing surface mounted infill
Of all the aspects of fence construction, installing the infill is probably the most enjoyable because you can begin to see the results of your planning and layout. It’s at this step that the structure you’ve been toiling over begins to look like a fence. The tasks associated with hanging the infill are repetitive—you’ll fall [...]
Installing Deck Beams and joists
Once the ledger and posts are in place, install the heam(s) that support(s) the joists and decking. Beams run parallel to the ledger and fasten to the posts. The number of beams increases as the span away from the house increases. ”Initially called Eugene for estimate. Eugene explained to me in details the types of [...]
Designing gates
A gate does more than just open or close a gap in a fence. It can also serve as a focal point, punctuate an entry, or highlight a special area. First Impressions Gates create an image and project an impression about what lies beyond. A tall locked gate does not invite entrance. Low, painted pickets, [...]
Hardware and latches for Gates
Gate hardware is as much a design element as any other part of the fence or gate structure. Hinges and latches give the gate design a detail or accent that embellishes the appearance of the entire structure. But with gate hardware even the most ornamental parts have a hefty job to do. When you’re shopping [...]
Footings for Fences and Overheads
Much of the privacy, shade, and ambience of a landscape comes from arbors, fences, gazebos, and other structures that use vertical posts. If the structure it to last, the posts need to be firmly anchored in the ground. You have two techniques at your disposal: You can bury part of the post in the ground [...]