What You Need For An Awesome Decking Project
Before you can actually begin putting together this awesome new deck of yours, you need to learn the building codes for your local area. You can do this by going on Google and typing in your city and state, and then “building codes” at the end of the search. From that, you’ll be lead to pages that describe the regulations when it comes to height and size. In some cases, you might need to get a permit in order to build the kind of deck that you want, but this is rare.
Then, you need to select your materials. Right now, there are a wide variety of great materials on the market. Some of them – such as composite lumber and fiber cement decking – are incredibly popular.
With composite lumber, you have a type of wood that has been engineered to withstand quite a bit more than just regular wood. Pricewise, it is a bit more expensive, but the actual long-term benefits more than make up for that.
Fiber cement decking is also proving to be very popular – perhaps, even more than composite lumber – due to the fact that it looks just like wood, but it’s a lot stronger. In fact, fiber cement is engineered in a very specific way, so that it can withstand the effects of just about any climate/temperature, while also being resistant to things like insect damage. Finally, the other reason it’s become so popular is that it requires very little maintenance, and this makes it a wise investment for people who’d like to build the deck, and then do as few repairs and tune-ups as possible.
Once you’ve chosen the specific building materials that you want to use, you’ll need to find some tools.
This particular part of the process can be really tricky, because you might not feel confident enough to use certain tools, or to be directly involved when it comes to certain parts of this process. If you don’t, that’s totally fine, and you can hire a contractor. However, if you do want to be very “hands-on” with this part of the process, then here are some tools you should look into buying, in order to put together an awesome deck.
You’re going to need a tape measure – preferably twenty-five feet – along with some chalk lines and a framing square, so that you can check and make sure that the corners are levels. That’s for layout.
For cutting, you should have a table saw – for the quick, precise cuts that you’ll need to make – along with a jigsaw – for curved cuts – and a circular saw, for the rest of the other cuts that need to be made.
As for other tools, you can easily do most of your fastening – if not all of it – with a hammer, but if you want efficiency, then you should go for a power nailer. For smoothing and removing stains and other blemishes, a power sander will be more than adequate.
Now, the last thing you really need for an awesome deck is some nice furniture! Websites like Amazon and Home Depot have many great choices, but the best choices are often the most cliched.
Simply investing in some decent patio furniture – metal is a good choice, due to its durability – and a decent sized patio table – metal and glass is a good choice, again, for durability purposes – is all you really need. However, there are benefits to investing in something that is a bit more “extravagant” such as a patio gazebo or an outdoor chaise lounge chair.
Metal sculpture in brass, mounted on an 1800s French Coin
