Deck Building

We would love to build a deck in our back yard. Where do we start?
You are probably thinking about either a wooden deck, most often attached to a house, or the decking around a swimming pool. Both types of decks add a special element to your landscape design, extending your living space, adding interest, and, since we’re talking about the pool area, making it safe.

The first step in a deck building project is the design process. Start making a list of what you want from your deck design. You should decide whether to cover the deck or not, whether to add deck railing or built-in seats. Also consider your landscape lighting. Other options include: an outdoor kitchens, outdoor water fountains, and fire pits or outdoor fireplaces. If you have an existing drainage system, you will want to tie the deck into it. Drainage solutions for decks include decorative drains, gutters and French drains.

Can Exterior World help us with this deck building project?
Yes! For more than 20 years, we’ve been building decks in the Houston area. We believe that the more sophisticated the design and the more complex the project, the more important we become.

If you don’t hire us, we encourage you to find a Houston landscape designer or landscape contractor who can translate the dream of your deck onto paper and actually build it. Especially they need to construct it so that it avoids any under-built problems—that is, the deck should be adequately attached to any structures and adequately supported.

Here are some tips for finding someone suitable for your project:
• Ask friends for referrals.
• Find out how long they’ve been in business, ask about their relationship with subcontractors, and determine the expertise of the crews.
• Obtain references from the company under consideration.

Educate us about a wooden deck.
Pressure-treated pine is one of the mainstay flooring options for a deck building project. Treated pine withstands Houston’s weather and damp soil, two conditions that cause deck problems. Other wood choices are cedar and redwood, both of which have resins that naturally protect them from weathering and rotting, too.

Don’t overlook engineered products like Trex. While these products can be more expensive from the standpoint of the initial cost, the durability can be one to two times that of wood, if maintained properly. Trex offers another benefit in these “green” conscious days: its decking, railing and fencing are made primarily from recycled plastic grocery bags, reclaimed pallet wrap and waste wood.

In all your material choices, be sure to match your personal preferences with other design considerations such as your home’s architecture and other existing landscape design features.

What about decking for our pool?
The material choices for your pool deck building project include wood, concrete (colored or textured or both), brick, stone (flagstone, limestone, slate, cut stone) and pavers.

With pool decking, you need to be safety conscious and use non-slippery surfaces. Stone, brick and concrete are especially practical options. They also have the added benefit of providing beautiful, interesting textures.