Deck Inspection Time!

Soon it will be barbeque time again. Okay, may be not soon, that's wishful thinking, but in say ten weeks time, some of us braver ones may venture out to crank up the barbie.

Is your deck up to another year of sunshine and tomato ketchup slops beating down on it, or do you think it will need re-finishing? One of the reasons that it is a good time to ask yourself this question is this - you cannot change out the odd planks of a deck in the winter (or build a new one) because the wood will absorb all the moisture in the air.

This means that any painting or staining will be ineffective. And on a structure as large as a deck, you only want to go over that with a paintbrush once! So this means that a lot of contractors will be twiddling their thumbs and will have time to give you a quote. Just make sure that the figures will hold for springtime, when you can instruct him to build.

Perhaps you do not even have a deck at all? Did you know that a deck can really increase the value of your property? In some areas where the climate is mild (say like San Francisco) it increases the value of your property by more dollars than it cost to build one on. Decks are nationally supposed to add a further 55% of the actual incurred cost to your home, but in San Francisco the average deck is reported to increase the value of the home by 143% of the incurred cost.

If we take the nationally averaged cost of building a deck as $8,000.00 - this mean that in a mild climate area, you could increase the value of your property by up to $11,000.00. Pretty good returns and you almost get an extra room to use all summer long. If you are planning a new deck, do not make it too small; a deck is a very popular place for teenagers to chat, for mum to read, for the family to eat etc. It will be a very favorite hang-out and you may wish, after the fact, that you had built enough room to divide it into two areas with potted plants etc.

If you don't need to get a quote from a builder because you plan on doing the repairs/building yourselves, then now is a good time to price everything and even to get it ordered ready to start. Sometimes we get that nice dry spring weather hitting us early. (Oh yeah? When did that last happen then?)

If you just need to clean your deck, then rather than sanding it, which is fairly labor intensive, it will come up just as clean with a power wash. Keep the wand moving at all times to avoid damaging the wood and afterwards let it dry for several days. Sometimes a power wash can take off the whole of the protective paintwork or staining. This can be a good thing if you were planning to re-finish it anyway, but if you weren't.....

If you are planning the mammoth task of building your own deck - get all the family involved! It is hard work! Traditional wood is the least expensive way to go here. If you decide to build a more traditional deck and use regular lumber, the medium priced woods are fir and cedar, with redwood being more expensive. You can save more money by using pressure treated wood, which is resistant to insects and water damage, but will not endure the sun so well in extremely sunny areas.

If you want totally maintenance-free, these days you can buy man made composite lumber or all-vinyl decking. Neither is economy-priced but both are guaranteed to last years and years! Composite lumber combines properties of both wood and plastic. It is slip resistant, does not splinter of warp, and needs no sealants or protection. It can be painted or stained if you want and boasts low water absorption. Composite lumber cannot be damaged by water, sun or insects.

Vinyl decking is durable in all climates. It is also slip resistant and has excellent durability against rotting or warping. There is a limited color choice, it being available in three colors, tan, gray and white, but one big plus is that it only needs cleaning with a garden hose.An important quality of vinyl decking is the fact that it is virtually stain-free.

Both the composite lumber and the vinyl decking are more expensive initially than regular lumber; however, they are also environmentally friendly. The manufacturers of composite lumber decking guarantee that they use no virgin wood and specify that they use re-cycled plastic grocery bags in the manufacturing process. Feel virtuously green on your new deck!