Designing the Best Illinois Custom Deck
The perfect Illinois custom deck is different for everyone and sought by many, but how do you go about bringing it to life? There are so many material, shape, and feature options, where does one even begin? If you’re serious about having the perfect deck for you, a deck everyone in the Land of Lincoln will envy, you will begin with this guide and end with a deck better than you ever thought possible.
Decking Materials
Choosing a decking material usually comes down to three concerns: look, maintenance, and cost. No matter which of the three concerns is your determining factor, no one can decide what material is right for you. However, you can be more informed when the time comes to make your decision.
On the higher end, many homeowners don’t mind parting with some extra money in exchange for little to no deck maintenance. If you are interested in maintenance free options, composites, PVC, vinyl, and other synthetic materials are some of your best choices. Of course, the lack of a need to refinish the materials comes with a trade off: a heftier price tag.
Also expensive, as well as long lasting, are hardwoods, such as ipe and jarrah, which are costlier than other wood deck materials. Both hardwoods and more traditional woods, like real wood, pressure-treated cedar, and redwood, offer a more natural look than most synthetic materials. So, when deciding on your deck material, it is important to balance your look, maintenance, and cost and figure out which material best suits your needs.
Shape Up Your Outdoor Space
Materials alone do not make a deck; the shape, size, curves, and levels of a deck are just as an integral to a design. Traditionally, a deck was supposed to be no larger than 20% of your home’s square footage. However, separating your Illinois custom deck into predefined spaces, or rooms without walls, can allow you to have more deck space without dwarfing your home. The same effect can also be achieved by adding multiple stories or levels to your deck. While stories can offer you a deck along with a covered underdeck system, levels can define your space without adding several flights of stairs.
Not only can vertical differentiations change the appearance of your deck, but angles and curves also give homeowners additional design options and room to express their own style. Whether you want a rectangular deck, a round deck, or a mixture of the two, angles and curves should be considered, as they can give a boring deck a whimsical or modern twist.
Railing
Deck railings can serve many purposes, such as outlining your space, accentuating your deck materials, or juxtaposing materials with those of your Illinois custom deck. Railing materials include the materials found on decks, as well as glass, metal, cast iron, and cabling. Although you should feel free to do what you want when designing how your deck and railings meet, keep in mind that your railing shouldn’t block the view of what you want your guests to see. If you would like to minimize your railing, you can lower your deck—as a deck that is 18-24 inches tall usually requires a railing—or utilize levels, so railing won’t be necessary.
Additions to Your Illinois Custom Deck
When designing your dream Illinois custom deck, why stop at a deck, stairs, and railings? Many homeowners combine their deck with a custom-designed pergola, lanais, or underdeck system, like those offered by American Deck & Sunroom in Illinois. These additions offer you and your guests shade, as well as a covered outdoor space to house other features, such as fire pits, hot tubs, benches, outdoor kitchens, and snack bars. To flesh out these spaces, you can create a full-featured outdoor space by attaching speakers, lights, fans, and planters.
Remember…
No matter your architectural needs in Illinois, American Deck & Sunroom can provide you with a custom design that will increase the worth of your home, will blend seamlessly with your existing architecture, and will last a lifetime.
At American Deck & Sunroom, we don’t build houses. We don’t just build benches. What we do is design and build beautiful outdoor spaces…extensions of your home that flow with your existing property and architecture. And because we specialize, we go beyond the, “If you can dream it, we can build it,” catchphrase often quoted. After nearly 20 years in business and nearly 13,000 designs and counting, we have the experience to design outdoor spaces you’ve never even dreamed possible. We only have two rules: our designs will look like they belong with the architecture of the house, and we build anything but square decks. Our goal is to go beyond what you’ve dreamed to create a unique space unlike any other. What are you waiting for? Contact us today!