Decks, Patios and Porches

Stairs and railings for Outdoor Porch Deck. PDF number 6407.

14 ft x 16 ft post and beam supports. PDF nubmer 6406.

Built right, it can be an outdoor space that is easy to live with. Ask your local building inspector about possible exceptions to the code.

Mark off the deck area using string. The string will help you visualize the size and appearance of the finished deck and will also serve as a guide for excavation and post placement. But trust me, it will always look smaller this way than when it is done.

Construct an eye-catching cedar deck surrounded by a veneered stone wall that provides both privacy and seating. The article includes full plans and material list, along with complete how-to instructions.

Few home improvements can match a wood deck for usefulness, beauty and enhanced value to a home. For adults, decks offer outdoor living space for entertaining, sun bathing and dining. For children, they provide an excellent outdoor play area.

If you match the siding and roofing to the existing house, the add-on will look like part of the original design.

This see-through deck railing offers a clear view of your yard.

This wooden privacy screen works as a fence-like barrier between your patio or deck and your neighbors.

My mom wanted a patio. She wanted a nice, shady place beside her house to relax, read, sip lemonade and host the occasional barbecue. This meant Dad and I had a new project on our hands.

Here is the correct method of attaching a new deck to a house.

Anatomy of a deck and how to make a timber deck, materials etc.

Building a home deck, including site plan, trial layout, lumber, diagrams, instructions. ...

This is a step-by-step account of a deck, seat and pergola complex building project. It covers all aspects of construction, time frame, unforeseen problems (if any), owners and builders comments and more.

A kwila deck, handrail and steps that requires a permit. All the details including the working plans, cost etc.

If you are considering building a freestanding deck in your backyard, here is how you go about it.

Cracked slab? No patio at all? The cure is easy; Cover the area with pre-built deck squares. You just drop the squares into position and nail them in place.

Take your pick of two easy-to-build decks that add safety, storage, and seating to the above-ground pool.

An unbroken expanse of flat deck can be bland and boring. Here is an idea to enliven a deck area with multiple levels, stepping up to a spa.

Doris deck offers a breathtaking view of the Santa Monica Bay. There is just one drawback. It can get very windy up here. Doris asked Ron to help her build a windbreak.

Decks add an outdoor room to the house and ties together the houses staggered elements and levels out an uneven yard that is unusable.

So you want to build a deck but your yard is sloped. Here is what you do.

An unbroken expanse of flat deck can be bland and boring. Here is an idea to enliven a deck area with multiple levels, stepping down to the pool area.

While they could have opted to replace the old redwood with new wood, doing this would only mean restarting the annual maintenance regimen. Rather than continuing to surrender one weekend per year, the Petersons chose ChoiceDek, a wood composite material made by Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies.

Build a free standing deck anywhere in your yrd by following these step-by-step instructions.

Mark Clement says, I am a big fan of anything that saves me time and increases quality. The first backyard decks and front porches I laid out were the standard affair of strings pulled from the foundation, tied to stakes, and criss-crossed all over the place so I could locate and dig post holes before setting them and framing the deck on top. Now I do it reverse order. I make more money and have much more dependable control points for framing.

Decks are a great way to add defined space to an otherwise-empty yard â and you can entertain in high style. Here is the building plan.

It is the ultimate do-it-yourself job because building a 12 ft X 12 ft one-level deck or patio can be achieved in one weekend by just following a simple set of instructions.

...One answer is a sunroof over your patio or deck. If designed properly, a sunroof can cut the summer sun, but still allow winter sun rays to warm the house. The sunroof shown is a typical do-it-yourself project, placed over a wood deck, although sunroofs can also be constructed over patios as well.

You can build this sturdy bench (or a couple benches) in an afternoon. It makes a good edge bench to define the ends of a low deck, or a bench that you can use near a pool is edge or even against a railing. Its clean simple lines would make it fit in with most any decor.