Decks, Patios and Porches

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Learn basic deck construction with this easy design.

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.

This is an ideal method of how to lay decking boards straight and is most suitable for extra long decks. It involves pinging a chalkline where every third decking board is to go, giving a perfectly straight line of where to fix that decking board to.

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

Build your new deck around an existing tree. Here is how...

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

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.

This Old House general contractor Tom Silva is method for constructing a handsome on-grade deck. Article by Scott Gibson.

Decks are some of the most popular homeowner projects. They can be a small extension off a family room, bedroom or dining area; or they can be a spacious outdoor room large enough for a party. Decks can be single level or multi-level; they can be some of the simplest first projects for a beginner, or elaborate examples of sophisticated craftsmanship.

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.

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

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

This plan contains an attractive deck design that two handy persons with intermediate building skills can construct in a weekend. Build it with versatile pressure-treated Southern Pine lumber and your new deck will provide many years of outdoor living enjoyment. Scroll down the page and click on the download link.

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.

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.

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.

Decks can work wonders in many different ways...contemporary in style, yet simple and natural. They blend home and landscape with broad, inviting vistas creating a feeling of freedom and expansiveness and offer an oasis of comfort in the open air. Sometimes the best room of the house is outside on the wood deck. Scroll down the page and click on the download link.

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

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.

Build a two-level deck on the back of your home. It will increase the value of your home.

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

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.