Tips to Help You Add a Deck to Your Home

Are you in the process of planning the addition of a deck to your home? If so, you have lots of decisions to make. Here, you'll find some help making those tough decisions throughout this project.

Hire a Deck Contractor

Many homeowners make the mistake of attempting to construct a deck without the help of a professional. You've probably seen the news stories about decks that collapse – this occurs when the decks aren't built properly, or when there are too many people on the deck.

When you hire a professional deck contractor to design and build the deck, you know that the supports will be where they need to be to ensure that the deck is safe for you and your family to use. This is not something that you want to simply throw together – too many people's lives and safety rely on it being built the right way.

Get Required Permits

In some localities, permits are required to add a deck onto an existing home. Before you get too far ahead of yourself, contact the local building regulator to find out if you'll be required to purchase a permit and what it will take to get it. In most cases, you'll have to pay a small fee for the permit, but in other areas, you'll also have to submit an application, pay the fee, and allow for pre-construction inspections, as well as inspections of the completed project.

Many times, deck contractors know the laws regarding permits for the areas where they work. You can discuss the permit issues with the contractor and see what he or she has to say about your location.

Material Selection

Will you be choosing traditional decking wood to build the deck, or would you prefer something that requires less work? Composite decking can look just like wood, but it doesn't come with the need to clean and treat the deck each year. Another issue you won't have to worry about is wood rot and bug infestations.

Before you decide on any building material for your deck, talk with the deck contractor. He or she has enough experience working with these materials to provide you a list of pros and cons for both options.

A deck can provide you the added space that you need to live comfortably. Hopefully, you'll have just what you want when the project is complete. Start your project today by contacting services such as Affordable Services Inc.