First, decide how you plan to use the space in your back yard.  Do you need privacy for your pool?  Do you want a fence to keep pets and children safe in your yard?  Do you want a fence to provide a physical boundary between your yard and your neighbor’s yard? Or do you want a fence for decoration?  All of these situations require different types of fencing.

For pool privacy, a stockade or privacy fence is ideal for keeping out nearly any unwanted visitor or spying onlookers.  Ranging in height from six to eight feet tall, a privacy fence comes in sections that are installed onto a series of posts anchored into the ground in cement-filled holes.  Consider a narrow picket fence with two inch spacing for containing small dogs and children.  Available in both six and eight feet wide sections, Plasti-tek offers 36”, 42”, 48” and 60” heights.  To provide a physical boundary between your yard and your neighbor’s yard, a scalloped picket fence defines property lines while enhancing the look of your backyard.  Plasti-Tek’s lines of picket fencing come in six and eight feet wide sections and 42”, 48” and 60” heights, with 3 inch spacing between pickets.

Second, you should consider your home’s appearance and architectural style when you select fencing.  If you live in a cottage or bungalow-style home and want to fence in your front yard, a picket fence will complement your home better than a split fence or wrought-iron fence.  A rail fence or split fence best complements a ranch-style home in the country.  As a general rule, lighter, more attractive fencing is better for front yards while privacy fencing works better in back yards where privacy is more of a concern than looks.

Third, consider the materials you want for your fencing.  Vinyl fencing is fast becoming a popular choice among homeowners because of its affordability, low maintenance and wide variety of colors and styles.  From Vintage and Victorian style spindles and balusters to contemporary square pickets in the Shasta, Sonoma and Dallas vinyl fencing lines, vinyl fencing has the look of traditional wood and wrought-iron products.

Before installing your fence, be sure to check with local city or county offices for ordinances concerning fencing materials, height and construction.  Ask about any required permits too.

When selecting a fence, you should know how you plan to use the space in your yard.  Fencing for your front or back yard should mirror your home’s architecture, creating a unified look.  Vinyl fencing has the same appearance as traditional wood and wrought-iron products and comes in a variety of styles and colors, is affordable and low maintenance.

Next, consider your patio’s purpose and its proximity to your house.  Will you use your patio for BBQs, relaxation, parties?  Is there a walkway that leads from your house to the yard?  Will you use a table for outdoor dining?  Defining your patio’s space is essential.  One area you may designate as a cooking area, while another for guests to sit and relax.

Complying with Feng Shui principles, each patio chair should provide a pleasant view.  Landscaping certainly helps, but you should also try to arrange seating in a way that your guests won’t be greeted by someone’s back when they arrive.  Semi-circular arrangements are ideal as everyone faces the walkway to the patio and any guests as they arrive, making everyone feel more welcome and open to conversation.  For this reason, stairways and walkways should also be clear and well lit.

Buy as many chairs as you can afford for unexpected guests.  Chairs often fill up faster than you think.  Make sure your table doesn’t block foot traffic.  If your backyard overlooks hills or mountains, an elevated table is best while homes on hillsides or overlooking a canyon should be low, working as a visual bridge between your home and the landscape.  Patio tables are crafted from a variety of materials like teak wood, oak, cedar and plastic.  But many homeowners are purchasing plastic outdoor tables and chairs for their low maintenance and longevity.  Weatherproof and sturdy, plastic outdoor furniture is much more resilient against the elements than traditional wood products.

A patio’s potted plants should be healthy.  Remove dead or faded flowers regularly.  You should avoid hanging any plants over a guest’s head or near it as they may subconsciously worry it will fall on them.  Shrubs that surround a patio should be viewed as undecorated walls with tall, potted flowering plants in front of your shrubs adding depth.

If your patio will host many parties throughout the season, speakers that look like natural rocks are ideal for outdoor settings.  After all, what is life without music?

Your patio’s location is important.  If your patio is at the back left corner of your home, it’s Feng Shui theme is money and should be decorated with mardi gras colors – greens and purples.  Avoid placing trashcans in that area as it symbolizes wasting your money.  You should conceal your trashcans with a shed or concealed storage area.  Placing your BBQ pit here symbolizes burning your money.  Place healthy plants here instead to reflect luxury and comfort.  If your patio is on the back right hand side of your house, its Feng Shui theme is romance.  Chairs and plants should be arranged in pairs and decorated with red, pink or white.  If your patio is in the back center of your house, its Feng Shui theme is fame.  Use reds and oranges for pillows, cushions and flowers, anything that symbolizes light and fire.

Applying Feng Shui principles to your patio can add a sense of space and elegance.  Healthy plants, sturdy, weatherproof plastic outdoor furniture, good lighting, outdoor speakers and color scheme are all ways to add pizzazz to anyone’s plain patio.

If your deck is located in a heavily-shaded area, consider trimming tree branches.  This will provide more sun exposure and less moisture from overhanging branches.  Planning is the key to any project of this magnitude and that’s why it’s a good idea to have a dumpster delivered ahead of time.  Keeping your yard free of nail-infested boards is safer for everyone, especially small children and pets.  If you are using alternative materials, like composite decking or vinyl, always follow the manufacturer’s recommended installation procedures for the product you buy and check with your local municipality for building codes. 

Start your project with a good pressure cleaning of your deck.  By removing the dirt and grime, you are better able to assess necessary repairs.  Mix one quart household bleach, 1/3 cup powdered laundry detergent and three quarts warm water to remove dirt, mildew and weathered wood.  Use a stiff bristle brush to clean the deck, rinsing with the power washer.  Adjust the power washer to fan out so that it doesn’t penetrate the wood.  Go along the grain and into the grooves.  To remove tree sap, you can use white wall tire cleaner and a scraper.  Apply the cleaner to the area, letting it set for a few minutes before scraping the sap away.  Wood needs twenty-four hours to dry.  Once dry, you can identify decking boards that are spongy or completely rotted out.

Extract the screws or nails from the boards that need replacing.  Use a crow bar or flat bar to pry stubborn boards loose.  In some cases, boards can be re-used by flipping them over. If you are replacing all the decking boards, start at the outside board and work your way toward the house.  Otherwise, you’ll run out of places to stand!

With the rotted boards removed, you may notice rot on the joist below.  Chisel away the rot and spray sealer on the support joist.  Allow this to dry before applying a second coat.  For further structural support, run sister joists alongside the old ones.

When you are ready to place the new boards, consider vinyl decking for its easy installation and low maintenance.  But if you are using wood, make sure you buy decking boards of matching lumber long enough to span the width of your deck. You can give your new decking boards a weathered look by scrubbing them with a mixture of one gallon water and one cup baking soda.  When you have achieved the look you want, rinse with water and dry before sealing and staining to match the others.  Cut the new decking boards to size and pre-drill the ends of the boards to prevent the wood from splitting.  Install boards 1/8 inch apart to provide enough space for drainage.  The last thing you want is water aging your deck prematurely.  Because boards naturally “cup” as they age, it is best to place boards bark side down, preventing the cupped surface from holding standing water.  Re-install your old boards with galvanized screws in the old nail holes.

Whether using wood, composite or vinyl decking, you’ll appreciate your deck much more knowing you’ve maintained it properly.  Let the hammering begin.

Structural Integrity

Tighten any loose fasteners, and pound in any nails that have popped up.  Replace corroded or rusted fasteners.  Decking and stairs should appear even without sagging, neither swaying nor moving when tested.  Railings, banisters and handrails should be firmly held in place.  You can test these by pushing on them, ensuring there is no give.  To prevent small children and pets from squeezing through, keep rails no more than four inches apart (measured from the inside of the rails).  Building codes recommend railings that are 36 to 42 inches in height.  Make sure that risers and stringers on stairs are securely attached and not decayed.

Maximize Lighting

Be sure all lighting works.  Clean light covers to maximize lighting and trim any plants or tree limbs that block your lights.

Remove any planters, patio furniture and grills

Move these into your garage, shed or beneath your deck if possible.  Moisture can pool under planters that are left on your deck through the winter.  This not only leads to mold and mildew growth, but unsightly stains on the decking material.

Clean your deck

A clean deck allows more air circulation between boards, making your deck more resilient against rain and snow.  Start by sweeping away leaves, dirt and debris since their decomposition damages decking material.  Wash your deck with a hose and scrub-broom, freeing decay matter from deck fibers.  Avoid power washing which may damage your deck and void the warranty.  Remove food stains and other spills with warm, soapy water and a stiff-bristle brush.  Use oxalic acid for tannin stains left by leaves and organic debris but be sure to check with your deck manufacturer first.

Eliminate Mold and Mildew

Mold and mildew attack the wood and plastic in composite decks, making it the biggest threat to composite decking’s appearance.  While many homeowners’ successfully combat mold and mildew with sodium hypochlorite, you should check your deck manufacturer’s recommendations first.

Improve Drainage

Standing water encourages mold and attracts mosquitoes, flies and gnats.  A good drainage system underneath your deck includes splash guards and downspouts that direct water to another area of your yard. If you notice areas on or around your deck where water is allowed to collect, add or replace flashing.

To cover or not to cover, that is the question

A durable plastic tarp or insulation will protect your deck from winter’s harsh elements.  But with a cold roof, you’ll need to ensure plenty of ventilation beneath the tarp.  Airflow is needed to evaporate the rising damp air condensing on the underside of the plastic.  Plastic tarps are not only ugly; they’re prohibited in many subdivisions and not watertight anyway.  Water can still pool on it, leading to mold and mildew.  For this reason, we recommend not covering your deck and removing snow from it instead.

Be careful when removing snow

While composite decking is tough, hard rakes, shovels and hoes can damage composite material, leaving dents and scratches on your new deck.  It’s best to clear snow with a broom or plastic shovel, running the shovel across decking boards lengthwise.

Guard your deck from the grill

A guard mat underneath your grill will protect your deck from scrapes and scratches and prevent burns and stains from hot coals and grease.

With a little bit of effort, you can keep your deck safe this winter, prevent permanent damage and avoid many maintenance issues next spring.

Deck Drops by kevinmarsh, on Flickr

For decades, construction litigation experts have testified both against and in defense of architects who have designed decks without slope, arguing whether or not a deck is a “roof.”  California Building Standards Code states that “Balconies, landings, exterior stairways, occupied roofs and similar surfaces exposed to the weather and sealed underneath shall be waterproofed and sloped a minimum of 1/4 unit vertical in 12 units horizontal (2% slope) for drainage.”  In other words, a one inch drop in slope per four feet of travel is standard (1/4” per foot fall).  Water sheets, flows from a horizontal surface, at no less than a 1% slope or 1/8 unit vertical in 12 units horizontal.  Therefore, slopes between 1% and 2% are acceptable.  Wood products will warp and cup, so the closer you can come to the 2% slope, the better.  This is one reason why vinyl, composite and plastic lumber is a popular choice among regular deck users as these materials are resistant to cracking and warping.  Whether you use these materials or traditional wood, building code compliance is imperative.

Immediate repair of loose concrete foots, splintered and cracked support posts and sagging boards is critical.  Sagging or splitting deck boards can trip visitors or collapse under their weight.  We’ve listed some methods that provide a permanent fix and others that will suffice temporarily until you can make more thorough repairs.

• Use Strong Fasteners.  If your deck is leaning or pulling away from your home, the safest and fastest way to shore it up is with appropriately sized bolts.  Decks attached to home exteriors with nails, despite length, ultimately pull away, increasing the risk of collapse.  Hammer in any pulled away nails and add new bolts around the original fasteners.  Reinforce joists and support posts that have begun to detach with bolts as well.
• Concrete Footings.  When concrete footings are cracked and damaged, a deck’s support posts can shift and lead to leaning or sagging.  Damaged concrete footers should be removed and replaced.  Pouring more concrete on top of a bad footer is not the answer as the cracks will quickly spread to the new material.  In this case, jacking up the deck is necessary so that you can break up the old concrete with a sledge hammer before pouring fresh concrete.
• Combat Shifting and Sagging.  Your deck may be shifting and sagging because its foundation is supported with blocks that sit on the ground rather than posts and poured concrete.  You can repair stable and intact decks with shims.  Use a house jack to lift the shifting and sagging deck areas before installing weight bearing plastic lumber or pressure-treated wood boards between the deck and foundation blocks.  In some cases, jacking the posts off the piers and cutting one and one-half inches off the bottom of the posts will solve the problem immediately.
• Joists.  Rotted and splintered deck joists can cause persons serious injury and in some cases death if a section drops out beneath them.  Only shore up a damaged joist if rot is limited and surrounding joists are in good condition.  Use 2x4s to support the joist, installing lumber splints on both sides of the joist’s rotted or cracked section to secure it, using the same lumber for the splint used for the original joist.

By following these guidelines and local building codes, you’ll safely enjoy your plastic deck this season and for years to come.

• Have a dumpster delivered ahead of time to dispose of nails, screws and rotted boards.
• Extract the screws or nails from decking boards.  Use a crow bar or flat bar to pry difficult boards loose, removing the outside decking board first and working your way toward the house. No sense running out of places to stand!  Loosen any posts that need replacing with a sledgehammer.
• To insure your deck’s structural integrity, inspect your deck’s frame and joists for any weakness, damage or missing connectors, especially at the ledger board.  Make sure the ledger joist is securely connected to the rim joist of the house.  If you are unsure, contact your local professional.
• If your deck is secure, you’re ready to tackle the deck posts.  While some building codes specify attaching posts five feet apart, you should attach posts no more than 6 fix apart on center.  To determine where to place your posts, first place your corner posts.  Then measure the distance between the corner posts and divide by the distance allowed between posts, rounding up to the nearest whole number and then subtract one.  For example, if the distance between your corner posts is fifteen feet and building codes require five feet spacing, divide fifteen by five.  Then subtract one from three and you determine that you need two posts between your corner posts.
• Whether you are using recycled plastic lumber, vinyl or composite materials, you can use standard carpenter tools for installation. Replacing your deck floor with vinyl, composite or plastic lumber will give your deck a uniform appearance.  Resistant to fading, cracking, and warping, recycled plastic lumber, vinyl and composite materials look very similar to traditional, regular wood products and don’t attract wood bees, wood roaches or termites.  Another reason why vinyl and composite decking is fast becoming a popular choice among those who regularly use their decks.  Plasti-Tek’s Gorilla, Vinyl and Genvovations decking are installed like traditional wood, have non-skid wood grain finishes and are watertight with several color selections.  These products are competitively priced with pine and redwood and maintenance costs are less since painting and sealing aren’t required.  Most warranties are for 10-20 years, varying among manufacturers.
• Lay the first decking boards outside along the rim joist and cut with a jig saw to fit around the posts.  Attach with galvanized screws one inch from the edges and half an inch from the ends.  Drive two screws at each joist.  Lay the next decking board against the first, leaving a quarter inch gap for drainage.
• With uniform decking now in place, make your ordinary deck dazzling with deck railings and balusters.   Required for safety, deck railings can be both functional and architecturally pleasing.  Molded vinyl covers conceal aluminum brackets so you never have to worry about rust and corrosion.  Railing styles are manufactured in a variety of traditional and modern styles.
• Balusters make mundane deck railings spectacular and the possibilities are endless.  An often overlooked design element, aluminum and glass balusters come in classic, colonial, architectural, estate, traditional and scenic styles.

A crowded deck isn’t comfortable for anyone.  Before purchasing furniture it’s a good idea to measure your deck.  Consider how you plan to use your deck and how many people you might have using it.  You can use graph paper, or a computer design software program if you’re more technologically savvy, to draw a diagram to scale of your Gorilla Deck and then cut out scaled pieces representing the furniture.  It’s a lot easier to experiment with furniture placement on paper or a computer than it is to physically move it around your deck.

When deciding how much furniture to buy, you should at least provide a place to sit for everyone living in your home.  Buy more seating based on the number of guests you usually entertain.  You won’t always host a graduation party so don’t go overboard by purchasing twenty chairs when you can always borrow folding chairs from friends or family for special events.

Furniture should be arranged with conversation areas in mind.  Tables are ideal because people can sit around one to face each other for conversation.  If you don’t have a plastic dining table, face your seats toward each other to facilitate conversation.  Side tables between chairs and settees rather than coffee tables are ideal for narrow spaces like porches or balconies.  A bistro set can make a smaller deck appear more spacious than using a picnic table which takes up more space.  If your deck has an area large enough to accommodate a larger table, make sure you place the table and chairs at least three feet away from railings, giving yourself enough walk space.

Breaking conversation areas into two or more seating areas creates a more intimate space.  Angle your seats toward a focal point that’s eye appealing like the woods, a flower garden, the pool, water feature or a fire pit.  No one wants to stare at your house’s siding all night, nor do they want to look directly into the sun.  Avoid west-facing furniture arrangements at all costs.  By the same token, if drinking coffee on your deck is your regular morning routine, you should avoid facing your furniture east.  Conversation tables that support shade umbrellas are ideal for decks in sunny locations.

As you arrange your furniture, make sure you provide paths for good traffic flow.  The last thing you want on your deck is a labyrinth of furniture that prevents easy access to your yard or other frequently used areas like the grill.  You should also arrange your furniture evenly on your deck, utilizing the whole area.  If you put all of your furniture on one side of the deck, crowding it all in one area, your deck will be off balance.

Finally, by including bar or pub tables you provide guests with vertical support to place beverages.  Candles will enhance nighttime atmosphere.  While plants provide a serene atmosphere, they should be non-blooming.  Remember that flowers will attract bees and no one wants any of them around!

When it comes to arranging furniture on your deck measuring its dimensions before you buy tables and chairs can make a big difference in your deck’s balance.  Good spacing, easy pathways, defined conversation areas that face eye appealing focal points are all ways to enhance your deck for more enjoyable gatherings that will create memories to last a lifetime.

Many homeowners are installing vinyl arbors as a way to define their gardens from their surrounding yards.  Dividing front and back yards can be achieved in a much more eye appealing way by placing shrubs or picket fence wings on either side of an arbor.  Garden arbors come in a variety of sizes and architectural styles.  An elegant white arbor with lattice sides and climbing roses can give your yard the look and feel of an English garden while vegetables coupled with a simple garden arch place you in the Tuscan countryside.

For homeowners who are more photosensitive, arbors with pergola roofs offer shade and sun glare reduction on hot summer days.  Used in pool areas, larger arbors with pergola tops allow visitors to lounge in the shade while others swim.  One of the best ways to highlight an arbor is through climbing flowers that provide both beauty and shade.  Sweet peas are traditional, old-fashion climbers with dainty pink and white blooms.  Another natural climber is yellow jasmine.  Known for attracting hummingbirds, yellow jasmine may have delicate flowers, but they’re easy to grow.  But the easiest climbing flower to care for is wisteria which thrives in full or partial sun and can grow over 30 feet tall.  If you prefer climbing roses, you must attach wire to your arbor as roses do not naturally cling like sweet peas, yellow jasmine and wisteria.

Highly sought after for garden weddings, arbors create the perfect backdrop for pictures.  Arbors are also easy to move which makes them an ideal wedding gift for a groom to give his bride or for parents of the bride to present to their daughter and new son in-law.  A garden arbor from your wedding is a beautiful way to preserve the memory of your special day while architecturally enhancing your back yard for years to come.  Unlike other wedding keepsakes, garden arbors don’t get placed in chests for safekeeping, filed away, broken or forgotten.

Vinyl arbors are fast becoming popular choices among homeowners and newlyweds because of their weather resistance and low maintenance.  Vinyl arbors won’t mold, rot, yellow, crack or fade.  Easy to install and reasonably priced, vinyl arbors are eco-friendly and can enhance your yard or garden with designs that range from simple arches to Italian inspired grand pergola arbors and everything in between.

While vinyl arbors are low maintenance, it’s a good idea to inspect them from time to time to keep them structurally sound and in good repair.  Arbors supporting plant growth should be cleaned periodically, especially since lattice patterns are popular nesting places for birds when an arbor has lots of growth.

Vinyl arbors give homeowners a way to lift their gardens off the ground, provide shade over walkways, or define the space in a back yard.  Whether to fill in a missing gate or create a useful gap in a hedge, arbors are a practical and elegant way to add charm and curb appeal to your home.

Much thought and deliberation went into the planning as recommendations by the National Center on Accessibility (NCA) were taken into consideration regarding the functional aspects of accessible picnic tables for its Legacy Park.  City administrators hoped to provide opportunities for a broader visitor base and were only able to achieve this through purchasing ADA compliant picnic tables installed on accessible sites.  Here are some of the NCA recommendations they considered:

1. Picnic tables should allow for more than one wheelchair.  When multiple people in wheelchairs can sit at the same table they aren’t denied the choice of where they would like to sit.  Several picnic tables should be placed in the shade since people with paraplegia are unable to control their body temperature as they cannot sweat.  If the only available spot for a wheelchair is in the sun, this person may become overheated.
2. While ADA compliant picnic tables reflect the minimum guidelines for an average size wheelchair, allowing for extra leg space and knee clearance will help to accommodate a wider range of people who use wheelchairs.
3. The surface around a picnic table should be firm and stable and properly maintained.  Larger surface areas require less frequent maintenance and won’t effect accessibility requirements.
4. Site maintenance is imperative when it comes to preserving accessibility.  Too often parks experience picnic table displacement because visitors move them to suit their needs, making them potentially inaccessible for future events.  Fixed tables are the solution to this problem.  An increased number of fixed accessible tables will prevent such displacement.
5. Keeping the range of needs of individuals in mind is crucial to providing a service.  Many visitors may be photosensitive due to certain medications or impairments.  The more accessible sites in the shade, the better.  The health risks associated with sitting in the sun affect everyone, whether they are in a wheelchair or not.  Accessible sites in the shade help to prevent the risk of overheating, sunburns, or other heat-related illnesses.
6. Nothing is more frustrating to a person in a wheelchair or mobile device than too few curb cuts.  Without curb cuts, people are forced to travel along the street which is both dangerous and inconvenient.  Frequent curb cuts allow a person in a wheelchair to enter the sidewalk from various locations and prevent extended travel.
7. Identify the location of accessible sites with signs and maps.  Brochures, maps, and signs should be placed at the entrance to the park in an accessible location to prevent long searches for such sites, and along paths used to travel to accessible sites.  Signs should be posted in a manner that leads visitors to the site.  For visiting families who hope to spend an enjoyable day outdoors, driving around in search of accessible sites can be quite frustrating.

Accessible sites that are firm and stable, well marked with signs and easily identified with maps and brochures is the difference between a broad base of visitors picnicking at your park or someone else’s.  When properly planned, accessible picnic sites can occur with minimal stress on your city’s budget or staff.

Determined by the materials used to build it, park benches come with or without backs and with or without arm rests.  Some benches have rounded smooth curves while others have straight lines and angles.  Metal park benches are classic and durable and bring back memories of bygone eras, while wooden park benches have a more natural and rustic look.

Park benches also vary in size with some able to accommodate a number of people and others, a loveseat style, that seat just two people.  Loveseat style park benches are fast becoming popular wedding and anniversary gifts because of their cozy, fun and unique appeal.  Today’s park benches can come with additional pieces like coordinating planter boxes or a table for sipping lemonade or putting up your feet.

Manufacturing make modern park benches weather resistant and able to last a long time.  Pine and teak woods are protected with long-wearing lacquers which also protect the wood from moisture and sun damage.  Powder-coat finishes applied to steel or iron pieces provide protection, a rust-resistant coating and a smooth, glossy finish.

However, many homeowners are installing park benches made from 100% recycled plastic.  Extremely durable and low maintenance because of their resistance to the weather, plastic park benches are a great addition to an outdoor area.  Some resemble simple wooden seating, while others resemble cast iron or traditional wood styles and are a great way to create a conversation area in your garden, along a walkway or beside your children’s swing set.

Smaller park benches are ideal for modest yards like those in urban areas where real estate is at a premium.  You can create the perfect place to relax and meditate by facing a single park bench across from a flowing water feature.  Surrounded by simple landscaping, this private spot can be the perfect escape from a stressful day at work.

Available in a variety of sizes and materials, park benches have inspired the likes of Walt Disney, Forrest Gump and even Albert Einstein.  Ideal for gardens, back yards of any size or walkways, a park bench is the perfect wedding or anniversary gift, can memorialize loved ones lost and provide a welcoming and restful retreat.