I’m often amazed by the number of homeowners who overlook adding a staircase to their elevated decks. A well-designed, well-built staircase adds to a deck’s aesthetics and says to guests, “welcome to our home.” Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to deck stairs.
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Railing on railings
With all the attention to deck accessories, lighting, and sound, it’s easy to overlook one of the most essential components of a deck – it’s railing. In most jurisdictions, you’re required to have a railing if your deck is 30 inches or higher off the ground. But a railing is far more than just a safety feature
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The right privacy for your deck
Everyone knows what a deck is. Most people are familiar with structures to cover a deck whether they are awnings, pagodas, or roofs. What may be less well known is that many homeowners add walls to their decks, and no, we’re not talking about screened-in porches. These are wall without roofs that primarily provide additional privacy for those on the deck. Here are some the options homeowners have with deck walls.
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Low-voltage vs. solar lighting
In our last post we talked about adding lights to your decking project. These days, homeowners have several options when it comes to outdoor lighting. Among the most popular choices are solar and low-voltage lighting. These eco-friendly options can save homeowners money on their electric bills. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but for your deck low-voltage lighting might be the best way to go.
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Accessorize your deck
From outdoor kitchens, to hot tubs, to pagodas, homeowners make a lot extravagant additions to their decks that make them more useful and appealing. However, don’t overlook more basic items that make your decks more comfortable. Here are some of them.
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Deck design 101
I’m constantly amazed by people who spend so much time on the design of their home interiors, then give short shrift to planning their decks. If you’re going to add a deck, it means you want more living space to enjoy and hopefully, increase the value of your home. Don’t waste your money on a deck you won’t be happy with. Deck space should be designed like any other room in your home to provide you with functionality, easy traffic flow, and a complimentary look to your home.
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More positive feedback for MAD Fence
We recently received a very nice letter from one of our customers and wanted to pass on some of what was said. This customer had an existing deck we removed and replaced with a low-maintenance deck. We helped not only with the building of the deck but also with designing it. Here’s what the customer had to say:
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Enhance your deck dining experience
Dining al fresco on your deck is one of the great joys of summer. You can enjoy the great food and drink while taking in the scenery around your yard. If you’d like to enhance your experience, here are some things to consider:
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What “wood” you choose?
In last week’s blog, we made a passing reference to the differences in the varieties of wood used for fencing. This week we’d like to go into this topic a little further.
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More than a match for your fence
We recently encountered an out-of-the-ordinary project. We were called in to install a fence as usual, but the homeowner already had a fence around part of the yard. Our mission, if we chose to accept it, was to install a new fence the matched the existing one. Of course we accepted the mission and rose to the challenge.