On Deck

Wood Decking: Holding it's Value During the Great Recession

Financial experts in the past were quick to point out the favorable aspects of home improvement projects to the value of the home. That is, by adding a project to your home, you could recoop a large percentage back when going to sell, etc. But in this recession, those estimates have changed. I found a recent article on the subject which quotes Remodeling Magazine. Here's the link:

http://www.housingwatch.com/2009/12/31/think-twice-before-you-start-that-home-improvement-project

A couple of interesting distinctions I discovered were:

- Wood decks continue to hold a very significant portion towards the value of the home, and,

- Wood decks held 10% more value than composite decks

It's something your friendly decking contractor (me) has been preaching for years! :-)

The Right Fasteners for Cedar Decking

 Cedar is an excellent decking building material. It's regarded as a premium type material...which is why it's somewhat fascinating to discover other contractors working with it using the wrong fasteners. There are three good fastener options for cedar decking in my opinion:

1) Hot-dipped galvanized (Maze) nail- most common and least expensive. Make sure (read the box) that the layer of galvanition is correct for cedar.
2) Collated stainless steel deck screw- I really recommend the one made by Pam screws. There are several different types of collated screws but I recommend the one that's designed for IPE. This screw is 2 ½” # 10 and has a self drilling point to start the screw easily and without any splitting while penetrating the decking. Also, on the bottom side of the screw heads there are small cutter knifes which countersink the head of the screw. It gives a nice, clean look and prevents splinting or splintering.
3) Hidden fastener- Cedar is a very stable material. As such, you can take a slightly more cosmetic approach and go with hidden fasteners. In particular, I like the hidden fasteners put out by Deck Master System. It too gives a nice, clean look. You'll have to mind your pocketbook though with this option as it tends to be about $3/square foot more (as well as taking longer to install).

So determine the right fastener for you and have fun with your cedar!

Choosing the Right Contractor

Choosing the right contractor begins with a search. I recommend first asking family and friends. This has always been the way I initially went about it and I believe it's a natural response...you want to find someone who has done a good job for another. Family and friends tend to give an honest opinion and you could be helping them receive a referral fee at the same time. Outside of that, I'd recommend going to your homeowner's association or local organization to see if they have a preferred contractor’s book. If you don't have a homeowner's association (or similar), then try a local building supply house.

Now that you have a lead or two, the next step is to schedule some appointments to see which contractor you feel will best serve your needs and wants. Remember this is a partnership for years to come, so I advise you to take your time. These are basic, but very important things that you need to cover when meeting with them:

• Do they have a state contractor’s license?
• Do they carry General Liability Insurance, is it up to date? Is the policy enough to cover your house in case of an accident? Make sure that you get an update proof of insurance from their insurance company before you start your project.
• Do they carry Workers Compensation on all their employees and their self? Make sure that you get an updated copy of Workers compensation.
• Some projects (larger) should to be bonded. Are they adequately bonded?
• What are their warranties?
• Will they give you a lien waiver?

These are very important items you need from whichever contractor you choose. Sometimes these basic steps are left out and end up costing a homeowner dearly. So take your time and make sure you cover these basic points. You will be turning to your contractor for guidance and his experience in many decisions throughout your building process, so choose one that you trust and feel comfortable with.

Deck Lighting - A Few Important Thoughts

Interested in lighting up the deck? There are some really nice, inexpensive options available now...but you should have your ducks in a row before you venture out too far. The first is the determination of whether you'd like to install the lighting yourself or whether you need an electrician. Unless you have this kind of background and the project is more than rudimentary, I would suggest that you find a licensed electrician. Either way, you'll need to check with your local building permit office to let them know what you're planning to do.

In terms of finding a electrician, one might think that any would do. Not so. Surprisingly, a low voltage lighting project (probably what you'd be looking for) requires a low voltage licensed electrician. What you'll discover is that only about 5% of electricians out there have low voltage licenses. You'll need to do a little sleuthing for a good low-voltage electrician (suggestion: we use HighPoint Deck Lighting for most of our work. They do a great job and are very personable with clients. Website is www.hpdlighting.com).

In terms of what you'll need for your project, I recommend that you plan it all out ahead of time. Otherwise it may become confusing. For instance, some deck lighting provides a nice subtle feel while others give a bright glaring look. Further, some lights are made of plastic and some are built out of a high grade metal. Because of all the options available, planning is really a must.

The Times They Are A-Changin'

The decking world is no different than other trades in terms of changes that have taken place. Like with cars that have seen changes from station wagons to SUVs back to economy vehicles, so too has the decking industry gone through changes.

When I first started building decks back in 1987, it was fashionable to have a simple, square deck. Back then, if you had a deck with with angles on the outside corners you were considered pretty unique. By the time the early and mid 90’s rolled around, the hot items were arbors, planters and benches. Homeowners had gotten tired of the simple look and were looking for add-ons to accentuate the experience. Of these three, I'd say that arbors are the most used today. I can't tell you how many times I notice empty planter boxes now. While I think benches were a good idea, people just don't tend to use them as much as I think they expected...I really only see their use today at big parties, and the big parties have subsided to a large degree (if they were ever held at all).  Arbors have continued to do their part in protecting homeowners from the sun, which is why I continue to build them. I don't see their usefulness fading in this generally hot, sunny Georgia environment. The only time I'll build a planter or bench today is on a very large project where there needs to be some balancing out.

One new decking development over the last five years has been deck lighting. I generally recommend and install lighting as part of any project today.  Deck lighting serves several purposes...most notably ambiance and practicality.  When using the deck at night, low voltage lighting puts out a soft light which provides a cascade of warm ambiance. Lighting also serves as a basic safety measure especially when the homeowner has no lights in the back area of the house. While some things come and go, I think deck lighting is here to stay.

I Hate Composite More than My Ex-wife!

If you've spent any time on my website, then you've probably gathered that I pretty much hate composite (strongly dislike!) as a building material. In spite of all my appeals though, every so often someone will approach me and be determined to have a deck built using composite. They will strongly insist and I eventually give in. I'm working on one such project now.

They are nice enough people, but they wanted us to use composite for the inside of their screened porch. The idea would really have been an unattractive clash between the natural exterior and the artificial material....not good. I encouraged them to use natural lumber inside and they agreed. 

We did, however, move forward with composite for the outside deck surface (again at customer's wishes). But it frankly has been a headache from the beginning. First, this particular brand (one of the most well known) doesn't sell fasteners along with the material.  So we had to search for a couple of days to find screws that came close to matching. Second, there were no instructions with the material on how to install it  (no, it's never as easy as just laying and fastening...there are always lots of necessary details). We found information on the internet...but of course they weren't clear.

Once we got started, we quickly discovered that deck screws on this material mushroom up when fastening. So we determined that we had to pre-drill and countersink each hole first...lots of fun. And none of this even covers the high prices that come along with composite material! I think I average about one composite deck a year now. If I had my preference (both for the homeowners sake and mine), I would never build another one!

Tailor Decks on Kudzu!

Just like Kudzu around Atlanta, our name continues to spread!  Are you familiar with Kudzu.com?  It's a website that allows visitor's to critique (or applaud) vendors around town.  That is, you can go in and find your favorite restaurant and let people know your opinion of them.  That way, when others are looking for a good restaurant and see your positive review, they'll be more likely to give it a try.  We recently had a video built (to the left) for the site that explains what we do.

For those of you who are reading this post and have a positive review of Tailor Decks, we would really appreciate it if you would take a couple of minutes to give us a recommendation there.  It will let others know that we build good decks.  Here's the link to that.  It will require you to register with them.  Then after that, you'll be able to add a review of anyone you want!

Another Great Testimonial

We've been blessed with a great group of clients over the years. While we've spread out a number of testimonials on our website, we just received this one from a client we did work for this summer, specifically Becky Wolf. Thanks, Becky!

"You built our two-level deck in June and I just want to let you know that we love everything about it! You guys did such a great job – and in fact, two friends involved in the construction business separately marveled at what nice work it was. And as my sister observed to me, it’s changed our lives – added so much living space and social time. Thanks again, just thought you should know that."

Thomas-Black Project: Final Pics #2

And here are some more-

Thomas-Black Project: Final Pics #1

Here are a few pics of the final. You can also view these by going to the Gallery and the Extended Gallery sections of our website- Atlanta deck