Build your own deck

There are many reasons to build a new deck for your home. A new deck can provide a fun and functional outdoor living space that is great for family dinners, parties or just relaxing and reading a book in the sun. A well-made deck can also be a smart investment that can dramatically increase the value of your home. For some do-it-yourself builders, this can be a fun and challenging project to undertake. We figure why pay a lot of money for a contractor when you can have the satisfaction of building something with your own hands. This is a quick step-by-step guide about how to go about building your own deck.

Plan ahead

The first thing to do after deciding to build your own deck is to figure out where your deck will go and how big it will be. Some of this will depend on a budget you give yourself. With your budget in mind, find how big your deck can be based on the quality of materials you intend to use. In general you should budget about $5/square foot for wood and $8/square foot of composite material.

Design your deck

One you have your budget, location and size of deck you need to create plans for your deck before you build. There are many websites that provide cheap and free high quality deck plans made by real professionals. These can be a good place to start if you intend to draw up your own plans. If you are not very experienced in deck planning, it is recommended to use one of the pre-set plans and follow it exactly.

Build a practice deck

In order to hone your skills and ensure that you know what you are doing it is highly recommended that you build a small test deck. On average we suggest a 3 foot by 2 foot tester. It should be able to take your weight as well as the weight of at least two other people. It can take up to 3 tries to make sure that it is error free. This is not a frivolous exercise, but you are ensuring that your deck will be safe.

Set the foundation and build your deck

It is highly recommended that you build your new deck with a friend or two. It will make a more effective, safe and fun process for you to undertake. Building a deck is hard work, you should be prepared for several hours of repetitive and tiring tasks before your deck is done.