Transform Your Home With A New Deck

Weather does not get much better than summer in the Pacific Northwest. With blue skies, dry heat, and beautiful evenings, it’s a shame to not spend as much time outside as possible.

Do you have an outdoor living space you love? If not, it might be time to transform your home with a new deck. A great deck lets you have a place in your home where you can relax and unwind after a long day or soak up sun on the weekends.

In this post, we’ll go over how decks can transform your home into a summer hub of activity. We’ll also review different decking materials so you can make the right decision when purchasing a deck for your Portland or Vancouver home.

Advantages to outdoor living

Outdoor living is a great way to enjoy the outdoors while simultaneously adding usable square footage to your home. During the spring, summer, and fall months in the Portland area, the outdoors are one of the best places to be. Adding a deck with weatherproof outdoor furniture will let you spend time outdoors within the comfort of your home. Plus, you can maybe even see some of the wildlife our beautiful area is known for!

You can further the functionality of your deck by adding features such as…

• Gardening beds
• BBQ grill
• Picnic table
• Hot tub
• Outdoor stereo

Entertaining

Decks provide a great place to entertain family and friends for everything from a Fourth of July barbecue to a child’s birthday party. Not only is a deck an ideal place to celebrate on a beautiful day, but you won’t have to worry about damaged furniture or stains outside, so clean up will be simple.

It’s also a less claustrophobic space, with the open environment adding space and fresh air to your event.

Some great events to host with your new deck

• Birthday parties
• Family get-togethers
• Holiday celebrations
• Graduation party
• Weddings

Keeps your yard in good condition

Let’s face it, even without a deck, you’ll still want to spend time outside during the beautiful Pacific Northwest summers. If you don’t have a deck though, this will force you to spend extended time on your lawn, potentially ruining your landscaping.

When you place barbecues, chairs, or tables on your lawn, imprints can be made and the lawn can be torn up. The grass will eventually die underneath, leaving a patch of dead grass where your furniture is. Even once you remove the furniture, the grass will have a hard time growing back.

With a deck, you will have a home for these items where they will actually look good and not ruin other parts of your house.

Adds value to your home

A deck built by an experienced Portland decking contractor will add value to your home.

When you add a deck, you are adding square footage to your home. This adds living space that may be the difference to a homebuyer who needs more space to live comfortably. In particular, families may be drawn to the added space decks afford, as it provides a place for the family to spend together and a safe space for the kids to play outside within eyesight of the parents.

Different deck materials

When building a deck for your Vancouver or Portland home, you need to consider the material that’s right for you before moving forward. The main aspects of a deck material to consider before choosing include:

• Beauty: Make sure to choose a decking material that fits in with the aesthetics of your home
• Maintenance: Some deck materials are more difficult to take care of than others. Choose one you can keep up with.
• Cost: Consider not just the cost of the material, but also maintenance such as painting and treating over the course of the deck’s life

At Cutting Edge Contracting, we only use the best decking materials in the business when building decks in Vancouver and Portland.

Composite decking materials

Composite decking is a great option in the Pacific Northwest given the material’s ability to withstand harsh weather with minimal maintenance. This means it’s less susceptible to rot, mold, and other damage, leading to a longer lasting deck for your Vancouver home!

Composite decking is made from a blend of plastic and wood fibers. While initially it can be more expensive than some other options, it does not need to be painted or finished. Mixed with low maintenance requirements, this will eventually bring down the cost over the life of the deck.

Plus, they just look beautiful and offer a range of different colors, meaning you can find a deck material that will look great with any house.

Our favorite Vancouver composite decking options are….

AZEK decking

We love AZEK decking because it’s designed to last a lifetime! The folks at AZEK teamed up with scientists and designers to create a deck that last long and looks beautiful. It also holds up to even the harshest weather, with the ability to withstand both intense rain and brutal heat.

It also…

• Resists mold, mildew, & moisture damage
• Resists stains, scratches, & fading
• Does not require annual sealing & staining
• Can be installed quickly and easily

TREX decking

We are TREXPro® installers for a reason! We think TREX decking is a great option given their low-maintenance, high performance, and eco-friendly qualities.

TREX decks are:

• Made from 95% recycled materials
• Available in more than 12 rich, deep colors with a natural wood-grain look
• Protected from the elements with a strong protective shell
• Stain, termite rot, and weather resistant
• Easily cleaned with just soap and water– no pressure washers needed!
• Low-maintenance and easy to work with
• Backed by a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty

IPE hardwood decks

IPE hardwood is our hardwood decking material of choice. While some hardwood options can rot eas and requires near constant maintenance, IPE decking uses its natural properties and dense grain to resist moisture and and fight off mold as good as composite or PVC material.

This Central and South American wood is 100% hardwood, is a beautiful red and amber color, and is responsibly grown and harvested.

Ready to transform your Pacific Northwest home with a deck?

At Cutting Edge Contracting, we only use the best decking materials to help homeowners expand their living space into the outdoors. Our decking contractors have over 20 years experience building decks in the Vancouver and Portland areas. We focus on building decks that are beautiful and that require minimal maintenance from you so you can spend your time enjoying your deck – not cleaning it.

Questions about the decking material and style right for your home? Contact us online or give us a call at (360) 433-2803 for a free quote.