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Decks

Decks and patios are coveted spaces in many American homes, providing a comfortable middle ground between indoors and outdoors. Add a roof and you have a porch that can be enjoyed even when it’s raining.

Decks are a blank canvas. Given the same amount of square footage, the choice of materials, how the decking is installed, and details like railings and stairs can produce startlingly different results. Professional deck installers know how to manipulate these elements to produce the effects homeowners are looking for. For ambitious do-it-yourselfers, it may be a process of trial and error — or doing a lot of looking and reading.

Because decks typically take a beating in the weather, and because decks often accommodate a crowd, getting the construction details right is essential to both durability and safety. This includes making accurate load calculations, choosing appropriately sized lumber and fasteners, and following established building practices to put it all together. Patios have their own challenges: what goes under the surface is just as important as the concrete or stone pavers you choose. Pergolas, gazebos, outdoor lighting, fire pits, hot tubs, and other enhancements are ways of turning basic decks or patios into more polished, and useful, spaces.

Where do great ideas for these spaces come from? Firing up Instagram or flipping through coffee table books is a great place to start. Turning those flights of fancy into a dependably built reality is where Fine Homebuilding comes in.

  • Fast, Accurate Cuts Around Posts

    A post-sized hole in a scrap deck board serves as a template for installing diagonal decking.

  • Energy Efficient on Multiple Levels

    This contemporary home is built on the foundation of a razed house and is characterized by exposed steel framing.

  • How to Avoid Sloped Stringers on Deck Stairs

    Lumber shrinks, so adjust your stair-stringer layout to allow for the wood to shrink along its width.

  • Splicing Deck Joists Over a Beam

    When joining deck joists over a center beam, overlapping them is the simplest, but butting them over the center beam will allow you to maintain one continuous line of fasteners.

  • Custom Screened-Porch System

    Adaptable in the field, this system from Screeneze allows you to enjoy outdoor living without the bugs.

  • Fastener System for Solving Deck Fascia Board Expansion

    A special drill bit and color-matched fasteners lets composite or PVC deck fascia boards expand and contract to minimize warping.

  • Changes Proposed for the 2024 IRC

    A rundown of popular topics and proposals under consideration for the next edition of the International Residential Code.

  • Durable Softwood for Decking and Cladding

    Kebony’s wood-modfication method makes softwood a viable alternative to hardwood for exterior surfaces.

  • Coastal Home That Mimics Nature

    Located in the Pacific Northwest, this home was designed to withstand the climate while also celebrating it.

  • A Sturdy Rail for Outdoor Stairs

    Preassembled baluster sections speed construction of this deck-stair guardrail.

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Fine Homebuilding

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