Welcome to another Q&A session where we answer questions from homeowners around Maple Valley and King County.
Today's question is:
The owner explains that since every homeowner is different, the process starts with understanding what they want, need, and are interested in. He mentions lighting as one of his favorite additions, since it adds significant safety and visual impact for relatively little cost, making the deck feel beautiful at night while also improving nighttime visibility. Beyond lighting, he lists several other possibilities depending on the homeowner's interests and budget, including covered areas, incorporating a hot tub or swim spa, outdoor kitchens, and outdoor seating areas built around a TV. He frames these additions as accessories that build on a composite deck's foundation, with lighting standing out as an inexpensive option that makes a big aesthetic difference.
That's a great question. I've been doing this for a long time, and everybody is different, and when you're dealing with a homeowner, it's their home. So there are a million features you could add, or you could do nothing more than just a deck. For me, the first step is always picking the homeowner's brain about what they want, what they need, and what they're interested in. Depending on those things, for example, I love adding a bit of lighting to a deck. I think there's nothing that adds more wow factor and more safety, and nothing that adds more benefit for less money, than adding some really nice lighting. It looks great, there are safety benefits to having your deck lit up, and it looks beautiful at night. From there, you can also do a covered deck or covered area, incorporate a hot tub or swim spa into the deck, which has become more popular, install an outdoor kitchen, or set up an outdoor sitting area with a TV. There's really an endless amount of accessories you can add to a deck, especially a composite deck. But one of my favorites, because it's simple and not expensive but adds a big difference, is really nice lighting, whether that's on the stairs, the perimeter of the deck, the railing, or all three. It makes a big aesthetic difference for a pretty inexpensive accessory.
