HOME IMPROVEMENT : Decks Add Vista and Space

Be it a postage stamp-sized outcropping making use of the last bit of space on a tiny lot, or a multilevel aerie overlooking the ocean, a thoughtfully designed deck is a world unto itself. It’s an invitation to the outdoors, a source of sunlight or shade, fresh air and space. It can offer solitude or encourage socializing, or free one from the house while offering quick access to it.

The ill-considered deck immediately feels alien and uninviting; it will sit there unused.

While a developer’s cookie cutter deck may not send a zing across a homeowner’s heartstrings, decks are popular additions to Southern California homes. “They can expand the living space of the home at relatively low cost,” says Greg LeBon, an architect with construction firm Taisei America in Long Beach.

Whether you build the deck yourself or hire a builder to do it, identifying your personal preferences will be the key to its success. “The planning stage is what all too many homeowners” tend to ignore, says Hank Rees, a professor of construction technology at Orange Coast College. “If it’s going to be a focal point of your residence, spend the time and money in planning.”

Decks can be designed to serve several purposes. One can have a space that’s sized for intimacy, and another sized for a party, LeBon says. You can create distinct areas using several levels. An irregular shape can lend visual variety to the deck, and also helps integrate the deck with whatever surrounds it.

A well-crafted deck will provide climate control. It can be designed to trap sunlight, making it warm and cozy, or to provide shade, making it cool. Decide how much sun or wind you want or will tolerate, and how much of each your deck will get. To protect against too much sun or wind, you can use trees, bushes, screens, trellises or a higher deck.

While the deck’s orientation to the sun can be important, more often placement has to do with the deck’s relationship to the rear yard, says Chad Robert, a landscape architect for Capistrano Gardens Landscape in San Juan Capistrano, adding that “no one has any side yard. We do an occasional front courtyard.”

Ask yourself what relationship the deck will have to the rest of your yard. Will children play there? What kind of lighting will you need? Will you want it fenced for privacy, or open to take full advantage of the view? Will you want built-in benches? An eating area?

The various areas of the deck must flow into each other, Robert says. A deck is a static space. By terracing that space, you create dynamic spaces that encourage movement. If you identify the dynamic space needed for traffic flow, you can place the static spaces off to one side where they won’t interfere with movement. Railings can also be used to define space without closing them off from the outside or obstructing your view.

On any deck, try to break wide-open spaces up to create smaller, intimate areas. However, breaking up a small deck can create cramped spaces that won’t be used.

As you’re thinking about your deck requirements, set a budget for the project. This will help you determine which features are most important to you. If you go to a builder, ask for several bids.

While it is uncomplicated compared to the rest of the house, a deck is still a design and engineering feat best left to the experts if you’re not inclined to detail work.

For the do-it-yourselfer, a deck is a feasible project. LeBon notes that many of the homeowners who tackle a deck do so with a friend who knows something about building. Decking ideas can be found in many do-it-yourself books; Sunset Books, for example, puts out a series that will give a good feel for what must be done.

Pay a visit to the city or county building department to find out what codes concern decks. The codes tell the builder how much weight the deck must be able to bear. Rails will usually be required if the deck is a certain height off the ground. The deck may have to meet fire and electrical codes.

There are good reasons for meeting building codes, says Floyd McLellan, manager of development services for Orange County. Because much of the county is hilly, an improperly built deck can disturb the stability of a slope and cause it to break away. The county has established depth ratios for the deck’s foundation.

Another common problem is that the builder fails to leave adequate clearance between the underside of the deck and the ground. Because this closed area tends to be moist, particularly if it is near a pool, it is a haven for termites, McLellan says.

Builders also have to be able to recognize differential sediment, where the land is “part cut, part fill,” McLellan says. Because the fill is softer than the cut earth, a deck will sag if it is not built on the proper foundation.

Builders design from the surface of the deck downward; once you know what will be there, you determine what to put under it for support. (And if your deck is raised, you’ll avoid revealing a clutter of uprights.)

A redwood deck is a bit more expensive than a concrete one, Robert says. Most ground floor decks are concrete because of the expense. For such flatwork, as it is called, builders don’t have to engineer for loads, and don’t have to pull permits. Only about 5% of the first-floor decks Roberts builds are redwood.

While concrete is a cost-effective choice for a first floor deck, a wood deck is better-suited for dealing with grade changes, Robert says.

An elaborate or extensive deck may be more than the average homeowner cares to tackle, Rees says. “One major problem is getting the whole thing level.”

Novices also may have trouble guesstimating how far a two-by- six will span before it starts to flex too much. If one spans too far, the boards will feel spongy underfoot and level stretches turn into valleys as one crosses them.

According to Rees, the most common woods used in decks are redwood and Douglas fir. People often choose redwood for the color, but it has to be treated to prevent discoloration. “Douglas fir retains the warm, friendly look,” he says.

As a rough guide, redwood will require higher maintenance, perhaps every year and a half, whereas Douglas fir when painted or stained should last three years before needing work, LeBon says.

The computer age is making it easier for the do-it-yourself builder to come up with sophisticated designs. The Weyerhaeuser Co. has introduced a user-friendly computer kiosk called the DesignCenter into home centers and retail lumberyards throughout the East and Midwest. Using the computer, one can create a deck in a few minutes and have the computer print out the design in four colors, as well as provide a materials list and a price breakdown for the materials. The DesignCenter will soon be introduced on the West Coast.

For those of us to whom building a deck would seem an endless torture, having one built is the more practical approach. The scale of the deck and where it will be located in relation to the interior of the house are two areas where a practiced eye is helpful.

“Stick with strong shapes,” LeBon says. He designed and built his own deck, creating several levels of decking. The deck on grade is a half circle with a 16-foot radius. Another deck is square, but canted at a 45-degree angle to the house. The second story deck off the master bedroom isn’t used as much as the lower decks, but it provides shade and protection for the deck below. He also added a triangular trellis to the upper deck for more shade.

Overheads such as lattices or trellises can serve several purposes on a deck. The overheads provide a transition zone from the inside to the landscape. They are also used to provide a sense of intimacy.

However, “If the rear yard is the north side of the house, you’re going to get a lot of shade back there--you may not want an overhead,” Robert says.

In Southern California, decks often accommodate spas and pools. People don’t want to spend the money for a gunite spa, so they put in a portable fiberglass spa that sits on the ground, with a redwood deck projecting out over it.

“Gunite spas relate very well to masonry decks. The portable spas save money, but you’ll spend it on decking,” Robert says.

It’s important to run gas lines and electrical lines before pouring concrete, even if you don’t plan to add a feature until sometime in the future.

With careful planning, a deck will open up new vistas. Poor planning, and you’ve spent your money for nothing, because the deck won’t be used.