Simple Ways To Make A Small Deck Feel Spacious
Many homeowners love the idea of having a large deck. A deck with significant square footage can provide plenty of room for outdoor entertaining, relaxing with your family, and more. If you're hiring a deck contractor to design and build a deck for you, it's possible that you might not be able to have a large structure. If your yard is small, for example, this will limit the square footage of the deck. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that a small deck can feel spacious. Discuss the following ideas with your contractor, and don't hesitate to ask them for additional suggestions.
No Railing
While there are lots of benefits to having a railing around the perimeter of your deck, this addition isn't absolutely necessary. A railing can sometimes contribute to a deck feeling closed off and thus it can feel smaller than it is. Conversely, when there's no railing, even a small deck can feel spacious. Your builder will be familiar with the local building code regarding deck railings. Generally, a railing is not required, as long as the deck is built low enough to the ground. As long as you're comfortable with a low deck, you may wish to move forward with a design that doesn't include railings.
Light Color
Light colors often help to make things feel more spacious. For example, when you paint a room with white or off-white paint, it can seem larger than if you were to paint it with darker paint. Keep this idea in mind when you think about how your new deck will look. For example, many people want to paint or put stain on their deck. You may find that a darker color of paint or stain contributes to the deck feeling smaller than it is. Instead, talk to your contractor about what light colors of paint or stain will work well.
Away From The House
A lot of peoples' decks are directly adjacent to the house, but this isn't the only option. Some homeowners have their decks a few feet away from the exterior wall of the residence. A deck that sits adjacent to the house may have a cramped feel due to the looming presence of the house's exterior wall. However, if you were to place the deck a little farther away, having no walls around it can help it to feel open — and potentially seem larger than it actually is. You can consider a short path of gravel or patio stones that leads from your house to the deck.
For more information about building a deck, contact a local contracting company, like 1 Stop General Contracting.