Details to Make Your Deck, Porch, or Patio Come Alive!

Isn’t this a great looking house? I love it. This house is just around the corner from our house and it’s been one of my inspiration houses since the day we bought our home. It’s not a big house, but it’s the kind of house that lives big. Two of the reasons it does are the great front porch and the awesome deck spaces.

This Front Porch Is Perfect!

One of these days, when I finally get going on my own remodeling project, I want a front porch very much like this one. Living in a historic downtown area means the sidewalk is only a few feet from the front door. A porch like this invites friends and neighbors to stop and have a cold drink on a hot summer day.

One of my favorite features of this porch is the light blue painted ceiling. I think I’ll do something similar on mine, but I also love it when the porch ceiling is clear finished cypress, so I may go that route. Either way, an accent finish on a V-joint or beadboard ceiling is DA-BOMB!

At the rate I’m going…I’ll also need a rocking chair.

Want to see an architectural trick? Did you notice the columns (posts) along the house wall? Those are a sign to me that this porch isn’t original. I assume that these posts hold up half the porch structure. So the porch is like an independent building, structurally speaking. This is done sometimes if the existing wall isn’t strong enough to hold the added weight. I think it’s very nicely done and it looks great!

I’m Drooling Over This Wood and Paver Deck

Like I said, it was love at first sight with me and this house. This picture is why! I love the way the driveway (the paver part) just ties so nicely in with the deck. The tree coming out of the corner and the curved portions of the deck just make it that much better! LOVE IT!

Here’s a close-up of the curved section at the front. This is a pretty tough bit of carpentry work! Each of these deck boards has been “ripped” with a circular saw or on a table saw to create a wedge or thin pie shaped board. When all put together the outside edge forms a curve. This looks great but is very time consuming. I’ll show you an easier option in another post later this week.

This deck utilizes what’s known as “deck-blocks” to support this part of the structure. These are available at major suppliers such as Home Depot or Lowe’s. Personally, I’m not a fan of deck blocks. To me, they seem like they add more work than they save. But the various ways of how to make a deck foundation seems like another post. If you have a question, you can ask me in The Remodeling Guy Forums and I’ll do my best to help.

One of the secrets to a great deck is having plenty of greenery and flowers. I love the way these palms are allowed to come right through the deck! To me, it’s just 100% perfect. The best shade in the world is shaped like a palm frond.

I used many of these ideas when we built our deck. You’ve seen part of it when I showed off my Tiki Bar, and I’m going to show you the rest later this week. Specifically, I’m going to show you what kind of curves can be done in 2×6 decking “the easy way”. So stay tuned!

Not long after that post I’ll show you what I’m working on this week. We’re working on a project that involves a few things you might be interested in:

• Cutting Edge Soundproofing Techniques (for walls and windows)
• Some Beautiful Trimwork (window casings, crown molding, large baseboards)
• A great (and fun) way to save serious money on Window Treatments

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So, what’s your favorite feature in a deck, porch, or patio? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!