Reality Check Design Limits
Establishing Permanence

You want your deck to look like it was built to last. Some decks are built to serve a temporary function until a budget or time consideration can be met, others weren’t intended to but appear this way anyway. A deck that appears tacked on to the side of a house like a platform set on stilts will look flimsy and out of place. You want a design that will leave an impression of permanence and the idea that it was always meant to be there. Deciding to build with more substantial materials can help you project this appearance. Using 6x6 support posts instead of 4x4’s and closing risers on stairs is a good place to start. Experience tells us that cheap looking things are disposable and expensive looking things are designed to last for a long time. A thoughtful design can achieve the same effect. If your deck looks like it belongs on your house common sense tells us that it is permanent. Attention to details will be significant in that they offer subtle clues to your sense of importance for the project.