Designing your dream deck is always exciting, but with outdoor living spaces becoming increasingly complex and all of the latest 2021 trends to consider, it can be a bit intimidating.

The first step, before laying a single deck board or selecting any outdoor kitchen amenities, is to assess how you intend to use this outdoor living space. Consider what is most important to your family and begin brainstorming features that will fit your needs. Here are six things to keep in mind when putting together your dream space to help you create something lasting, beautiful, practical, and personal.

Complement the interior design of the house

Consider your dream deck as an extension of your home. This outdoor living space, when designed with care and attention, can be just as comfortable, beautiful, and functional as anything you’ve created indoors.

Keep in mind what features you don’t have in the main house that would be useful outside. For instance, if you’re a big cook who’s always wanted a pizza oven, an outdoor kitchen would be the perfect place to put one. Perhaps you don’t want to cook but want to add a fire feature that’s missing inside. You have a variety of options in this case, including fire pits, fireplaces, and even firewalls.

Increase the Area’s Usability

One of the most important things to think about when designing your dream deck is how to use the space comfortably all year. In the late autumn and early winter, a fire feature will undoubtedly keep you warm, but if you live in a colder climate, a single fire feature may not be enough.

As a result, many homeowners consider using multiple heating elements to combat even the coldest nights. You could include any of the following elements, depending on the severity of your climate:

• Infrared heaters are a type of heater that uses infrared light
• A wind-blocking structure
• Feature of fire (fire pit, fireplace, firewall, and the like)
• Structure with a roof
• Retractable partitions (glass or vinyl)

Obviously, these features come at different price points, but if money isn’t an issue, you can almost certainly design a deck that can be used all year, no matter how cold it gets.

Construct an Outdoor Living Room Area

Every person’s ideal deck is different, but many people find that the best way to maximize the space’s utility is to turn it into an outdoor living room. The rising popularity of televisions in these areas is one trend that supports this. Over half of last year’s projects, according to design and construction firms, including an entertainment component, and that number is expected to rise.

A TV can be installed on almost any deck, regardless of the layout or design. Is your outdoor living space, for example, without a roof? It’s no problem. Install a TV lift system that allows you to raise the television from a cabinet, a custom-built structure, or even the deck itself.

When not in use, a lift system allows you to simply nest the TV back into its cabinet or structure, freeing up space and giving your deck a clean, streamlined appearance.

Think about where you want to put your outdoor living space.

One important consideration that many people overlook is the actual location of the outdoor living space. Specifically, you want to make sure the area is as close as possible to the interior kitchen.

The kitchen is always the focal point of the gathering. The further you are from that room, the more difficult it will be to transport food back and forth, get plates and other necessities outside, do any prep work, and clean up.

Consider adapting a window or cutting in a door to make that outdoor living space more accessible and maximally useful if there isn’t already a direct door from your kitchen to the outdoor space.

Consider your design options carefully.

Every aspect of your dream deck should be chosen with practicality, usability, and aesthetics in mind, and a big part of that is making sure it blends in with the rest of the house’s design. Let’s say you have unique landscaping or interesting features in your yard. You can highlight those features through the outdoor living space with thoughtful design.

This can be done directly by including sitting areas in your landscaped yard, or more subtly by avoiding bulky railings that block views and discourage vistas. Consider removing the rails entirely if your deck is at or near ground level. They aren’t necessary for safety reasons, and they only serve to obstruct the lovely landscaping you’ve worked so hard to create. If you need rails because your deck is high up, choose a clear rail solution to keep the surrounding environment fully visible.

Make the Most of Your Time with a Smart Deck

If you already have a home automation system, integrating your deck into it will be simple and painless. You can control a number of systems directly from your smartphone or home automation system, or through programmable timers, by making your outdoor living space a smart deck. The following are some of these systems:

• Lighting
• Music
• Television
• Heating
• Features of gas

The convenience of this helps to ensure that your outdoor space is just as usable and comfortable as your interior spaces.

If 2021 is the year you finally take the plunge and build your dream deck, you’ll have a lot of options and decisions to make. However, with a little forethought and planning, you can turn any drab deck into a stunning space that you’ll love and enjoy for years to come!

Why Us?

Here at Alumiguard MFG, we aim to make the installation process as stress-free as possible. You will be working with certified and experienced staff that will handle your project from A to Z. We will sit together and decide everything related to the project, from the measurements, to design and locking systems. Our team of experts will arrive at your home at the designated time to perform the installation of your railings.

We service Toronto, North York, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Brampton, Mississauga, Oakville, Hamilton & other areas across the GTA.