Best Methods to Remove Snow and Ice from Your Deck

Winter is coming to the DMV. Some eagerly await the winter, dreaming of warm nights spent curled up by the fire and crisp weekend days frittered away sledding down snowy slopes with the kids. Others dread the year's coldest season, dwelling instead on the frigid mornings spent scraping ice from car windshields and shoveling snow from walkways.

As a deck owner, it is in your best interest to care for your wood or composite decking material just as you would your cherished luxury import or front sidewalk. Unlike those objects, however, a low-maintenance deck installation is actually likely to incur damage if you try to fend off Mother Nature without taking the necessary precautions.

Does Zuri Premium Decking by Royal get too hot during the summer and in direct sunlight? How well does Zuri retain heat?

Living in an area with sweltering summers, the amount of heat your porch or deck retains is an important consideration when choosing the design of your deck or porch in Maryland or Virginia. And while Zuri Decking by Royal and alternatives to Zuri will unsurprisingly heat up in direct sunlight, it can be more difficult to set expectations for the temperature of a deck made with low-maintenance Zuri decking than for one made with a more familiar deck material like natural hardwood. However, composite decking materials like Zuri PVC decking are not liable to retain any more or less heat than natural wood.

Questions to Ask Your Deck Builder Before Hiring Them

When you are interviewing possible candidates to build your deck, it’s important to get logistical questions out of the way – such as ensuring they are insured – but you also want to get a sense of what it will be like to work with them.

Depending on the complexity of your deck project, you may be working with this firm and their crew for weeks. Since it’s an outdoor project, decks usually require fewer interruptions to your normal daily life, but it can still be a major hassle to not have complete access to your outdoor space.

Why Having a Permit is so Important When Building a Deck

We get this at least once a week.  "I spoke to a contractor who can start in 2 weeks and says I don't need a permit."

So why do you need a permit ?

In a nutshell: it’s the law.

All deck projects must be reviewed by your local jurisdiction to ensure they comply with the current International Residential Code (IRC). The IRC sets out minimum regulations for construction projects related to residences, including provisions for building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy, and electrical. The goal is to ensure that all construction is safe, built correctly, and up to the current building standards.

So you have decided it's time to do something with your existing deck.  The old one is just getting too old, and you want to upgrade. Weather in Maryland, Virginia, and Dc can do that. You want to build a new screened porch,  but are having reservations about paying for a completely new screened room. Many turn to the idea of trying to put a new structure on the existing deck. While that can be an option, it's often not that simple or easy. 

Every remodel has pros and cons, and this idea is no different.  Design Builders breaks down putting a new screened porch on an existing deck.