Decking Company

As the cool winter frost takes its first bite at the once green lawn, everyone knows that this is only the beginning, including your deck.

As winter takes over and begins to unload bucket after bucket of wind driven ice and snow, you now hear the creaking wood as it puts up a fight against the harsh cold winter night. This fight, however, can be made much easier for your deck by remembering a few key pointers and in doing so, you will leave your deck in much better shape the following Spring.

What do the experts at any good decking company recommend? Begin your winter preparation BEFORE the first snowfall

The following tips will help bring you up to speed on how to effectively prepare your deck for even the harshest of winters in Toronto.

• Clear the deck: The first step you should take in prepping your deck for the first Toronto snowfall is to clear that bad boy off. Clearing your deck off is important, but why? One word, SNOW. Lots of it. Any objects you have scattered across your deck will only accumulate mounds of snow on them and in turn add unnecessary weight to the decks surface. For example, if you have a nice big table in the centre of the deck, after the first snowfall that table will surely have a massive pile of snow which will cause more stress on the deck and increase the chances of it cracking. Sound familiar? Any good decking company will recommend clearing everything off your deck, which will ensure there are no stress points on the surface and make it much easier to maintain.
• Time for a bath: If you were told you were going into battle tomorrow, what is the last thing you would want before your departure? A nice warm bath, obviously. Your deck feels the same way. Remember, for any type of wood, every winter could be the last. So, once you have your deck cleared off, it’s time to get down on your hands and knees and give it a nice scrub. You don’t have to go crazy and scrub the wood right off, but with all the foot traffic and scuff marks from summertime salsa lessons (yes, I know what you did last summer) I am sure there are a plentiful number of marks and stains just calling for some TLC. When scrubbing your deck, it is best to use bleach-free cleaner to retain the natural colour of the wood. Remember that any stains you fail to remove now will only become that much harder to remove in Spring after they’ve literally been pounded into the wood by a wintry hammer.
• A thin coat goes a long way: Now that the deck has been cleared, cleaned and looking better than it has in months, the next step would be to apply a water-resistant coat for which your deck will be thanking you even after the first snowfall. “Shouldn’t I hire a decking company to do this for me, I don’t want to mess up.” Look, you could hire a company to do it, but unless your deck is a square mile, you’ll be just fine. Just as any worried mother will yell to her son “Sweetie, don’t forget your jacket!” and tosses it to him only to embarrass him in front of all of his friends. You too, should never let your deck suffer through another winter without the right protection.

Is prepping your deck for winter like rocket science? No not at all, obviously. However, it does require you to be on top of the ball as when the first snowfall hits it could be months until you even see the deck again. But following these tips will save yourself lots of time and money in the long run.

Remember, for any other deck maintenance or landscaping advice, there is a local decking company right here in Toronto with more information than you could know what to do with. Toronto Custom Decks can be reached at 647-878-8780 with any questions you may have.

Today’s backyard deck bears little resemblance to the rectangle-on-posts of yesterday. Advances in materials as well as lighting, furniture technology and other areas means that the sky’s the limit for homeowners looking to achieve greater integration between interior and exterior spaces. If you’re thinking of utilizing a decking company to build a deck you’d do well to invest as much as you can reasonably afford to incorporate some of those material and design advances. The result will be not only a spectacular new living space but increased curb appeal and home value along with an enhanced social life.

Follow These Decking Company Tips to Create the Perfect Deck

Regardless of what the residents of the local frat house may think a deck is more than a platform for launching keggers. It’s a home addition and should be thought of in that manner. Here are 6 essential tips to ensure your new outdoor room lives up to its potential.

1. Get up to speed on building codes before you start: Any decking company will tell you the time to find out whether you can actually build the deck you want is before you start buying materials. The last thing you want is for the building inspector to show up and slap a cease and desist order on the fledgling deck because it violates some local code or another.

2. Incorporate railings for looks and safety: When designing the deck don’t neglect the handrails and bannisters. While in the past railings were typically handled in a perfunctory manner today you have myriad design and material options including stainless steel and tempered glass that will not only ramp up the aesthetics but also ensure the deck is safe for everyone.

3. Design with the sun in mind: There are a number of ways the decking company can mitigate the effect of the sun including building a trellis over part of the deck, building a retractable roof or building a permanent roof over part of it. A permanent or retractable roof can provide protection for your outdoor cooking efforts as well.

4. Plan traffic patterns carefully: Don’t leave it to your guests to figure out the best path from the house to the yard via the deck, design traffic lanes ahead of time. Keep foot traffic away from the cooking area and any private nooks you may want to create. Also make sure guests are able to relax while seated and won’t have to be getting up constantly to let people by.

5. Plan for the wind: Like the sun the wind can be both friend and enemy of the deck. As glass railings typically allow air to penetrate around the central panel they’re a great way to stunt strong winds without impeding the view or preventing overall air movement. Glass railings will also help prevent strong winds from entering the house every time the door is opened.

6. Bring on the light: LED lighting has advanced in leaps and bounds and today provides an incredible range of options that can create atmosphere and mood while also providing proper illumination for night time cooking and socializing. LEDs can serve both aesthetic and practical purposes by being installed under each stair to ensure safe navigation at night and along the underside of the railing to make sure everyone knows where the edge of the deck is.

Your new deck will be more than a place to kick back with a cold one on hot lazy summer evenings (although it can certainly be that too). Call the decking company more Toronto residents trust than any other; Toronto Custom Decks, for more information on designing the deck of your dreams.

Building a new deck is an exciting prospect. You can expect your entire domestic experience to change for the better and you’ll also enjoy the added market value the new deck will bestow upon your house. Most of the benefits of a new deck however, are dependent on the quality of the deck you have installed. If you’re not careful in your selection of the decking company you could wind up with an eyesore or something the building inspector orders you to pull down. In this post we’ll look at 5 things you should discuss with any prospective deck contractor before handing over money.

Making Sure You Wind up With a First Class Decking Company

There are a lot of companies out there today that claim to be masters of the modern deck but many of them will simply not hold up under close examination. Before you sign a contract and fork over the deposit it’s in your interest to get as clear a picture as possible about who will be building your deck.

• Are you licensed? – Contractors in Toronto and various surrounding towns must be licensed. Different towns have different requirements so you’ll want to check on that before talking to the contractor. If it turns out they’re not licensed you should probably take a pass. There are plenty of fully licensed contractors out there so there’s no need to endanger your project.
• Do you carry liability insurance? – No liability insurance no deal. It’s as simple as that. If you hire a decking company that is not covered for liability and someone gets hurt on the jobsite the financial onus could land squarely on your shoulders. It’s just not worth it. If they claim to have liability coverage ask them nicely for proof. If they can’t prove it, don’t take the chance.
• How many decks have you built? – You very well may want to make this question #1. If this is their first deck it’s probably a good idea to take a pass. You want an experienced builder on the job because deck collapses are no laughing matter and usually occur because a novice builder forgot something important. Again, it’s just not worth taking the chance.
• Will you provide references? – Like liability insurance this one is black and white. No references no deal. End of story. If the decking company does provide you with phone numbers and the like make sure you follow up. If the other customers will allow you, you should stop by and take a look at the quality of the design and workmanship as well.
• Will you put your price in writing? – You may feel like you can work with a contractor and be willing to take them at their word that the price is the price. But that’s no way to operate really. You could, and in all likelihood will, wind up getting burned. Insist on having the price and all the specifics down in black and white before handing over any cash.

It rarely if ever pays to take a contractor at their word when it comes to large scale projects like a backyard deck. There’s too much time, money and heartache involved if they mess things up. If you’re in the market for a new deck for your home call the backyard professionals at Toronto Custom Decks and let us help. We’re fully licensed and insured and will gladly provide you with proof, as well as copious references. Once you get to know more about us we’re confident you’ll see there’s no more qualified decking company in the GTA to bring your backyard dream to life.