A well-tended backyard can be a convenient escape after hectic weeks at the office. Just grab a book and a good bottle of wine and park yourself down on a rocking chair for some much needed alone time.
More than that, with the right infrastructure in place, that backyard becomes the perfect area for entertaining friends with a leisurely lunch on a Saturday afternoon. But how can you make your backyard more livable and transform it into a classy outdoor extension of your home? The short answer: by adding a deck.
Investing in a custom deck for your home in Toronto has many other benefits, which we will discuss in this article. Read on for more.
Benefits Of Adding A Deck To Your Residential Property In Toronto
1. A perfect excuse to spend more time outdoors
Spending time outdoors has many benefits for your health and wellbeing. Besides all the fun stuff you can do there, of course. Science has proven that spending time outdoors gives you a greater energy boost than you can get from a cup of coffee, for example.
Spending time outdoors has also been shown to reduce the risk of nearsightedness. In one study, subjects recorded marginal pain relief and lesser stress after they were exposed to high-intensity sunlight. Time spent outdoors is also considered to reduce the risk of developing myopia. Also, if you work in a creative field, like writing, graphic design, or music production, the outdoors can help stimulate your creative senses.
We could add more reasons why you should spend more time outdoors. But it is worth noting that many people simply lack personally justifiable excuses to spend time outside. Again, they may not have the time to walk to the nearest park. Building a deck at your own house gives you a good excuse to spend more time outdoors. Note, too, that a deck offers an easily accessible living space that you can decorate to suit your style
2. Boosts your home’s value
As a homeowner, it is prudent that you consider the chances that any improvement you will make to your home comes at a cost you can recover when you eventually sell. As it is one of the most coveted features on residential properties, a deck will help you get a quicker sale, too. According to a survey by Remodelling Magazine, a $10,347 investment in a new deck can add as much as $8, 835 to a property’s value. Very few investments have such a high return.
What makes a deck such an appealing addition to your property is, besides its excellent utility, it is also one of the cheapest improvements you can make to your home. Not just that, a deck addition can be accomplished fairly quickly, which means it will not be long before you are throwing parties and entertaining friends on your deck. Speaking of entertaining:
3. Entertain like a boss
Nothing beats an outdoor party featuring your closest friends and family. But a private party needs to be hosted in a private space that is screened from the glare of the public. And there is nothing like the feeling of knowing that you are the only one in your circle of friends with a property that has the right amenities for hosting a private outdoor party.
An expansive deck can serve as your party’s main entertaining area where your music and catering equipment sits. If you intend to host parties and celebrations with friends and family in your backyard with your deck serving as the main entertaining area, there are a few features you can add to make it a truly custom party space:
Consider adding outdoor lighting to take your celebrations well into the night. As well as providing light, outdoor chandeliers will make a strong visual statement, as will hidden rope and market lights.
If you live in close proximity to a public place, it may also be a good idea to add privacy screens for your deck to ensure more seclusion for this private space. Another good idea is to incorporate a pavilion into the deck design. This will give you a place to shelter from the rain or excessive sunshine and will accentuate the space even further.
4. Increased aesthetic appeal
Oftentimes we add decks to our homes just for the sake of improving how they look and not necessarily for the value it adds to the property. We want to feel good about the places we live in, especially if they closely mimic our personal style. For this reason, adding a deck allows you a way of putting your personal stamp on your acquired property.
It may be true that you bought the home prebuilt and because of it, there will be specific features on the house you don’t particularly like. Adding a deck can serve as a way of obscuring the part of the house you feel doesn’t quite match your style. The advantage is that you can choose a deck design that suits your taste.
Also, a deck addition can greatly transform how your property looks without causing any structural alterations to the original building. You can be reassured that this extension to the house won’t be as costly nor compromise its structural integrity. To put it simply, a deck will boost your home’s curb appeal.
5. A cost-effective way of adding more space to your home
Considering the often dramatic transformation it brings to your home, as well as its comparatively low expense, adding a deck becomes one of the most cost-effective ways of adding more living space to your home.
There are limitless ways you can put this extra space to use, including entertaining friends and family (as we have already discussed), an outdoor seating space where you can fit your outdoor furniture, and a nice place to dry off after a swim. With a deck addition to your home, you get a lot more space for a lot less money than, say, with a remodel.
A deck installation also takes very little time in comparison to other construction projects where you are adding more space to your home, like room extensions and remodels. Because the deck installation can be accomplished so fast, you can be sure there will be minimal disruption to your family’s routines. The construction crew will be off your property in next to no time.
Building The Perfect Deck for Your Home
An important decision with all deck installation projects has to be made on your choice of deck designer-builder. You will save yourself a lot of headaches by choosing a licensed and qualified deck builder, remembering that a deck has to be structurally solid before it looks the way you want it to.
An experienced deck builder will work with you to choose a deck design that blends into your home’s overall architecture and use their knowledge of local building codes to advise on the necessary permits. It is good to ask for recommendations from friends and family, check online reviews, put together a shortlist of deck installers you will personally interview, and compare quotes before settling on one contractor.
At Jay Fencing, we have a highly experienced deck building crew that has completed dozens of deck installation jobs around Toronto. Our decks stand out for their sturdy construction and unique designs that complement owners’ personal tastes. We are particularly careful of staying within both time and cost budgets so as to deliver clients’ decks on time and at costs they can recover when they do decide to sell their properties.
Jay’s Fencing also installs fences, gazebos, and driveway gates. We would love to help you bring your deck addition idea to life. Contact our deck installation experts here to discuss your project.