One way to extend your indoor activities outdoors and integrate the backyard into your daily lives is to add a deck or patio - a deck or patio that emphasizes open air dining and entertainment. From the comfort of your own home, you can enjoy fresh air, cookouts, and all around family fun from one of these and you can do it with the knowledge that it was built to last by professional contractors.

What's the First Thing to Do?

If you're new to home additions, it's natural to be curious about the things that your selected contractor will do. But since adding on a deck or patio is a rather intensive project, your curiosity will soon be satisfied once you begin discussing its plans. Through these plans, both you and your contractor will discuss things like the width of your deck floor, the height of your patio roof, and the materials that your deck and/or patio will be made with. Some of the other things you'll discuss answer questions like:

1. How high should the patio roof be elevated?

2. What will cover the roof? Shingles? Flat Tar?

3. What will the flooring be covered with? Tile? Concrete?

One very important discussion that you'll have with your contractor regards your lifestyle. By discussing how you'll use your deck and/or patio, your contractor can help you design a structure that works well with everyone in the home - even the family pet!

After the Plans

Once you've created suitable plans, your contractor will take the appropriate measurements and adjust your plans so that they fit well within your outside space. When your contractor begins to layout your deck's and/or patio's foundation, you may hear a lot of hammering, pounding, digging, and sawing. But these are the musical sounds of a beautifully laid out perimeter being born - a perimeter carefully structured according to a depth and width that follows city ordinance code.

Everything Starts With A Good Foundation

Soon after, you'll witness the artistry of concrete pouring which is an exciting process to watch. There's mixing, pouring, rodding and jitterbugging all before the final act of smoothing the concrete's surface. It's really isn't that hard get emotional about a concrete slab once it resembles what you'll soon claim as your patio and/or deck floor!

Three Sides and A Top

After your deck's and/or patio's cement floor has set, your contractor will begin to erect the walls around the floor but don't be surprised if you notice that the walls were pre-built. Excepting walls constructed out of stone or brick, this only makes the arrival of your dream addition quicker (not to mention more efficient for your builders). Whether you've decided on screen walls or a wooden fence, you'll really start to recognize and appreciate the structure for what it's on its way of becoming.

Now not all decks and/or patios are covered with a roof, however if yours will, its construction is the next step and will probably have all the amenities that the roof of your actual house has (gutters, supports, etc.).

Congratulations!

When complete, your only step is to decorate your deck and/or patio to your heart's content - complete with potted plants, patio furniture, outdoor lamps and a barbecue pit!