At five-feet tall, the plastic lattice privacy wall encompasses the deck while allowing plenty of light to shine through.
It has been roughly 20 years since the dawn of my contracting services and things are busy as ever! And in all honesty, my greatest insurance for a continuous workflow has been word-of-mouth referrals.
This may explain why my workload tends to follow trends of similarity.
2013 was the year of the pergola. There were no fewer than nine pergolas on my client ‘to-do’ list that year. Since then, however, I have only built one or two per season, if any at all. In retrospect, this pattern can only be attributed to one thing — today’s technologically enhanced ‘word-of-mouth.’ Everyone and their dog (a common saying, meant literally in this instance) share photos and posts all over social media. This is our new reality. Although I rarely engage in uploads that showcase pictures of food found on my dinner plate, I must admit that Facebook has been a great medium to showcase recently accomplished work. And as a result, on occasion these jobsite pictures have sparked an instantaneous reaction which translates into additional work via media-driven ‘word-of-mouth’ self-promotion. The pergola ‘craze’ of 2013 is proof and it’s proven to be an essential marketing tool at anyone’s disposal.
Since this revelation, I’ve noticed a few other glaring instances created by media word-of-mouth; pics of a completed bathroom sparked requests for other bathroom renos, a newly renovated kitchen montage has initiated several quotes for other kitchen upgrades, and this outdoor deck building season... the deck facelift and the merging of old and new!
Only one deck I’ve tackled this year has been built solely from the ground up. Every other deck job scheduled this season has either encompassed re-facing a salvaged deck framework and/or adding onto the existing structure. Maybe this is a coincidence, but once again similar jobs have been grouped one after another.
One recent deck-build stands out in my mind, because the tasks involved truly reveal the merged aspects of this deck enhancement. Lynda Kitchen contacted me last fall, regarding advice on how to approach her rear deck upgrade.
Although the existing deck provides access to the patio doors, it did not cover the entire footprint of the back yard along the house. Kitchen also no longer felt the stairs leading to the deck were appropriately located. As such, following a brief discussion, the new design would incorporate the existing deck as the higher tier of a two-tiered deck that would span the entire width along the back of the house.
As a first step, the gap in the existing railing was filled, and the old stairs were removed. A new opening along the existing railing was introduced where the stair from the new lower tier would be positioned. With the old deck enhanced, the framework for the lower tier was established along the gravelled area, allowing for an inset where the A/C unit was located. The top decking was secured to the frame, and a second stair was constructed at ground level for access from the walkway adjacent the garage door. Posts for a five-foot privacy wall were installed along the close side of the lower tier, and plastic lattice was affixed to the posts. With the main elements in place, fascia along the lower tier’s edge was secured to the frame, and the same plastic lattice was installed as a skirt below the existing higher tier. Although the entire process took less than 1½ days to complete, this new backyard deck layout will provide improved esthetics and functionality for many years to come without breaking the bank.
Pictures I posted following the completion of Kitchen’s deck received a tremendous response — multiple inquiries on how to enhance an existing deck rather than tearing down the old to make way for a new invaded my inbox. Whether it’s for budgetary reasons or motives of nostalgia, there’s always a way to freshen up an old deck (provided the framework is structurally sound, of course). A deck facelift or extension is sometimes all that is required. And there’s no denying the power of media word-of-mouth.
bossenterprise@outlook.com
