Secrets to

GreatDecks

32 CABIN LIFE, CABIN LIVING

by Jim Kneiszel

Why does it seem likeso many deckseither turn out likea runway or aphone booth? Likesomething tacked

on willy nilly to the cabin? Like anafterthought?

We all know someone who gotso carried away with lumber and acircular saw that his deck ended updwarfing the cabin. You almost needan intercom to call the kids overfrom the other end of the deck.

Then there’s the puny deck atthe neighbor’s cabin down the lane.A few drinks into that last cookoutand things were getting a little toocozy with everyone tripping overeach other. Looked like a game ofTwister without the big colored dots.

And then nothing’s ever in theright place on the deck. Rememberwhen your friends came over lastwinter and complained about howfar the hot tub was from the backdoor? Now they teasingly refer tothat night as the Donner Party.

Denny Vanden Avond wantedto avoid all those mistakes when hebuilt his Legend Lake retreat innorthern Wisconsin. He considershis deck the most important “room’’at the cabin and wanted it to be justright. So instead of having just anyold deck slapped onto his cottageduring construction, he took a year

to become acquainted with the slopeof his lake lot, the traffic patterns ofhis family and the appearance of hisneighbors’ decks.

The biggest lesson Denny andhis wife Pat learned about deckdesign is the same advice many pro-fessional deck builders find them-selves giving over and over again inthe early stages of planning: Thinkbig and live large. Leave a littleelbow room. You want to be able tospread out the newspaper, flop outin the sun on a chaise lounge, orinvite a few friends over for bratsand beer. And if selling is in yourfuture, consider that improvementsto outdoor gathering places, such asdecks, dramatically increase theresale value of a second home. (See“Fine-Tuning Your Getaway,”July/Aug 2001 CABIN LIFE magazine.)

The Vanden Avonds’ deck con-tractor gently steered the coupletoward a bigger deck, bumping outthe front section of the wraparoundporch from 10 to 12 feet and anotherwalkway area from four to eight feet.

“I’m so glad we went larger,’’Denny says. “It really makes a dif-ference when we have a party. We’vehad 15 to 20 people up there andnobody’s cramped for space.’’

Some Simple RulesSkimping on size is the biggest

mistake people make when they

Some decksare too small.Some decksare too large.Make sureyour deck’s just right . . .

JUNE/JULY 2002 33

Left: Make room for furniture.Shown here, Camino Real syntheticwicker from the WeatherMaster collec-tion of Laneventure.

Below: Create nooks and corners.Photo courtesy of Decking Northwest.

Upper right: Be mindful of traffic flow.Photo courtesy of Decking Northwest

design a deck. Cabin owners gener-ally underestimate how much timethey’ll spend on the deck taking inthe views of the mountains, lakes,rivers or forests that drew them tothe cabin lifestyle in the first place.

Think of the deck as an exten-sion of the cabin; it’s your outdoorliving room. Plan sufficiently forevening cookouts, or lazy parties withfriends and relatives who visit for theweekend. Be sure there’s enoughroom for adults and kids to separatefor their own, often socially incom-patible, pursuits. That first Fourth ofJuly party is no time to find out thatthe deck isn’t big enough.

Randy Varga, owner ofPortland, Oregon-based DeckingNorthwest, learned this rule thehard way. For a friend, he built a10-foot-wide deck that was sup-posed to accomodate a table andchairs. It didn’t work.

“What you get is a really, reallywide walkway with space only forchaise lounges,’’ he said “Anytimeyou wanted to get by, you had tomove chairs and work your way in.’’

That was when Varga learnedthe rule of 12s, one which hasserved him well in building hun-dreds of decks in the hills overlook-ing Portland. A patio table is typi-cally about five feet across. Addthree feet for chairs on either side ofthe table and you have eight feet.Pull the chairs away from the tablewhen you want to relax with a glassof wine after dinner and you’re upto 10 feet. Adding two more feetallows you to get around the tablewithout sending wine glasses flying.For that reason, he doesn’t recom-mend any all-purpose decks smallerthan 12 by 12 or 12 by 14 feet.

Varga has learned other no-non-sense spacial lessons over the years.Want a hot tub? Figure for a seven-foot-square tub: three feet to walkaround the outside of the tub, anoth-er foot for a railing and you have a14-by-14-foot space. Varga made hisown hot tub area 16 feet by 16 feet,which – it turns out – is too big.When he leans on the railing, he feels

34 CABIN LIFE, CABIN LIVING

Left: Build deck at least 12 feetwide. Photo courtesy of DeckingNorthwest

Below: Separate spaces for kids andadults. Photo courtesy ofTimberTech.

like he can’t make himself be heardover the din of the bubbling waters.

Do you entertain a lot? Vargasuggests a deck with nooks and cor-ners to encourage small groups ofpeople to congregate or to provideromantic spots for couples to grab a moonlit kiss. Add a wide railingaround the deck so people have aplace to set their drinks or plates of food or a place to park theirvideo cam.

“I want to create these naturalconversation areas where people cansit in the corners and talk forever,’’Varga says.

Useable SpaceNeed to make the most of a

small deck? Add railings all the wayaround even if you aren’t requiredto for height considerations. InVarga’s many years of observation,he’s learned that people won’t usethe outside two feet of deck if thereis no railing. They will stand or sit24 inches from the edge of thedeck. But if the deck has a railing,they will lean on the rail and standat the edge of the deck.

“It’s a builder’s trick,” he says.“A small deck with handrails createsa lot of useable space.’’ Safety as wellas efficiency prompts Varga to usehandrails in many cases wheremunicipal codes don’t require them.And he prefers vertical spindlesinstead of the horizontal ladderdesigns kids will be tempted to scaleas a play activity.

Traffic PatternsWhen he designs a deck, Varga

thinks in terms of canoeing on ariver. He develops natural flowingtraffic patterns and low-trafficeddies where people can escape therushing current of activity. Thetraffic patterns have to lead to alogical destination, like a door tothe kitchen upstream and stairs to abeach or garden downstream.

One trick to make it easier toanalyze traffic patterns requires atrip to the hardware store for a fewcans of spray paint. After deck plans

6 ideas for adandy deck:Designers offer these classy-but-inexpensive touches to transform a modestdeck into an inviting outdoor lounge:

• Set deck boards at an angle: Diagonal decking adds pizzazz at a small cost.It also gives the deck builder something to do with small scraps which can beworked into the corners. Other common options are diamond, herringboneor basket weave patterns.

• Cut the corners: Cut 45-degree angles into a few corners of the deck to addinterest and soften a boxy look on a larger deck. Take it a step further byadding small niches for conversation areas or a place to park the grill.

• Use inlaid wood: Ed Smith, of Deck Designs of Brentwood in Tennessee,sometimes dresses up a plain deck with an inlaid design in contrasting materi-al which reflects the homeowner’s interests. He put a 6-by-4-foot inlaid foot-ball in a deck for Tennessee Titans football player Kevin Carter and the pro-file of a duck in a duck hunter’s deck.

• Choose contrasting colors: Whether you use a composite plastic deckingproduct which comes in a variety of colors or two types of wood, add a dis-tinctive look with contrasting handrail spindles or deck supports.

• Consider composites: If you don’t want to restain or replace the wood onyour deck, upgrade from pressure-treated pine to newer materials likeTimberTech or Trex composites. Material cost is higher, but the compositesrequire no maintenance and should last longer.

• Utilize arbors, screening or handrail details: A few hours labor and a smallinvestment in materials can yield a unique design while protecting the deckfrom the harsh sun and nosey neighbors. Arbors help direct traffic flow andprovide a place to plant vining plants. Wrought iron or copper elements with-in a handrail design can make a deck stand out.

Composite decking such as TimberTech, shown here, requires no maintenance.

are down on paper, spray-paint theoutline in the back yard. Go crazyadding tables, chairs, the grill, any-thing that will be used on the deck.The paint is easier to work withthan a string and wooden stake out-line and is a quick way to see ifplans are practical.

“We’re creatures of habit.Everyone likes to take a shortcut,’’Varga says. “Make it a nice clearshot to get to where you’re going.Keep it simple and straightforwardand limit the area that I can get offthe deck. I don’t want a 12-by-20-foot deck with three exits andnowhere to put anything that’s notin a pathway.’’

Look for out-of-the-way areasthat will be used for relaxing pur-suits and put cozy conversation-inviting furniture there. Park the

grill near the door that leads to thekitchen. And just as you would doindoors, put the dining table closeto the kitchen.

Hot TubsEspecially in cooler regions, the

hot tub should be as close as isconvenient to a doorway into thecabin. Studies by the hot tubindustry show that the frequency ofuse drops off dramatically the far-ther the tub is from an entry.Varga’s magic hot tub number is 15feet. Useability drops considerablybeyond that. Avoid placing a sepa-rate hot tub deck any farther fromthe house – unless you’ve got areally great spot for a wood-firedhot tub.

Modest souls will also want toconsider putting the hot tub out of

36 CABIN LIFE, CABIN LIVING

Above:Place hot tub out of sight ofneighbors. Photo courtesy ofDecking Northwest.

Right, top:Take advantage of the view.Photo courtesy of TimberTech.

Right, middle:Design a custom deck. ThisTimberTech deck connects homewith dock.

Right, bottom:Create natural conversationspots. Photo courtesy ofTimberTech.

the eyeshot of neighbors or incorpo-rate some sort of screen into thedeck design. Varga asks customers ifthey’re going into the tub nudebecause that may change the tub’splacement. Use a kitchen chair onthe deck – about the same height asa seat in a hot tub – to checkprospective views of the tub fromvarious angles.

Varga also suggests people putthe tub where it can be seen fromthe kitchen window.

“I want to supervise my 5-year-old and my 18-year-old whenthey’re out there. I want to makesure the younger ones are keepingtheir heads above water and thatthere’s no hanky-panky with theolder ones,’’ he says.

Varga recommends differentstyles of decks for different kinds offamily situations. For couples withyoung children, he always suggests asimple, single-level deck with carefulattention to safety features like rail-ings and steps. Older couples andfamilies with older children maywant more elaborate multi-leveldecks for entertaining.

Beautiful DecksWhen Ed Smith designs a deck,

he starts by surveying the site andquizzing clients about how they willuse the deck. The owner of DeckDesigns of Brentwood nearNashville, Tenn., has built manyelaborate decks. But even whenmoney isn’t a consideration, Smithprefers simple, single-level deckswith a few rich details, includingangled decking, inlaid designs andcontrasting colors in wood andcomposite material.

“I usually stay away from multi-levels. You won’t use them,’’ Smithsays. “Here you have an 8-by-8-footspace halfway down. It’s neat andpretty and all that, but do you eversee anybody sitting there? I tend togo more toward being practical thanbeautiful. I like everything balanced,with steps leading to where youwant to go.’’

Smith aims to make decks that

are well-used. Most people, he said,have conventional needs in a deck –often choosing decks in the 16-by-24-foot range with areas for seating,cooking and lounging. More impor-tant than elaborate designs are decksthat take advantage of both sunnyand shady areas and put million-dollar views to the best use. He fol-lowed simple rules for his own 12-by-16-foot vacation home deck onthe backwaters of the MississippiRiver in southern Illinois.

Smith’s deck is like an informaloutdoor great room, a natural exten-sion of his cabin’s living space. It’s aplace to watch the sun go downwhile enjoying a big fat cigar andshooting the bull with his buddies.A place to shovel down a few hot-cakes before an early morning touron the bass boat. Why get fancywhen an ample rectangular spacewill do the trick?

“I like to keep it simple, use itand enjoy it,’’ he says.

A Final WordMost deck-buyers today take

time to look around and do someresearch. Magazines, deck industryWeb sites, do-it-yourself books andcomputer design programs arechock full of ideas. Those ideas canbe morphed into a custom deck that will work in any vacation home setting.

But most cabin owners couldbenefit from a second opinion froman experienced deck builder ordesigner. Before you go out andspend thousands of dollars on an ill-conceived deck designed on theback of a napkin, consider consult-ing with a builder, home center orlandscape architect for ideas.

And one last word of advice:Build big. Once you skimp, it’s real-ly hard to add on.

You can find writer-photographer JimKneiszel this summer hanging out at thefamily cabin in northern Wisconsin. Hisdeck is big enough so he doesn’t have torub bellies with his brother-in-law whenreaching for the brats.