Concrete Patio Replacement with Wooden Deck or Composite Deck?
Here are 10 Great Reasons
author: Terry Campbell
. Environmentally Friendly
. Natural looking
. No Need to Remove Old Concrete
. Can Do It Yourself
. No Heavy Equipment Needed
. No Permit Required
. Choice of Materials
. Ease of Design
. Cooler Ventilated Walking Surface
. Stain to Match Environment
A Wooden Deck is a good alternative to concrete:
>When looking at a Patio Replacement, a Wooden Deck or Composite Deck is a good alternative to concrete. It is naturally Environmentally Friendly and can be more ecologically balanced since it comes from renewable sources. Cracked Concrete will be in a Landfill for many years to come unless you are lucky enough to have a concrete recycling plant close by. The manufacturing of concrete can also leave a large carbon foot print.
A Wooden deck has a natural look and feel:
> A Wooden Deck or Composite Deck are more Natural looking and can blend with the surroundings and create more of a natural flow. Tell the truth, have you ever seen concrete do this?
When installing a Wooden Deck there is no need to remove old concrete:
> No Need to Remove Old Concrete. This old concrete can be used as a very stable footing for your new Wooden Deck or Composite Deck and therefore you can go right over the top of it. Out of site out of mind. This can also save you the cost of disposal.
Wooden Deck, you can do it yourself:
> You Can build a Wooden Deck yourself if you have basic carpentry skill to read a tape and level, hammer a nail and operate a skill saw. If you choose this route please be sure to take safety precautions when using power tools and remember to wear safety glasses to protect your eyes. Have you ever tried to bust up cracked concrete and remove it? You had better be very physically fit!
With a Wooden Deck covering the old concrete:
> No Heavy Equipment Needed. Have you ever tried to remove concrete without Heavy Equipment. It takes skill not to mention the mess that it can make to your yard while using it. You do want to have a nice yard to look at while enjoying your new Wooden Deck don’t you?
No Permit Required for a Wooden Deck or Composite Deck:
> Here in the Dallas Texas metro area the majority of the cities I have worked in do require a building permit when pouring a concrete foundation but when you are installing a wooden deck that is not elevated over a certain height does not require one. You do want to check with your municipality to make sure that it is or isn’t required in your area.
A Wooden Deck has a variety of choices:
> Choice of Materials. You have a wide variety when it comes to choice of materials to construct with. For a Wooden Deck you have Cedar, Redwood, Pressure Treated Pine and then you have several choices in Tropical Hardwoods. With a Composite Deck you also have several choice and styles. It would take 2 more articles to explain the advantages and disadvantages of all these but I would recommend that you do your research so that you get the kind that fits your budget and needs.
A Wooden Deck has an ease of design:
> Ease of Design. Using wooden dcek or composite deck material for you Patio Replacement gives you ease of design. The different types of wood can installed in a variety of designs from mitered angles to using shapes that are cut out with a band saw, jig saw or a laser cutter. The composite materials are a little more flexible and can be curved and shaped to get really unique designs.
A Wooden Deck has a cooler walking surface:
> Cooler Ventilated Walking Surface. A Wooden Deck for a Patio needs to be able to expand and contract with temperatures and moisture. To allow this natural process when installing the top boards you leave a gap of 1/8” to 1/4″ depending on the type of materials used. This also allows for some airflow that will make a cooler ventilated walking surface.
A Wooden Deck can be stained to match the environment:
> Stain your Wooden Deck to Match Environment. There are so many different stains and weather sealants available that it might be hard not to come up with a color Stain to Match Environment. If you really wanted to make your patio replacement unique you can use different colors and your artistic imagination to give it the look and feel to match your environment.
As you can see there are a lot of advantages using Wooden Deck or Composite Deck when you are looking at Patio Replacement. If you are to ever sell your home, a Wooden Deck or Composite Deck will add to the saleability.
Which ad sounds more enticing “Concrete Patio” or “Beautiful Backyard Wooden Deck” ?