Deck Builder & Contractor in Cincinnati, OH

Does an outdoor living space add value to your home?

Top 10 Outdoor Living Space Features That Boost Home Value

Looking for ways to improve the resale value of your home? With additions like patios and decks, fire pits and outdoor kitchens, and even swimming pools, you can improve the chances of selling your home for more and (in some cases) quicker. Below are the top ten exterior features that can provide better returns for homeowners!

Garage Doors
Front Door
Patios
Outdoor Kitchens
Decks
Fire Pits or a space that would accommodate.
Pergola or Extended Roof Overhang
Swimming Pool
Professional Landscaping
Outdoor Lighting

Patios

Patios are a sought-after amenity for most homes, making them a valuable addition when trying to sell a home quickly. On average, the cost of building a patio can be as high as $20-$50 sq ft depending on size and materials used. That said, it’s estimated that well-designed patios not only add 8-10% home value, but also earn an ROI of over 80%. Patio options typically include stamped concrete or paver patios. It's worth going with a premium paver or upgrading to a decorative / stamped concrete. Patios designed with a deck, or a roof are very popular as a deck the whole width of the back of your home may look overwhelming. We recommend leaving a good amount of yard space as well for potential future buyers. Even though we recommend tailoring your backyard to your family's needs, resale value is always very important to us.

Get the best return on your outdoor patio with these tips:

DO: Add lighting to enjoy your outdoor living room in the evening and add patio furniture for more comfort.
DON’T: Take up too much backyard space. Many families love big backyards and green space, so leave enough space for kids and pets.

Outdoor living is the new standard. Decks have a very high ROI. Most Realtors will tell you that a quality low maintenance deck is a great selling feature. Decks are highly rated for the return on investment. A deck adds extra living space to your home at a relatively low price compared to building an alternative enclosed area in your home. These days a deck and outdoor living space is the new home addition.

Porch Project by All Decked Out Cincinnati, Ohio

Do I need a permit to build a deck?

Almost all deck projects require a building permit, but we handle this process for our clients. My advice to anyone considering building a deck is to first check with your HOA to see if there are any limitations and also the local zoning department to find out if you have any setback requirements that may cause you to need a variance. Even if you are just replacing decking, adding new steps and railings many building departments still require a building permit so it's always best to check to see if it's needed. Many contractors will tell clients that if they are rebuilding a deck in the exact same location that a building permit is not needed. This is not true. If you are ever in question if a building permit is required, we recommend checking with your local building department. Permits are not usually required typically for minor deck repairs.

Can we use our existing framing and install new decking and rails?

We do not recommend keeping your old deck framing if your deck structure is over 5 years old. We do not warranty the existing framing and there may be noticeable flaws in your existing structure that may be more noticeable with the new decking. We recommend a 40 point deck inspection prior if going with this option and can offer this as an additional service as well. All we can do is make recommendations but it is your final decision. The framing of a deck is the most important part, so why install high-end decking on framing that will not last as long as your new decking and rails when overall the framing is not that much more of an expense. For more information: Click Here

7 Reasons Why Building New is Better than Re-Decking

While re-decking looks excellent on the surface, in practice, we’ve seen it let many homeowners down. Here are seven reasons why building a stunning new deck makes more sense than choosing deck restoration.

Limited Design Options — When you build from the ground up, the sky is the limit. You have nearly unlimited creative possibilities, so you can create something new or fix something you disliked about your previous deck. Whether you want to build a covered porch, a two-story deck, or something equally exciting, the freedom to do what you want is yours. Deck designs have only gotten more ambitious and exciting, and your new project can be on the cutting edge.
Fewer Savings than You Think — The prospect of saving money is the big reason that re-decking has such an appeal, but once again, it sounds better than it is. When you go with a deck restoration, you don’t have to pay for the frame, only the deck boards. Here’s the thing though: framing is the cheapest part of the deck project. Deck restoration only saves the frame, which doesn’t provide you with enough savings to make it worthwhile. We compare re-decking to repainting a broken-down 1994 Ford Truck because it has new tires.
Holes in Your Warranty — At All Decked Out, we stand behind our work with a great warranty, and most reputable deck companies do the same. However, contractors can only stand behind their work, so if you choose re-decking, you’ll likely ONLY get a warranty to cover the new deck boards, not you're deck framing. If you build fresh, you get a full-coverage warranty.
Old Structure Can’t Always Go Composite — When you keep a 15 to 20-year-old deck structure, you get 15 to 20 years of performance. Depending on joist placement, some older deck foundations can’t properly support low-maintenance, ultra-popular composite decking. So if you choose re-decking, you may end up stuck with outdated wood deck boards. Learn more about composite vs. wooden decks.
No Outdoor Kitchens — Outdoor kitchens are one of the hottest additions to any outdoor living space. People love cooking gourmet meals in a full kitchen on their deck or porch. When you build a new area, you can center it around your custom outdoor kitchen. Unfortunately, re-decking a 15 or 20-year-old structure won’t give you the strength to incorporate a proper outdoor kitchen.
Your Deck May Not Meet Building Codes — Another result of placing a fresh set of boards on an antique frame, your restored deck may not meet building codes for your area. If there have been significant changes to the regulations in your area, your decade-old deck won’t be legal. This can prove to be expensive and inconvenient — we’ve seen it too many times to be able to recommend re-decking.
It’ll Look Exactly the Same — This reason might not be quite as practical, but this is the main reason why re-decking tends to disappoint. Even though deck restoration is slightly cheaper, it’s still a significant investment. There’s nothing more disappointing than investing thousands of dollars and having the same outdated deck, just a little better. When you revolutionize your outdoor space with a brand-new showpiece deck, jaws will drop. Most of your guests probably won’t even notice when you go with re-decking.

Is there a perfect decking product out there?

There are pros and cons to every product. We can go over the pros and cons but highly recommend weighing all of your options. Decking has evolved over the years. Typically, the new lines of decking tend to be the better performing or better color options. PVC decking tends to be the best for keeping cool to the feet especially near pool areas but does tend to contract and expand quite a bit more and framing should be spaced closer together. It also has a tendency to warp more from Low E window reflections. The capped composites tend to be hotter to the feet but gives a more natural wood look. The best on the market currently is Deckorators Voyage decking. It's a mineral based polypropylene product and has no wood fillers. It's extremely durable, has a great warranty and has proven to perform well. With it being a totally different technology than many other competing decking products it sure has made a mark in the industry and has been our go to choice for decking.

Who handles the design?

We do! Our best designs to date have been bouncing ideas back and forth with our clients to get feedback and come up with something really usable and unique that suits their family's needs. Joe Hagen the owner of All Decked Out and award-winning designer will most likely be working up the design for your backyard. We work with the building departments on a daily basis and are very qualified to generate plans for your project. The building department has a plans examinator on staff that reviews project plans prior to providing the permits for the project. We study the codes of our industry and have some national award-winning designs. If your project needs engineering plans or we need plans from an architect, we prefer to work with them directly and collaborate on design so they fully understand how we build our decks to ensure we can still deliver an amazing, finished product. We need engineers and architects in our line of work, but we have the field experience to bring the project to life.

Does All Decked Out build wood decks?

Even though wood decking is cheaper, we have built and serviced enough decks over the years to know that in most cases the extra money spent on composite decking is well worth the saved maintenance, work, and long-term aesthetics and durability. Wood is costly in the long term due to the constant maintenance it requires and is not worth the investment unless you're getting your home on the market and need to sell your home with a deck. We are in business to make our clients happy but with a wood deck we have no control with what the wood will do and how it will perform. We have decided to focus all of our efforts on composite low maintenance higher quality decks. We no longer build wood decks.

NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING OUTDOOR LIVING

We turn backyard's into your kind of beautiful.

Does an outdoor living space add value to your home?

Top 10 Outdoor Living Space Features That Boost Home Value

Patios

Do I need a permit to build a deck?

Can we use our existing framing and install new decking and rails?

7 Reasons Why Building New is Better than Re-Decking

Is there a perfect decking product out there?

Who handles the design?

Does All Decked Out build wood decks?

Deck Builders in Cincinnati, OH

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