Are you considering building a deck for your new home or renovating your previous deck? This is a pretty important aspect of the house, although it is often not given enough credit. However, you want to make sure you get the best deck, and composite decking is, by all means, your best bet.
Take a look around, and you will notice that most modern buildings incorporate composite decking for the best results. This article will explain everything you need to know about composite decking and how you can get it on a budget.
What is Composite Decking?
Composite decking is a modern system that involves using a material known as composite lumber. This material combines wood fiber, plastic, and binding materials to form a denser and more solid material that is excellent for decks. As expected, this material tends to be more durable than ordinary wood, which is the reason for its growing popularity. This material also comes in different sizes and types, including;
- Solid Composite Decking: As the name suggests, this type of decking is solid and mostly used as permanent floors for houses and offices. These decks are also very durable, with the only significant disadvantage being that they undergo warp during extreme weather conditions.
- Hollow Composite Decking: This type of decking involves using a lighter type of decking board known as hollow or blank composite decking boards. Their lightweight makes them easier to install, but they are not very contact-resistant.
- Capped Composite Decking: The decking material used here often consists of a core and a cap. The core is made of organic wood filler and plastic, while the cap is made of synthetic materials to solidify the deck. It is a solid type of decking often used in areas of the house most exposed to wear and tear.
Why Choose Composite Decking?
The benefits of choosing composite decking are pretty apparent, which is the reason for the high usage in previous years. If you are yet to be convinced of the benefits of this option, here are some significant reasons to choose composite decking.
- It requires less maintenance
- It is more durable than most decking options
- It is aesthetically pleasing and adds to the beauty of your home
- It is practical and relatively inexpensive
- It provides long-term value
- It provides a variety of material options for your decking.1
Top Tips for Building a Composite Deck on a Budget
For all the wonderful benefits of composite decking, it is worth knowing that this renovation, like most others, might start to become uncomfortably pricey at some point. It is only natural, especially considering it’s a modern decking style and that the result is always beauty to behold. However, you should not be discouraged by the eminent cost of getting a composite deck. In fact, you can find solace in the fact that you can boycott some of these expenses with a good strategy. That said, here are some tips for building a composite deck on a budget.
- Know Your Budget: The first step when kicking off any important project is to know your budget. This step gives you an insight into what you have to work with and how to work with it. After all, you are not looking for the cheapest composite decking method. Instead, you are trying to get the best out of an existing budget. Therefore, you need to calculate and write out your budget so you know what you are working with.
- Plan: Next step involves planning. The essence of this step cannot be overemphasized, as it helps ensure you get a fitting composite decking without breaking the bank or over-exceeding your budget. However, you need to devise a good plan, or this whole step will be in vain. If you can afford it, you can even contact a professional to help you create a good composite decking plan that fits your budget.
- Save Materials: Note that your plan should also include a comprehensive list of the materials needed to complete the project. While utilizing these materials, you should also be careful and not wasteful. Of course, a project like this will always generate offsets (the material you throw away). But then you can keep these offsets minimal by rightly measuring what you need for each section. Also, you can use some material remnants from each section to augment others.
- Think About Long-Term Costs: Taking on a significant project while working with a budget can be tricky. For a start, you must decide whether to sacrifice long-term or short-term costs. Of course, while the short-term costs might be much healthier for your budget, it would be pound foolish to ignore the long-term repercussions. So, while planning for your composite decking, consider the long-term costs, except if you want to be stuck repeating this project after a short while.
- Don’t Compromise on Quality: Still, on the subject of long-term costs, another dilemma you might face is that of quality or cost. Again, you might be tempted to compromise on quality to save cost, which is one huge mistake renovators often make. Well, it is better to slightly exceed your budget than compromise on the quality of materials used, especially in a project as significant as composite decking. However, with a good plan, you can get the best quality material without exhausting your budget.
- Work With Your Existing Deck: If you find that your budget might be overstretched during this project, then you may want to consider making do with some materials from your existing deck. Of course, a total renovation is often better if your budget allows it. But then, if you want to save cost, you can save some quality materials from your old decking to use for your new one. For example, you can still use the foundation from the previous deck and avoid spending money on making a new one.
- Don’t Be Extravagant With Your New Design: The modern housing system has seen the introduction of many modern decking designs. Of course, we all want our deck to be aesthetically pleasing, which makes perfect sense. However, you must admit that dome designs are just beyond your reach. Except you have enough allowance on your budget, you might want to stick with designs that your budget can finance.
Conclusion
The floor is an important part of any building, and it is crucial that you get the decking right. Of the many options available, composite decking has proved superior on several levels, as highlighted in this article. You have also seen some expert tips to help you build a composite deck on a budget.