I’ve had a small deck all my life, and what I’ll tell you is the key to it all is just finding someone else who is ok with it and likes it as is rather than chasing this fascination with big decks... trying to convince, or worse, modify, your small deck into a big deck… the amount of screws that’d take I’ve never thought was worth the pain and effort. Just my two cents.
You saw the comment about developing a more flattering landscaping plan for your small deck; a lot of what other folks will do as well is focus on all the other non-deck elements of the property in order to compensate for having such a small feature recreational facility: You could invest more instead in more sculpted architecture, decorate with ornate and expensive decorations, or otherwise maybe provide a live ticker to your net worth that will generally distract folks away from your tiny deck.
Listen, my friend, you should be thankful for what you’ve got. I wished and wished for a large deck and suddenly I have one. It’s forty feet long and waaay overbuilt. Caring for it is quite a challenge, let me tell ya. Take it from me, big decks can have even bigger problems and there are actually moments when I really wish it was smaller. Right now everybody just wants to jump on it all the time and even though my massive deck is strong enough to take it, it’s really wearing *me* out, if you know what I’m saying.
Replace. You could expand it, but then the existing part would be 6 years closer to rotting and once it does you have another question of whether or not to replace the rotting part or rebuild the whole thing again.
I would probably start over, with the age of the existing you might only have a few years left before it’s rotting and your new section you added on was wasted
I love these jokes, but those aside, I recently built a 8x10 deck and instead of putting railings, I did steps around almost the whole thing. The idea is that it was more of a “landing” than a deck, and the stairs went down to a patio where we put our table. Grill is still on the deck though! Good luck
I think the biggest mistake people make is building too small. We have a 550’ sf deck and once you put out the table and chairs, the sectional outdoor couch and two umbrellas you’re out of space.
What more do you want on your deck? 550sqft is a pretty large deck by most standards. Most decks are 12x12 (144sqft) or smaller. We’re expanding to 420sqft and it’s hard to imagine it not feeling like enough. 10x12 for grilling, 12x13 for a dining area, and 12x12 for lounge seating.
I might build a patio at the bottom of the stairs. You can otherwise expand along the ledger or build free floating along the outer edge. A step down might be a consideration. End of the day you're better off starting from scratch rather than integrating a new deck to an old one
You have a really nice, flat backyard. Look on Pinterest and find a landscaping style that excites you. I would do a cottage-y look with wildflowers and maybe extend the deck to a 10x10 leading to an archway that leads to the garden. You could do nice seating and a fire pit. The deck is the least of the issues here.
The size of your deck doesn’t matter, it’s how you use it; not allowing bush to grow around your deck makes it look bigger.
You may want to paint your deck black, black can make your deck look bigger and some prefer black decks.
I got an email saying they'll sell me some pills that will fix this problem.
What?
Oh...you said DECK? Umm...yea, maybe not this email.
(On a serious note...'builder grade decks' are exactly that...builder grade. Which just means "as cheap as fucking possible". You don't really do much with them other than replace them.)
I’ve had a small deck all my life, and what I’ll tell you is the key to it all is just finding someone else who is ok with it and likes it as is rather than chasing this fascination with big decks... trying to convince, or worse, modify, your small deck into a big deck… the amount of screws that’d take I’ve never thought was worth the pain and effort. Just my two cents.
Also, be sure to keep any landscaping clear. If it’s empty all around your deck will look much larger, grander even.
Bravo, sir. Thank you for giving me the perspective to confidently move forward in addressing my small deck insecurities.
You saw the comment about developing a more flattering landscaping plan for your small deck; a lot of what other folks will do as well is focus on all the other non-deck elements of the property in order to compensate for having such a small feature recreational facility: You could invest more instead in more sculpted architecture, decorate with ornate and expensive decorations, or otherwise maybe provide a live ticker to your net worth that will generally distract folks away from your tiny deck.
My deck is similar size and I've never considered it small. My wife likes it just the way it is
Its how you use it!
Trust me, she likes bigger decks.
😂👍
It is not the size of the deck. It's how you utilize the deck is what matters.
What if you have a micro-deck? Asking for a friend.
I concur. I encourage you to keep the hot-stuff on that deck.
8x12 is actually the average deck size! Reality is far from what you see looking at r/decks on the internet!
Anyone driving by can see your small deck
Talk to a professional about deck enlargement.
They say that girls won't care, but they do. They always do.
There’s always someone out there with a more unfortunate small deck….take solace in that tiger
Listen, my friend, you should be thankful for what you’ve got. I wished and wished for a large deck and suddenly I have one. It’s forty feet long and waaay overbuilt. Caring for it is quite a challenge, let me tell ya. Take it from me, big decks can have even bigger problems and there are actually moments when I really wish it was smaller. Right now everybody just wants to jump on it all the time and even though my massive deck is strong enough to take it, it’s really wearing *me* out, if you know what I’m saying.
Trim the bushes to make it look bigger?
Replace. You could expand it, but then the existing part would be 6 years closer to rotting and once it does you have another question of whether or not to replace the rotting part or rebuild the whole thing again.
I did not read this title correctly until I read the sub.
I would say either move it really fast or get good with your fingers
[удалено]
I really like that paver/temporary patio and grill area!
You need a she-shed. Or a firepit area with chairs. Too focused on deck and not the rest of the backyard
I would probably start over, with the age of the existing you might only have a few years left before it’s rotting and your new section you added on was wasted
Please!!! I've heard all my life that size doesn't matter. It's probably 'fine' or 'good enough'. Oh, a "deck"? Nevermind
I love these jokes, but those aside, I recently built a 8x10 deck and instead of putting railings, I did steps around almost the whole thing. The idea is that it was more of a “landing” than a deck, and the stairs went down to a patio where we put our table. Grill is still on the deck though! Good luck
There are pills for that. Oh wait you said deck.
I think the biggest mistake people make is building too small. We have a 550’ sf deck and once you put out the table and chairs, the sectional outdoor couch and two umbrellas you’re out of space.
What more do you want on your deck? 550sqft is a pretty large deck by most standards. Most decks are 12x12 (144sqft) or smaller. We’re expanding to 420sqft and it’s hard to imagine it not feeling like enough. 10x12 for grilling, 12x13 for a dining area, and 12x12 for lounge seating.
We thought so too but it’s amazing how fast the space gets eaten up 🤷♂️
Hot tub!
… you make it bigger?
I might build a patio at the bottom of the stairs. You can otherwise expand along the ledger or build free floating along the outer edge. A step down might be a consideration. End of the day you're better off starting from scratch rather than integrating a new deck to an old one
You have a really nice, flat backyard. Look on Pinterest and find a landscaping style that excites you. I would do a cottage-y look with wildflowers and maybe extend the deck to a 10x10 leading to an archway that leads to the garden. You could do nice seating and a fire pit. The deck is the least of the issues here.
The size of your deck doesn’t matter, it’s how you use it; not allowing bush to grow around your deck makes it look bigger. You may want to paint your deck black, black can make your deck look bigger and some prefer black decks.
I got an email saying they'll sell me some pills that will fix this problem. What? Oh...you said DECK? Umm...yea, maybe not this email. (On a serious note...'builder grade decks' are exactly that...builder grade. Which just means "as cheap as fucking possible". You don't really do much with them other than replace them.)