A good wood deck design will incorporate all of the same design elements present inside the home itself. It will feature traffic patterns that have been thought out and accommodated to provide a balanced flow. It should provide sufficient seating and standing room for the average number of guests. It should include appropriate lighting, electrical outlets, and water as necessary.

Wood Deck Design Requires Thought

As mentioned above, a wood deck design should include all of the same thought and planning that any other room in your home would. You need to consider where you will be placing your seating so that access to the stairs won't cause disruptions to those people that are seated. This is known as traffic flow. It also means that if you plan to set up a grilling station or even a cooking area that includes an outdoor sink and counter, you want to make certain that there is a clear path for the cook to get back into the house.

Never design a deck for the maximum number of people that you could possibly entertain as this will cause you to build too large a deck. Similarly, don't skimp on space and assume that only your immediate family will be using the deck or you will find that you could never have company over to enjoy your outside room. A good rule of thumb to follow is to make the deck at least as large as your great room or family room. Since you have probably entertained there, you already have a good idea of the number of people it can hold comfortably.

A good wood deck design should also feature appropriate lighting and electrical outlets. Low voltage lighting works quite well on decks while floodlights do not. There's nothing worse than sitting out on a summer evening with 250-watt floodlights and having the feeling of being in a prison yard. Soft low voltage lights can be unobtrusive, offer plenty of visibility, and accent your deck like almost nothing else can. Don't forget that any room requires electrical outlets, and your deck is like any other room in your house. You may even consider running cable for television and speaker wire for the full effect.