What should I decide first in a deck remodel?

A deck remodel is decking boards, balustrade and size. The board and the rail decide how it looks; the dimensions decide whether it gets used, and most disappointing decks are simply too narrow to put a table on.

What goes wrong most often?

A deck sized to the budget rather than to a table, so it never holds one. Boards run diagonally, which makes a small deck look busy and wastes material.

Will it work in a small deck?

Under 10ft deep, drop the dining ambition and build in perimeter seating instead. Fixed benches give a narrow deck usable capacity that loose furniture never will.

Can I see it on my own deck before starting?

Yes — photograph the space and run it through the Studio. It is generated imagery, so compare the render against your photo rather than treating it as a plan.

How to Light a Deck

The layer people skip, and the one that makes the rest of the work visible. An outdoor room, once it is big enough to hold furniture.

BeforeAfter

1
The plan
Low and downward. Step lights, rail lights and a couple of low-level washes make a deck usable after dark without lighting the neighbours or killing the view. Anything mounted high and aimed out turns the deck into a stage.
2
What it has to light
The elements the work touches — decking boards and direction, balustrade and handrail, steps and edging, built-in seating — are what the lighting has to make legible. Finishes chosen under a showroom's light and lit badly at home look like different materials.
3
Where lighting goes wrong here
A floodlight on the house wall aimed across the deck.

Questions

What should I decide first in a deck remodel?: A deck remodel is decking boards, balustrade and size. The board and the rail decide how it looks; the dimensions decide whether it gets used, and most disappointing decks are simply too narrow to put a table on.
What goes wrong most often?: A deck sized to the budget rather than to a table, so it never holds one. Boards run diagonally, which makes a small deck look busy and wastes material.
Will it work in a small deck?: Under 10ft deep, drop the dining ambition and build in perimeter seating instead. Fixed benches give a narrow deck usable capacity that loose furniture never will.
Can I see it on my own deck before starting?: Yes — photograph the space and run it through the Studio. It is generated imagery, so compare the render against your photo rather than treating it as a plan.

How to Light a Deck

The plan

What it has to light

Where lighting goes wrong here

Questions