Mid-Atlantic Deck & Fence

Deck design 101

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:41:15 +0000

I’m constantly amazed by people who spend so much time on the design of their home interiors, then give short shrift to planning their decks. If you’re going to add a deck, it means you want more living space to enjoy and hopefully, increase the value of your home. Don’t waste your money on a deck you won’t be happy with. Deck space should be designed like any other room in your home to provide you with functionality, easy traffic flow, and a complimentary look to your home.

The first part of planning your deck should be outlining what you’re looking for in your outdoor space. Do you want an outdoor eating area? An outdoor hot tub? A covered area? A place for plants? Make a list so your contractor can make it happen.
It is helpful if you have a copy of the site plan or plan for your house when you meet with your contractor. Professional contractors can enter this information into deck plan software to make a more exact, detailed design. It’s one more way of ensuring your happy with the final product.
Remember your deck does not have to be symmetrical to the back of your house. It’s important to achieve a nice blend with the existing architecture.

If you’re ready to add a useful, outdoor living area to your home, contact us and we’ll go through all the steps with you to ensure you wind up with a useful, attractive deck.

More positive feedback for MAD Fence

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:18:05 +0000

We recently received a very nice letter from one of our customers and wanted to pass on some of what was said. This customer had an existing deck we removed and replaced with a low-maintenance deck. We helped not only with the building of the deck but also with designing it. Here’s what the customer had to say:

“I couldn’t be more pleased with my new Azek deck and beautiful, wide stairs to the yard below. … I stopped in one day and had my first visit with David Yost who visited my home on at least four occasions as we fine-tuned the plans to create privacy where it was needed as well as create a maintenance free deck that is spacious and so attractive. Thank you, David, for your input, your excellent ideas, and patience.

Next, a marvelous crew headed by Tim Smith arrived bright and early on the appointed day to begin the demolition of the old deck. Such a congenial and efficient crew! I marveled at how quickly they could dismantle 650 square feet of deck and coordinate the removal of the dumpsters. Within a day, all was torn down and removed.

Tim and his crew arrived by 7 a.m. each morning to begin the construction of the new deck. All were patient when I asked questions during the process, and they demonstrated excellent teamwork and energy throughout each day. Even when I decided to add more post lights to the deck, as they look so beautiful at night, Tim and crew were able to accommodate the late changes.

Neighbors have already stopped to admire the new deck and I look forward to enjoying it for years to come. It is not only beautiful… but I won’t have to strip and stain it as I did the old deck. How awesome is that! Many thanks to the team at Mid-Atlantic Deck and Fence.”

Receiving such compliments are very gratifying, and we’re glad the customer is so pleased with the new deck. You can expect the same service, so contact us today to get your new deck underway.

Enhance your deck dining experience

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:25:19 +0000

Dining al fresco on your deck is one of the great joys of summer. You can enjoy the great food and drink while taking in the scenery around your yard. If you’d like to enhance your experience, here are some things to consider:

1) Raise your dining area. More and more homeowners are defining their deck space the way they do family rooms or living/dining rooms inside. Elevating a portion to your deck or adding on a section designed specifically for your table and chairs is a great way of doing this.

2) Find the right spot for your grill. The closer your grill is to the kitchen, the easier and more enjoyable your grilling experience will be. At the same time having your grill right next to the house is a fire hazard, and you should observe prevailing wind currents around your deck to avoid smoke blowing into the house. Experiment with different spots to find the optimal place for your grill.

3) Fuel your grill. Once you’ve found the perfect spot for the grill, you can look into running a natural gas or propane line directly to it. This can save you the hassle of lighting charcoal or refilling propane tanks. There’s nothing worse than an empty tank when your friends are over.

If these ideas sound good but your deck needs some work to make them happen, contact us for help adding to your deck or running a fuel line. We’ll put our expertise to work in designing and building the deck of your dreams

What “wood” you choose?

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:22:00 +0000

In last week’s blog, we made a passing reference to the differences in the varieties of wood used for fencing. This week we’d like to go into this topic a little further.

As we mentioned last week, we’ve found western red cedar to the best wood for fences. Untreated, it will stand up to weather and insects very well. However, it too will eventually weather into a gray and then black color if you do not stain it, so you will not escape regular maintenance completely.

Southern yellow pine is another popular choice for wood fences. It has a nice light color that many homeowners prefer and is a little cheaper than cedar. However, you’ll definitely want pressure-treated pine. Natural pine does not have cedar’s durability and without pressure treatment, you’ll be replacing it pretty quickly.

Because we buy our lumber by the truckload, we can get better grades of either wood at lower prices than you’ll find elsewhere. Contact us to learn more about your fencing options.

Only the best for Grow Annapolis

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:41:41 +0000

Mid Atlantic Deck and Fence Co. is in downtown Annapolis today installing a fence around a Grow Annapolis garden across from the Marriott on Newman Street. Grow Annapolis is a nonprofit group that acquires small plots of land on which local residents and businesses can plant vegetables and flowers that will be donated to local food banks.

We’re using western red cedar for the project because it’s more eco-friendly than the traditional treated pine. Pine fences contain chemicals that could eventually seep into the soil whereas cedar does not. We don’t need to treat cedar because it has a natural resistance to rot, decay, and termite infestation. It also is very dimensionally stable and accepts a paint or stain very well. All in all, we’ve found that western red cedar is the best choice when it comes to any type of wood fencing.

We’re pleased to have the opportunity to donate our time and material to the Grow Annapolis project. Annapolis residents have been some of our best customers, and we are happy to do the right thing and give back to their community.

Thanks to Grow Annapolis, we have a fun project. If you’re interested in cedar or any other type of fencing for your garden or yard, contact us to learn more about how we can help you.

More than a match for your fence

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:00:48 +0000

We recently encountered an out-of-the-ordinary project. We were called in to install a fence as usual, but the homeowner already had a fence around part of the yard. Our mission, if we chose to accept it, was to install a new fence that matched the existing one. Of course we accepted the mission and rose to the challenge.

Our customer recently sent us a kind thank-you note along with some pictures. You can see for yourself the job we did, but at the risk of tooting our own horn, we’d like to share with you some of the customer’s comments:

“Not only does the new fence provide the privacy we were seeking, it matches perfectly the existing fence.”
“I have not witnessed a smoother or less contentious team of workers and each was more than willing to make adaptations without hesitation in order to accommodate my unique preferences.”
“While many options are available in the hand tool market today, the selection of Milwaukee and Makita grade tools for use by installers reveals management’s respect for its employees and a concern for reliability.”

It’s always nice to know your work’s appreciated, and we were very gratified to receive the note. We enjoyed working with this customer and are happy the homeowner is satisfied. Contact us to learn how we can make you a satisfied customer as well.

7 tips for choosing the right contractor

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:11:33 +0000

Always check to make sure they are licensed by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission, bonded and insured.
IMPORTANT: Always get a proposal in writing that includes a description of work to be performed. A good proposal should provide you with the linear footage of fencing that is to be installed, a drawing showing the gate locations and each line of fencing to be installed, and a description of materials to be used. It also won’t hurt to ask to see a copy of their contract prior to doing business with them so you clearly understand the terms and conditions of the contract you are about to enter.
Any reputable company should be able to provide you with references of completed projects upon your request.
Make sure they have a place of business and go by that location to inspect the materials to be used prior to installation. NEVER do business with a contractor that is using a P.O. Box as its primary business address.
Any good estimator should be willing to provide you with a cell phone number and e-mail address in the event you need to contact him or her after business hours. There is nothing more frustrating than calling a company and gettting an answering machine during normal business hours, waiting two to three days for a response, if you receive one at all.
Most reputable companies belong to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Their BBB account should say they are an accredited member. The BBB also has non accredited member companies it reports on, but there’s less information available on how these companies do business. Accredited members like Mid-Atlantic Deck and Fence pay significant annual dues and work hard to maintain their A+ ratings to help consumers make better about who they deal with.
Never put down more than a third of the cost of the home improvement contract you sign as a deposit. This is state law. Make sure you clearly understand the payment agreements of the contract. Always inspect the work prior to making final payment to a contractor to ensure they have completed their contractual obligations.

These are just a few tips to help you when considering a contractor you wish to do business with. Mid-Atlantic Deck and Fence believes in setting our standards higher, by providing you with good honest estimates, excellent service and quality materials. These things can change the way that most customers feel about contractors. Remember, it’s not always about the money. It’s about the end result and the way you were treated as a customer from your initial contact all the way to the end of your completed project and your service needs thereafter.

Materials Available for Your Deck!

MADfence — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:01:35 +0000

When you’ve finally made the decision to add a deck to your home, one of the most important aspects of your deck is the material you plan on using to build it. Here’s a quick overview of the materials out there for you.

1. Cedar Wood

Pros: Durable, attractive, light, and easy to work with, does not decay as quickly as other woods do, and minimum splintering.

Cons: Needs to be properly maintained if you want it to last for a long time. The wood needs to be coated every year with a sealer in order to maintain its beauty. Its strength level is fairly weak compared with some other woods.

2. Mahogany

Pros: Rich in color and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Minimum splintering. Resists rot and insect damage.

Cons: More expensive than Cedar. Strength similar to cedar.

3. Cypress Wood

Pros: Resistant to rotting, easy to work with, no two patterns look the same thus unique look. moderately strong type of wood.

Cons: Not as easy to locate as Cedar or Mahogany.

4. Pine Wood

Pros: Lightweight, easy to use, attractive, and easy to paint. Less expensive than cedar or redwood due to its availability. Moderately strong.

Cons: Moderately strong, but can experience dents and scratches more easily than other types of wood.

5. Redwood

Pros: Beautiful red hue, resistant to decay, easy to work with.

Cons: Can be quite expensive and not as strong as Cypress or Pine. Need to coat with sealer yearly in order to maintain its fantastic look.

6. Exotic Woods

Pros: Can be much stronger and look unique when compared to “regular wood,” can also have special properties such as fire resistant (e.g. Ipe wood)

Cons: Usually comes at a high price (e.g. triple the price of Cedar or double the price of Redwood). They are usually very difficult to work with. Low availability so it needs to be special ordered.

7. Pressure Treated Wood

Pros: minimal rotting and wards off insects due to it being chemically treated.

Cons: rapid discoloration, prone to splitting, could be potentially harmful to the environment, and needs to be seasoned, cleaned and sealed to avoid some of its negative attributes.

8. Composite Lumber

Pros: Not expensive. Widely available. Quite durable. Looks realistic.

Cons: Not the same quality as real wood.

9. Synthetic Options

Pros: Durable. Insects hate it. Does not fade easily.

Cons: Only available for deck construction and not for things such as railings, furniture, built-in seating, and so on.

10. Concrete

Pros: Maintenance free, inexpensive, readily available.

Cons: Once you built it, you’re pretty much stuck with it.

As always, be sure to check around for various grades of the materials mentioned above and get second opinions if you’re still not sure what you want. Good luck and prepare to enjoy the wonders of owning a deck!

Deck safety resources

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:59:56 +0000

The onset of warm weather has everyone outside, and the 40 million decks in the U.S. are back in frequent use. Some decks, however, shouldn’t be used because they’re old, rotted, improperly installed, or because they fail in some other way.

The North American Deck and Railing Association (NADRA) reports that deck failures have caused more than 30 deaths and 2000 injuries since 2000 and that more than 75 percent of people on a deck when it collapses are either killed or injured. A recent Google search for “deck collapse” returned four news stories of deck failures that occurred within the last couple months across the country.

NADRA has published a “10-Point Consumer Safety Checklist,” and an article from Popular Mechanics provides a comprehensive inspection you can perform to check you deck. Both are well worth your time. Popular Mechanics focuses on ensuring the hardware and construction of your deck is up to snuff while NADRA’s checklist takes into account grills and furniture, lighting and electrical fixtures, and trees surrounding your deck as well.

If you do not have the time or expertise to make these inspections, you need to get in touch with someone who can. NADRA lists resources you can use, or if you contact us , Mid-Atlantic Deck & Fence Co. will try to put you in touch with someone who can perform an inspection. Once any problems are identified, we’ll work with you to get your deck rehabbed or replaced.

Worried about getting splinters on your deck? Worry no more!

MADfence — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:17:37 +0000

Remember when your deck was brand new? The ability to just walk out barefoot onto your deck without a care in the world was fantastic. Your deck was a place to show off, kick back, and relax. But nowadays, you have to worry about issues such as split and gapped boards, severe surface splinting, lifted nails, unsafe railing, splinters and cuts. These are worries that should not be associated with your deck. With our expertise in fencing, it’s time to do away with splinter-anxiety and tedious deck maintenance!

To start, our decks are maintenance free and have a lifetime warranty. We don’t cut corners when it comes to our decks! Pictured below is what Berrywood Community Center’s deck used to look like:

Does this look a little familiar? Check out how we dealt with some of the most common issues seen in decks after years of wear and tear.

Problem #1: Split and Gapped Boards

Our Solution…

Problem #2: Severe Surface Splintering

Our Solution…

Problem #3: Lifted Nails

Our Solution…

Problem #4: Loose and Unsafe Railing

Our Solution:

Once all was said and done, here is what the Berrywood Community Center’s deck looks like now.

Just imagine, your deck back to its new self with no maintenance and a lifetime warranty? Don’t wait! Give us a call at 1-800-833-9310 or visit us at our website to get started on returning your deck to pristine condition.