Stepping Stones

Adding a built-in bench to your deck seating area evokes the charm and convenience of a window seat while providing additional seating for family gatherings and entertaining.

You can enhance the cozy atmosphere of your outdoor family room with the addition of a fire pit. If adding to a deck, define the space for your chiminea or fire pit and protect your deck by using Latitudes Deck Stones. Available in 16-inch square Smoke slate or Riverstone granite tiles, the deck stones interlock, self-drain, require no mortar and can easily be installed on new or existing conventional wood-framed decks. See Deck Stones installation video.

Lighting is another key element of your indoor family room, and it’s just as important in your outdoor space. Versatile outdoor lighting is not only an important deck safety feature; it can help create the perfect ambiance for evening entertaining. Deckorators recessed deck lighting kits are ideal for building into stairs, step-downs, doorways or wherever else you need ambient lighting.

Another way to create mood with light is by adding solar post caps on your deck railing. Available from Deckorators in glass or metal, these solar-powered post caps can illuminate a rail or fence post while creating a warm, comforting glow.

Create a spa-like feel by incorporating a decorative garden area complete with a water feature. Add plantings that provide a splash of color and fragrance along with functionality. Water features provide a subtle, calming sound and can also help soften unwanted noise caused by roads and other sources. Use various plant types to create space definition, cover from wind and sun or a sense of seclusion and visual privacy. Add a bird bath, like the serpentine jade version from Outdoor Essentials, to get the birds singing.

With just a few simple enhancements and the right accessories, you can turn your outdoor space into an outdoor family room the whole family will enjoy.

See blog on landscaping on and around a deck

You’ve probably heard the expression “God is in the details.” Well, when it comes to creating a truly unique and beautiful deck design, the right mix of details can create a heavenly result.

Every deck is essentially a blank canvas. Adding design details such as ornamental post caps, decorative balusters and deck inlays, can turn your blank canvas into a custom deck that is a work of art.

Not sure which details will work best for your tastes and design parameters?

Deck design software can help you envision how your deck will look with the addition of certain details. The Deck Visualizer is a free online program that allows you to choose from a selection of scenes and then dress up each with a variety of designer details, such as wood color, railing design, and baluster and post cap accessories.

Designer touches are limited only by your imagination – and creativity in forming combinations. In addition to ornamental post caps and decorative balusters – which we’ve talked about before in this blog – there are many other ways to customize your deck, including:

• Deck inlays – A deck inlay can be anything from decorative stone or ceramic tile to a design made up of different colored composite deck boards placed at interesting angles.
• Reversible boards – Unlike standard deck boards, Latitudes Intrepid composite deck boards can be placed with either side facing up. Each side has its own unique texture (woodgrain or brushed) and color variance, allowing you to create an interesting design while using just one type of decking material.
• Picture framing – By installing a trim board around a deck, you can give your wood deck surface a unique appearance, and protect plank ends that can deteriorate over time when exposed to the elements.
• Hidden fasteners – Strategically placed nails or screws can be incorporated into a deck’s design, but for an ultra-clean look, consider Latitude’s Equator hidden fastener. Concealed below the deck surface, Equator composite deck hidden fasteners fit into the groove on the side of the deck board secured at each joist to eliminate pre-drilling and allow for quick and easy installation, leaving a deck looking smooth and sleek. Installing the right hidden fastener will make your composite deck barefoot friendly.
• Recessed lighting – Deckorators recessed lighting kits use compact, ultra-bright, low-volt LED lights to make decks more appealing and accessible after dark. Build them into stairs, step-downs and anywhere you need illumination both for looks and safetypurposes.
• Benches and boxes – Built-ins are a hot deck trend and you can use Latitudes composite decking to build curved composite benches and planter boxes around your deck.

Whether you choose to add just one detail or many, designer touches can truly make your deck one-of-a-kind – and make you feel like you have your own little slice of heaven in your own backyard.

Typically, you’re going to build your treated lumber deck, tropical hardwood deck or composite lumber deck wherever your pool is. But how will you connect that pool deck to the house? Your objective is to provide swimmers with easy access to the pool, without losing the appropriate scale for your backyard space.

Choose a pool that works for your area. The size and style of your pool and pool deck will help shape your pool entertainment area. Adding a combination of functional add-ons like Deckorators low voltage deck lights and solar-lit post caps, privacy lattice, stepping stones and attractive landscaping will make your pool deck area inviting to guests.

Enjoying your deck is definitely a high point of summer. But if you really want to ice the cake and put a big cherry on top, you need great landscaping to go with that awesome deck.

Landscaping on and around you deck not only adds to the deck’s visual appeal, it can enhance usability. Many landscaping improvements are easy enough to be done in one weekend.

Here are some deck design ideas to create the perfect environment on and around your deck:
Planter post caps
Made of cast stone, Deckorators’ planter post caps add the charm of flowers and greenery to a deck. Available in copper round and square black finishes, these unique post caps fit standard 4 x 4 or 6 x 6 wood posts. A drain hole ensures plants thrive longer. Helpful hint: Since decks get a lot of sun throughout the day, fill your planter post caps with flowers that thrive in full sun. Fill and strategically position flower pots, railing planters and hanging baskets accordingly…

Stylish stepping stones
Stepping stones are both beautiful and practical. Arts and Crafts-style stepping stones create an exotic look in your yard or garden and provide a smooth, level walking surface leading up to your deck. Outdoor Essentials offers them in smooth serpentine jade stone or hand-crafted Tiffany-style serpentine jade pieces.

Garden post caps
If you’ve put a lot of work into landscaping around a deck, you’ll want a smart, good-looking way to protect it. Garden post caps fit the bill, adding decorative flair to very functional garden posts. The posts help define a boundary between planting beds and walking paths, protecting vegetation from garden hoses and wandering feet.

Garden post caps, made with serpentine jade add charm and style. Or, opt for solar post caps for a soothing glow that provides gentle illumination at night.

Lattice
Another landscaping accent that is both beautiful and functional is lattice. Dimensions plastic lattice is available in a variety of colors, sizes and styles, and can be used in many ways to add style and privacy to your deck and landscaping.

Plastic lattice can be a decorative privacy screen around a hot tub or pool deck, a garden accent or a foundation for vines and other greenery. Most types of lattice snap or slide together and all you’ll need to assemble them is a screwdriver.

Add stainlettes to your plastic lattice and enhance the beauty of your area with decorative Tiffany-glass accents.

Landscaping around a deck can be the crowning glory on your outdoor environment. Fortunately, with the right accents and a weekend’s worth of work, it’s easy to create a beautiful backdrop for your deck.

Check out one of my past blog posts entitled "Outdoor improvements offer great return on investment".

In 2009 more than 41 million Americans planted vegetable gardens—a number expected to increase as food costs climb, according to a recent Gardening Trends Research Report. When you factor in flowers, herbs and fruits, it’s difficult to find a home where people are not working the soil on a warm sunny day.

Aside from the obvious benefits of fresh flowers and produce, gardening provides low-impact, calorie-burning exercise. One hour of gardening burns as many as 375 calories. While love of gardening has not changed, methods continue to evolve. And one of the top trends is raised-bed gardening.

Tending a raised bed requires less bending and stooping, and is ideal for yards with poor soil. Rather than working to improve heavy clay soil or adding body to sandy soil, you’re starting with a clean slate. Raised beds are particularly useful for community gardens and urban gardens in areas with compacted or root-bound soil.

The key to success is preparation, says Mark Dwyer, Director of Horticulture at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wis. “Ninety percent of success is the prep work done ahead of planting,’’ Dwyer said. This includes finding a location that gets six to eight hours of direct sun each day.

ppOnce the site is chosen, determine the size of your garden. A first-timer should start small—don’t overwhelm yourself with a massive plot. Start with one or two raised garden beds measuring 4 feet by 8 feet. Select a location that offers room to grow, should you choose to expand your garden in subsequent years.

No matter what size raised bed you choose, the frame needs to be structurally sound and attractive. Helping to fill this niche are durable, decorative M Brace metal brackets from Outdoor Essentials. The patented, corner brackets let you create an attractive, sturdy raised garden bed in just minutes using common 2x6 and 2x4 lumber, and no tools.

The M Brace’s sturdy, recycled metal frame keeps boards seated securely at the corners. Sold in four-packs, these decorative brackets provide greater design flexibility—even for a large garden bed, 12 feet long. You can use a solid corner brace or choose from eight cut-out designs including carrot, pebble and sunshine. The M Brace raised garden bed brackets come in unfinished steel that will rust gracefully over time or powder-coated in an antique bronze finish. Watch a video on The M Brace.

Serpentine jade or handcrafted Tiffany-style jade stepping stones lend visual appeal to your garden / outdoor living space and protect soil and plants from being trampled.

To keep deer, rabbits and other critters at bay, consider a decorative enclosure using end caps and lattice. Fence posts—4x4 or 6x6—are ideal. Once fence posts are set, enclose the garden with decorative wood or plastic lattice, leaving a narrow opening or a hinged gate for access.

Make your enclosed garden an eye-catching centerpiece by topping off the end posts with elegant Planter Post Caps. The decorative caps, available in two styles and colors, add dimension and color to the garden. Caps are available in square and round designs, with a black or copper finish. Plant colorful flowers or trailing vines in the post cap planters to create horizontal interest.

The key to a bountiful harvest—be it fruits, vegetables or flowers—is successful pollination. Brightly colored flowers attract bees and hummingbirds, as will fresh water. Add a luminous green birdbath in serpentine jade to attract birds all summer and to provide an architectural focal point inside your garden.

“Think outside the box,” recommends Rotary Botanical Gardens’ Dwyer. Add a few herbs—or anything you want—to make the garden uniquely yours. And don’t discount edible landscape ornamentals: “Many fresh herbs and vegetables can contribute their own charm to an informal border or container,’’ Dwyer adds.

Whether for a relaxing hobby or for the desire to grow nutritious fruits and vegetables for you and your neighbors, now is the perfect time to start a garden of your own. Happy planting!

When it comes to landscaping, customers want more than wood chips and plastic edging. Products from Outdoor Essentials transform ordinary lawns and gardens into appealing outdoor environments that homeowners love. Show them plenty of options, including Tiffany-style stepping stones and our newest offering—Square Tilestone jade stepping stone.

Call in the songbirds with bird baths of serpentine jade. Dress up deck posts with elegant caps, also available in solar-powered versions to provide lighting after dark. Planter post caps provide a place for foliage atop any deck post. Outdoor Essentials lets you create a truly remarkable outdoor sanctuary that's easy to install and impossible to forget.

See my past blog post on how to build a raised garden bed with The M Brace from Outdoor Essentials.

Latitudes deck stones are stylish deck tile add-ons and are the perfect alternative or complement for composite lumber decking or treated lumber decking when deck surface transitions are desired. Latitudes deck stones can be used in virtually any area on the deck and are well suited for outdoor kitchens, deck grilling areas and raised fire pits on a composite lumber deck. Deck stones also add deck safety in areas where you plan to grill or add a portable fire pit.

An easy-to-install deck accessory
Deck stones / deck tiles can be installed on new or existing conventional wood framed decks and are capable of supporting typical building loads. The high-strength fiberglass substrate frame attaches easily to 16" on-center wood joists with hidden fasteners. Latitudes Deck Stones are available in durable 16-inch-square Smoke slate or Riverstone real granite deck tiles, deck stepping stones are interlocking and self-draining and do not require mortar.

View the Deck Stone installation video

As the economy starts to come back around, many remodelers and deck builders expect to see a significant up-tick in requests from homeowners who want a new deck or want to update an existing deck to an expansive outdoor living area. Architects, landscape designers and building professionals are among those who typically stay up-to-date with the hottest deck trends.

Expansive, multi-feature decks

• multi-level decks that allow homeowners to add separate areas for entertaining
• incorporating unique deck patterns, deck insets, benches, built-in planter boxes and grill kick outs to make an outdoor living area one-of-a-kind

Outdoor living rooms, kitchens, grilling areas

• appliances, televisions, fireplaces and water features have become popular outdoor amenities for many homeowners
• many decks incorporate deck stones to protect the deck surface and add separation between outdoor kitchens and lounge areas. These natural stone deck tiles are perfect for use under grills and raised fire pits.

• co-extruded and other synthetic surfaces that are virtually impervious to stains and fading are becoming more common over their wood decking counterpart
• ultra-low maintenance decking requires less upkeep than treated lumber and standard composite lumber decking
• achieve a unique, exotic look with a composite deck plank that emulates tropical hardwood

Deck railing accessories

• add an extra touch of class with stylish post caps available in wood, metal or decorative glass
• unique railing infills like scenic glass balusters allow you to see with an unobstructed view to the pool or lake
• baluster accessories are inexpensive, ornate add-ons that turn an ordinary deck railing into a work of art

Deck lighting

• low voltage step and stair lighting is used for both ambiance and safety
• perfect for ambient lighting, solar post cap lights are already one of the top trends in accessorizing your deck
• installing rope lighting under deck railing highlights the rail and adds enough light to entertain throughout the night