Composite decks in Lancaster and Chester County, PA

• Footings dug below the frost line, which is 36 inches here, on concrete piers sized for the load.
• A pressure-treated frame with a ledger flashed to the house properly, joists at the spacing the decking brand requires, and blocking where the picture frame needs it.
• Composite decking with hidden fasteners, a picture-frame border in a second color where it suits, and the ends capped.
• Railing: black aluminum balusters, horizontal cable, composite, or a built-in bench where a railing is not required.
• Stairs with closed risers, a landing where the grade needs one, and lighting in the risers or the posts if you want it.
• Skirting to close in the space under a high deck, or doors to use it for storage.

Size and shape come from how you use the yard: a dining area off the kitchen door, a seating area toward the view, a grill where the smoke goes away from the house. Next is the railing, which is most of what you see from the yard: aluminum is clean and never needs paint, cable nearly disappears, and composite matches the deck. Then the color: a lighter field with a darker border is the look most people choose once they see it. And the extras that are easy to add now and hard to add later: a gas line for the grill, outlets, low-voltage lighting, a hose bib.

Below: a two-tone deck with a built-in bench in Frazer, a pool deck with a drink rail and storage below in Downingtown, a covered deck rebuilt from the ground up, a deck with cable railing, and a second-story deck with a covered patio and outdoor kitchen under it in Chester Springs.