A new wood deck provides a warm, handsome connection with the outdoors, adding to a home's beauty and setting the stage for a world of outdoor activities. But decks take a lot of abuse, both from use and through continued exposure to weather. After a few years, they become weathered and unfriendly without proper care.
Fortunately, most deck surface problems are cosmetic, not structural, because decking is built of durable woods: usually redwood, cedar, or pressure-treated pine. Redwood and cedar heartwoods have a natural resistance to termites and decay; pine is pressure-treated with a pesticide to give it insect and decay-blocking power.
Even so, ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun breaks down surface fibers and lignin, causing graying and surface erosion. Moisture encourages surface mildew and causes stains, particularly in damp or humid conditions.
The key to designing a successful outdoor living space is to create an area that reflects the architectural character of the home as well as the personalities of the homeowners.
With regard to porch, patio, and deck design, first consider the activities your family wants to pursue within the space. Then think about the ways you can divide the space into distinct areas for each activity. For example, families who enjoy quiet time reading or sunbathing may want a designated relaxation zone as part of the design.
Entertainment areas can be sectioned off and include an outdoor kitchen. Built-in benches, tables, and planters add a note of permanence and visually tie the space to the landscape.
The use of paint and color aid in visually extending and attractively unifying outdoor living areas with the home's unique architectural flavor. One effective way to relate the home's architecture to the exterior space is through the use of design repeats.
Repeating a prominent element such as a shutter cut-out on the deck railing, for example, is a practical and attractive way to marry the exterior of the home to the deck. You can emphasize the repeat even further by painting the home and deck detailing the same.
Implementing patterns and colors that are prominent in other areas of the exterior living space can also visually connect the distinctively separate areas. Introducing a festively painted pergola or portico offers a touch of shade protection while creating the sense that you are part of an interior space. Flowers and greenery in handsomely painted planters are wonderful decorative accents that introduce texture, fragrance, and color to a front courtyard space. Painted columns and posts may be utilized to mark transitions between various outdoor vignettes.
Corral some serious space in this handsome, sturdy horse barn that adapts to multiple needs. At 30 feet by 50 feet, it accommodates eight horse stalls, a hayloft, and accessory rooms. Or, transform it into the ultimate workshop. A roof pitched to shed water and snow well will shelter anything you have in mind.
Design details Professional barn builders prefabricate as much of the barn as possible and then assemble the barn on site. They deliver two 9-foot-square, 50-foot-long stall sections and attach these to concrete footings. Next they connect the two sections with ceiling joists, add a floor, and then frame the roof. They then fill the ground floor section between the stalls with concrete and cover the openings at each end with sliding doors. You can use a similar technique by building the walls on site.
Materials list: • Pea gravel and concrete for poured footings • Steel angle plate and anchors 3/16" • Welded wire mesh and concrete for center slab • Pressure-treated mudsills 2 x 4 • Oak top plates 2 x 4 • Oak corner posts and bracing 4 x 6 • Oak posts for second floor 4 x 4 • Spruce headers, joists 2 x 8 • Spruce headers and ridge board 2 x 10 • Sill beams 6 x 6 • Collar ties 2 x 6 • Tongue-and-groove planks for stall fronts 2 x 8 • Oak kickboards for stalls 1 x 8 • OSB roof sheathing 7/16" • CDX tongue-and-groove flooring 5/8" • Drip edge, 15-lb. roofing felt, asphalt shingles • Sliding doors, latches 5' 0" x 8' 0" • Interior door, hinges, door set 3' 0" x 6' 8" • Hayloft doors, latches 4' 0" x 7' 0" • 6-light barn sashes for stalls 32" • 6-light barn sashes 36" • 4-light barn sashes for hayloft 24" • Sliding doors with box track for stalls 4' 0" • White pine soffit and fascia • White pine siding, battens 1 x 12, 1 x 2 • Galvanized nails, outdoor screws, metal framing brackets • Paint, stain, or wood preservative
The strength of the structure comes from the heavy beams and the board-and-batten siding. Do not use alternate siding without re-engineering the framing.
Also, oak parts must be used for the frame pieces: Pine is not strong enough, and the structure would have to be re-engineered. The roof pitch is 9 in 12.
1. Install the Foundation On such a large, heavy structure, it's important that the weight transfers to the footings. That's why all the vertical support beams are positioned directly over the concrete piers (see foundation detail, below left). The stall sections rest on 6 x 6 beams that run along the central open area inside the barn; use ship-lap joints at the corners, and bolt the corners together with 1/2-inch carriage bolts. These 6 x 6s span the piers (see floor plan, below right).
Attach the beams to the concrete footings with 5-inch x 5-inch 3/16-inch-thick angle plates and bolts. Reinforce the center section between the stall beams with welded wire mesh and pour a concrete slab foundation. (Note: Horse stalls are often left with dirt floors; you can pour concrete in these if desired.)
2. Frame the Walls Each side of a stall section consists of a 4 x 4 top plate, which rests on 4 x 6 posts in each corner, and 4 x 4 posts along the length of the wall; these posts rest on 2 x 4 mudsills (see side cross section, below).
Three horizontal 2 x 4 cross bracing/nailing boards span the posts and are spaced an equal distance apart; there's also 4 x 4 diagonal cross bracing near the top of each post and from the posts to the mudsill at the bottom.
After these pieces are nailed together, square the frames and attach vertical board-and-batten siding on the exterior (1 x 12 boards and 1 x 2 battens); see the corner detail at bottom.
