A Pergola, Trellis or Arbor is a Great Place to Marry!

This fall our youngest daughter is getting married at the pergola which we fondly call “The Far Pavilion” after a novel by M.M.Kaye.  This outdoor structure sits at the side of our garden and was in a past life used as a home show model to illustrate what Archadeck could create for our client’s outdoor living spaces.  On a normal day it is a great place to mosey over to and sit with a cold glass of wine to watch the sunset.  The pergola also has an amazing ability for great vine growing  and we have tried various vines but the favorite has been the blue morning-glory vine.  I do not think for the upcoming late September wedding that the morning-glory vine will be the choice but it certainly loves this spot and the pergola.

We are going to do  some sprucing up and landscaping around the pergola; also trying to decide the schematics of the wedding and the reception. This structure’s built out of composite decking, fiberglass columns and tropical hardwood rafters. It does not need much care but likes a good wash and perhaps a little touch up of paint on the columns every few years. A pergola, trellis, arbor or whatever  name you decide to call it is a great addition to the outdoor living.  For much less than the cost for a sun-room, screened porch, gazebo or covered porch you get a lovely destination.

I’ll keep you updated  on “The Far Pavilion” and it’s metamorphosis  into the wedding chapel. Oh, and two pictures of the moon-flower vine on the pergola.  They are spectacular but only open in evening and last one night.  I need to find an afternoon vine or combine the two! 

Special Deck Offers in the Year of the Dragon from Archadeck of the Piedmont Triad

The year of the dragon is here and lucky for us we have not been cursed with any dragon-like weather so far this year.  This winter weather is so great compared with the last three years;  already the spring bulbs are pushing up and the forsythia is trying to bloom!

I just got back from the Archadeck annual workshop  and I am so revved up about the new year that I would like to offer all you prudent folks the opportunity to take advantage of our great non winter-like weather with a special offer we offer on the website.  Just check us out at archadeck,  look at some of the photos of the great projects we have built, check out our special offer and contact us sooner not later.

We can build your outdoor living project this winter that you will enjoy into spring and summer.  Archadeck will help you create an amazing outdoor living space whether it is a deck, pergola, patio, sun room, screened porch,  front porch ,outdoor fire-pit or outdoor kitchen and more.  We like to keep our crews busy and the weather is  certainly cooperating.  We also offer you the opportunity to check our Design Guide to help you decide exactly what it is you want to achieve in your new outdoor living space.

5 Best Fun Reasons To Build A Deck This Fall

1. Enjoy the Autumn View
2. Dine Out in Style
3. Tale a Sunday Siesta
4. Throw a Pre-Game  Party
5. Host A Happy HourWhat way to kick-off the Fall with a new deck or any outdoor project custom designed and custom-built by Archadeck.  It also is a great reason to check out the website  and take advantage of our “special offer” Fall savings.

Fall is Outdoor Living Time.

While writing these words I feel  this blog is like the one I end the misery of winter weather with “RELIEF!”  I know I am  getting old when the weather becomes a major part of my conversation, but really this summer was a doozy.  Hot and dry, dry and hot way too much.  I am happy to discuss the fact that Fall arrives Friday September, 22.  With Fall comes the best time of year to enjoy outdoor living.  To honor the onset of Fall we at Archadeck of the Piedmont Triad would like to offer our new customers the best deal of the year with an up to $5000 savings on your custom designed outdoor project built this fall or winter by us at Archadeck.

In case you don’t know the scope of what we can do to make your fall living fabulous let me name a few.  We custom design and custom build outdoor living projects from wooden decks, composite decks, tropical hardwood decks, screened porches, 3 season rooms, 4 season rooms, shade structures, porches, hardscapes, outdoor kitchens, outdoor fireplaces and fire pits to name a few.

Please give us a call or fill out our design consultation form on our website and be sure to mention “special offer.”

Best Reasons to Convert Your Screened Porch Into a 3-Season Room.

We are all aware that screened porches are one of the very best extras a home can have.  If you convert your screened room into a 3-season room you will take your outdoor living experience to a whole new level. A 3 season room simply encompasses it all; especially the outdoors.  In this area of NC we  are able to enjoy 3 seasons and sometimes 3 1/2 seasons of outdoor living. I recently blogged about the 10 best  reasons for converting your deck or patio into a screened porch.  In this post I going to tell you the best reasons to make that screened porch into a 3 season room.

1. A place to kickback and relax 3 seasons of the  year(obvious!)
2. Keeps out pollen in the spring.
3. Adding portable heat can extend use to 4 seasons.
4. Less expensive to build than sun room.
5. Extends living area for family gatherings and holiday parties.
6. In warm months converts to screened porch.
7. Usable during inclement weather and chilly days.
8. Great space for kids and pets to play.
9. Add a flat screen TV for instant man cave.
10. Increases the value of your home.                                                                   

10 Best Reasons to Convert Your Deck or Patio Into a Screened Porch.

A deck or patio  is great and could become even greater  becoming a screened porch.  If  you already have a deck or patio it is possible for you to convert  that structure into a screened room that will definitely enhance the quality of your outdoor living.  There are many many reasons to build a screened room but I tried to narrow it down to the 10 best.

                                              1.  No pesky bugs.

                                              2.  No rain on head.

                                              3.  People and pets hangout spot.

                                               4.  Entertaining of friends and family.

                                                5.  Major shade(no umbrellas to contend with!).

                                                6.  No pesky bugs.

                                                 7.  Chance to get cool new outdoor furniture.

                                                 8.   Add outdoor dimension while inside.

                                                 9.  Increase value of home.

                                               10.  No pesky bugs.

Outdoor Drapes On Shade Structures Help us Survive the Dog Days of Summer!

Phew!!! We have reached the infamous Dog Days of Summer a tad early this year(like the beginning of June!).  90 degree days seem the rule instead of the exception and we need to roll with the heat and beat it with some shade structures.  The great thing about getting a structure built for shade are the options available to allow not only shade but cooling too. Of course the fortunate of us might  already be lucky to have an existing screen porch.  Today open porches are also a popular outdoor hang-out and with the addition of a ceiling fan a good way to beat the heat.  Pergolas are a fantastic at achieving some shade without the  price of building a roof structure.  Pergolas(arbors or trellises) can include a tinted polycarbonate roof to keep the sun’s rays diluted and as a bonus provide shelter from the rain.  They can be wired to include a ceiling fan for stirring of the sluggish summer air.

On any shade structure a stylish contemporary look are outdoor drapes.  In fact major retail and catalog companies like Pottery Barn, Frontgate, Ballard Designs and others have a good range of  curtains for your porch, pergola or other shade structure.  Outdoor curtains not only keep out the sun, but offer some privacy while adding a new dimension of livability to your outside living space at a small outlay of cost.  The Sunbrella Company makes a great line of outdoor fabrics and the drapes can frame your outdoor structure and blur the line between outdoors and in.

The last two pictures shown are actually of our back porch which is a pergola with a polycarbonate roof and we added some light weight curtains to make it a little cozier and less sunny. It was a pretty simple fix and turned out better that we imagined.

Get the Shade You Need With a Pergola or Covered Porch

Well, doesn’t it seem like Mother Nature enjoys fooling with the weather.  We had a fantastic early Spring and jumped straight into a boiling early Summer.  Today on the first official day of Summer it feels like we had already arrived there weeks ago.  Right now the number one complaint we hear from our customers  is they can’t use their deck, patio, porch etc. because the sun is too hot  and they bake.  Now you can always plant some lovely shade trees and wait a few years for them to mature or you might consider another solution.

Let Archadeck build you a shade pergola or put a roof over that sweltering deck,  patio,  porch etc. so you and your family can enjoy the heat without the burn.  We will custom design and build  a new structure to blend and accentuate your home’s architecture and landscaping.  Archadeck can build out of pressure-treated wood or low maintenance materials.  Add a ceiling fan to stir the air and create an outdoor oasis to retreat to even on the hottest days of Summer.

  Oh,  and for you folks lucky enough to have a deck over the walk-out lower level your home.  Archadeck can even waterproof the underside of that deck and create a finished ceiling and viola instant cool retreat.  Oh, and we will even screen it and now no bugs!  Just a few ideas to think about from your friends at Archadeck.

Design Guide. Planning Your Outdoor Space. n

Now Archadeck can aid you even further with our website’s new tool  “Design Guide.  Planning Your Outdoor Space.”  I urge all of you who are contemplating an outdoor project to take a look at this guide for tips and ideas.  Download it and use it to plan exactly what you want and what you need to make your outdoor space that dream area you been desiring.  In the Design Guide there are loads of questions to answer that will lead your decision-making in the correct direction to achieve your goal. From dreaming about a deck, screened porch, or sun-room, to planning some hardscaping or creating an outdoor kitchen or fireplace.
It’s easy,  just go to our website archadeck.com,  get to the design guide page,  and fill out the info on the left side of the page,   submit and you will have the use of some  valuable information to use on achieving you perfect outdoor living space.

We hope this helps and we also hope you will contact us at Archadeck of the Piedmont Triad  to build that perfect project designed by you.

Create More Outdoor Living Area. Add a new deck, or redeck the old.

Not so long ago decks were built out of wood only, period end.  Then you had the tried and true pressure treated southern yellow pine and a few different choices in wood like cedar or redwood.  Today while pressure treated decks are still popular; composite decking has grown in popularity.  Many  homeowners want maintenance free, and while nothing is truly maintenance free, there is low maintenance and composites fill that bill.   

We still build with pressure treated lumber and it can make a great outdoor living space.  Let me show you an example of Archadeck custom designed and custom-built deck incorporating some of the Archadeck  elements.  This deck is constructed out of pressure-treated wood and includes diagnonally-run decking, parting board, custom wood rails and octagonal shape.  It also is multi-level with a lower deck and bench stairs that leads you out into the yard.  Instead of one big  long rectangular deck; this home now has several deck spaces creating a more interesting and usable structure to enjoy outdoor living.

Another  popular decking material today  is composite, and here at  this Archadeck office we prefer Azek.   In fact we like it so much that when we were choosing the material to build the deck on our home we chose Azek.  We picked the gray Azek decking boards and used white Azek boards to face the deck stairs and around the outside of the  deck to accentuate the white columns of the covered shade pergola.  We also built floating benches; another design element Archadeck incorporates.  We love the way it looks.   The great thing about Azek is the variety of colors and the ways you can combine them to suit the style and architecture of your home and come out with a fabulous looking outdoor structures that will be the envy of your neighborhood.  

I’ll show you another great example  of an Azek project and how it compliments the back of this home and creates such a fantastic looking outdoor structure.   This deck uses  Azek brownstone and we have used aluminum pickets for the railing.  Azek has come out with even more color choices and when you combine them and  add custom rails you create an outdoor structure unique for your home.