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Decking

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Construction is Essential – We Build your Backyard Refuge Dream Deck While you Stay Safely Inside!

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Trades are currently allowed to continue to work during Illinois’ stay-at-home order and DDT Home Transformations is continuing to build beautiful outdoor spaces and give estimates for new projects. DDT Home Transformations is happy to provide an estimate for your outdoor project while the stay-at-home order is in effect. Our estimator will not enter your home and will maintain the recommended 6-foot social distancing protocol. Homeowners are encouraged to speak to us on the phone, through a window or door, or step outside at a safe distance while we measure and evaluate your project. We can also answer questions and discuss indoor projects via phone or email. Contracts can be signed, and payments made electronically to minimize unnecessary contact. We are not estimating or scheduling indoor projects at this time. Many of our local Village and City Halls are currently closed to the public but are still accepting permit applications and issuing permits online and via email, and also completing inspections! The process is taking longer than usual, as to be expected, but we are able to move deck projects forward to completion! The suppliers used by DDT Home Transformations have been deemed essential businesses and continue to provide the materials we need to create your outdoor living space! We have had great success in obtaining materials without delay or issues of availability. DDT Home Transformations runs small crews of 5 or less workers on any jobsite at any time. Our workers are encouraged not to come to work sick and to work as safely as possible not just during the pandemic, but always. Warm weather is coming soon! There’s no better time to extend your living space into the outdoors! Extend your family’s living space into the outdoors! Get started today and enjoy the outdoor living season! Call DDT Home Transformations at 630-200-3945 or visit our website: https://www.ddthomepros.com/contact/ to schedule your estimate!

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Do a Spring Deck Safety Check Before you Decide to Repair, Resurface or Replace Your Decking

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pring is upon us and it is time to prepare our outdoor living spaces as we transition from cozy fireplaces and soft throw blankets to roasted marshmallows and patio furniture! Before we move out onto the deck, it is a good idea to perform a quick inspection to make sure that it is ready for another season of backyard living! It is also a good idea to check the safety of a deck structure when purchasing a home with an existing deck or prior to selling your own home. Check the Deck Ledger to House Connection: The deck ledger is the part of the deck frame that attaches the deck to the house. The lumber framing member is generally attached to the house with lag or through bolts on a home with siding. If your home is brick or has cantilevered (no foundation) sections, your deck may be free-standing and not have a ledger board at all. The ledger board should be flashed with corrosion resistant flashing to prevent water damage. Some deck boards and siding may need to be removed to be able to see the flashing. If there is no flashing, it is a good idea to check the ledger board for rot. An easy way to do this is to simply poke the board with a screwdriver. If you can poke the screwdriver into the wood easily, the ledger board should be replaced. You can also check to see if the wood is rotting between the board and the house by adding some lag bolts. If the bolts grab well, the wood is still good. If they just spin, there may be rot in the house wall. Check the Joist to Ledger Board Connection: The joists are the boards that run perpendicular to the ledger. They will be supported by a beam or beams depending on the overall size of your deck. Joists should be connected to the ledger with u-shaped brackets called joist hangers. If any hangers are missing or rusted, they should be replaced and can be purchased at any home improvement store. Heaved or Sinking Piers: If your deck is pushed up or dipping down near the posts and beams, serious issues such as the deck becoming disconnected from the house can occur. If caught early, and your deck has ample room to work underneath, the piers, posts, and beams can be replaced. It is important to check local code to ensure any new piers, posts, and beams are installed correctly to ensure the issue does not recur. Deficient Railings: Railings are an especially important aspect of the safety of your deck. To test the strength of your railings, grab the top rail and pull towards you. If you can move the railing more than a couple of inches, you may need to repair or replace it. It is also a good idea to check for rot using the screwdriver test. If you can easily push the screwdriver into the wood, it needs to be replaced. If the wood is in good condition but the railing still moves, it is likely that fasteners need replacing. Adding ledger screws or lag bolts to the framing connections and railing posts can help add to the railing strength. Extend your family’s living space into the outdoors! Get started today and enjoy the outdoor living season! Call DDT Home Transformations at 630-200-3945 or visit our website: https://www.ddthomepros.com/contact/ to schedule your estimate!

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Why Curved is the Answer to Set Your Dream Deck Apart from the Rest!

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The most customary deck shapes are square or rectangular or some version of square or rectangular with “clipped” 45 degree cut corners. Wood is difficult to bend and requires a skill set not every carpenter has, so curved decks are not common. As composite decking has increased in popularity due to its maintenance free properties, getting a curved deck is no longer an improbable option! Some deck builders have invested in dedicated equipment to make building a curved composite deck an exciting alternative to traditional square decks! A specialized oven is used to heat the composite boards to make them pliable, then the hot board is moved to a forming table where the board is bent and held by a series of clamps to cool in its new custom shape. If a curved deck is something that you want, be sure to select a contractor with the equipment and experience to do it correctly and efficiently. One reason to add curves to your deck design is to set your deck apart! Curves on a deck are much more difficult to build than curves on a patio or designed into landscape beds. Because of the amount of work and planning that goes into building a curved deck, they are not as common as straight or clipped-corner decks. Your curved deck will stand out in a neighborhood of boxes and sharp angles! Another benefit of adding curves to your deck is that it will blend naturally into the outdoor environment. Nature is full of curves. Winding streams, rolling hills, and meandering shorelines come to mind when thinking of the outdoors. Square decks with straight lines and squared corners contrast with the organic flow of the natural world. Curved decks, on the other hand, incorporate into the landscape as if they belong there. Curves built into your deck design add a touch of elegance to your backyard living space. A deck is often thought of more for utility than beauty. A deck serves a purpose. It is a place to gather outdoors. It is a surface outside to place your patio furniture on. Why not design your deck to not only fulfill its purposes, but also add aesthetics to your home both from outside and also looking out from inside? Having an artfully landscaped backyard is a source of pride. A curved deck adds appeal to the landscape and enhances your yards appearance more than a square structure possibly could. Add curved railings and lighting and your deck will become a topic of conversation year-round as it sets the ambiance even when viewed through your windows from indoors. Extend your family’s living space into the outdoors! Get started today and enjoy the outdoor living season! Call DDT Home Transformations at 630-200-3945 or visit our website: www.ddthometransformations.com/contact to schedule your estimate!

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Having the Right Contractor is Worth the Wait.. Don’t Rush Perfection on Your Dream Deck!

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Summer is here and the deck building season is well underway! Many homeowners are excited to spend time outdoors and watching from afar as their neighbors are having a new deck built. “Maybe we should get an estimate and get a new deck too!” Calls to the most recommended contractors yield the same result… “Sure! We would be happy to give you an estimate for your new deck! We are scheduling new projects to start in the next eight to ten weeks!” That is not what anybody wants to hear when they are excited to start a new project but waiting for those “busy” highly recommended and qualified contractors is the right thing to do. If you find yourself in the position of waiting for next Spring to get your deck built by the contractor that you really prefer to use, then ask him to put you on the schedule for Spring. Be the savvy customer who is getting their dream deck built first next year rather than compromising quality and design for a sub-par deck this year. It will be worth the wait. Extend your family’s living space into the outdoors! Get started today and enjoy the outdoor living season! Call DDT Home Transformations at 630-200-3945 or visit our website: https://www.ddthomepros.com/contact/ to schedule your estimate!

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A Multi-level Deck May be your Solution to a Sloped Yard for Beautiful & Useful Outdoor Living Space

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When thinking about building a deck for your back yard, there are many aspects of the design to consider. What is your budget? What material are you going to use for the deck boards and railings? What color or colors would you like your deck to be? How big do you want your deck to be built? Then, there are add-ons to consider such as built-in bench seating, lighting, or a perhaps a pergola! What many people do not think about, however, is whether their backyard living space could be even more practical and more beautiful by utilizing a multi-level deck layout! One reason to build a multi-level deck is to accent a steep grade in your yard. This is common if your house is on a hill or waterfront. Having a yard that rolls downhill from the back door can be difficult to use for entertaining. By designing a deck that steps down from level to level, valuable square footage can be gained that flows with your yard rather than jutting out from it. Incorporate cascading landscaping and perhaps a rippling water feature into the design to trickle downhill with the levels of your deck. Adding levels to your deck design can help to distinguish different outdoor living areas from each other. Use one level for lounging furniture such as swivel rocking chairs, an outdoor sofa, and chaise lounge chairs. Accent with an outdoor rug, cocktail table and end tables to bring indoor comfort to your outdoor space. Another level can serve as an eating area with a table and chairs. For the entertaining enthusiast, dedicate a level to bistro or pub tables and chairs and add an outdoor bar!The easiest lounge chairs. Accent with an outdoor rug, cocktail table and end tables to bring indoor comfort to your outdoor space. Another level can serve as an eating area with a table and chairs. way to build a deck is straight out from the house. If your yard is sloped, this could mean tall beams and exposed substructure as the view of your house from the back of the yard. If you want your deck to be one large, single-level area, then post and beam wraps can help dress up the underside of your deck. Another option is to build your deck with levels at different elevations. A multi-level deck is more interesting to the eye and blends into the landscape better than posts and beams. A multi-leveled deck is a great way to maximize the utilization of a sloped backyard, create separation in your outdoor living space, and add architectural interest to your backyard. Discussing this option with your contractor is a great way to get started! Extend your living space into the outdoors! Get started today and give your family a space they’ll love! Call DDT Home Transformations at 630-200-3945 or visit our website: https://www.ddthomepros.com/contact/ to schedule your estimate!

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