Our new TimberTech Deck with Contemporary Rail and String Lights

Our back deck is really an extension of our living space. When you live in a smaller home, every room is a living room and this outdoor great room has always been that for us! We love to make smore’s and unwind as a family on our back deck. As soon as the weather permits, we eat dinner out here nightly.  When we open up the Christen bed and breakfast to visiting friends and family, we are out here even more. Oh, the memories we have made here.  When we added on to our home, we had to remove the old wood deck to make space for our kitchen and master bathroom. Honestly, it was a little emotional to watch the bulldozer rip it away. Happily,  I knew we would have another deck built as part of the construction, but this time I had some changes I wanted to implement.

Thank you TimberTech for partnering on this project

Deck BEFORE-

With our old wooden deck, we had to refresh and paint it every year. With the opportunity to start from scratch, we knew we’d want something with less maintenance and more durability than wood. That led to checking into composite decking. Composite decking is a polymer-based product that looks and feels like real wood, without the drawbacks.  I came across TimberTech and pretty much instantly knew that is what we’d use. I had used the AZEK product before when our carpenter recommended we used it as the shiplap for our upstairs bathroom. I loved that the company is committed to sustainability and diverting waste from the landfill. They also recycle 96% of water from their manufacturing facilities. Their boards are made of recycled polymer materials. I love that we won’t have to worry about warping or splinters or upkeep like we would have if we built another wood deck. 

We are still working on the landscaping below the deck, since adding pool a lot of the yard is torn up right now! But I will share later what the deck looks like with all the landscaping in! 

We just added some poles to the deck for string lights! We really wanted some that could go over the outdoor umbrellas. And that were super sturdy. We have had made some out of wood before that worked with our wood deck, but they kind-of bowed a little. I found THESE that are 9′ tall and came with everything to support the outdoor lights! We just screwed right into the TimberTech deck with zero issues. We did use THESE to secure lights to the house. And went with white string lights so they would blend with our house (our deck is 10′ deep x 25′ wide and we used 4 boxes of lights).

We did white Azek trim board to wrap around the deck and also on the front of the steps. 

I generally know what I like pretty quickly, but there were a lot of options on the TimberTech website for color and railings.  I ordered a few free samples and ended up choosing the color driftwood– a warmer gray that has depth and character. 

Right was Driftwood, the actual color we went with! The left was Storm Gray.

I love to pair sleek modern design with my cozy aesthetic and fell in love with the clean look of this contemporary railing. The cable-style opens up our view of the backyard and the pool–making it pretty and a safer option while watching my swimmers! When I saw and felt the samples, I was so happy with the quality. Because I knew we’d be adding a pool, I love that I don’t have to worry about slippery bare feet on this product. I know it will keep looking good for years to come!

We started laying our pavers down below! I took some photos today, love how the contemporary railing looks so good with the view below!

We intentionally decided to not cover our deck with a pergola or awning. I did not want to block any of the light coming into our home. We have just used umbrellas for the past couple years with zero issues. I typically have to replace them each year (we aren’t good at closing them when not in use, so they have all faded and look worn by the end of the season). 

If I know it is going to storm for a couple days I put the pillows in our patio box. But mostly I just leave them out and stand the cushions up at night so the water just rolls right off the cushions (and animals don’t make a home).

When we took down our old deck the privacy screens had been damaged in a bad storm. I was going to order more, but found these Hydrangea Petiolaris at a local nursery. They are not a fast growing plant.  I read that it is easy to maintain in the shape and direction you want. So it does the job of a privacy screen!

We did get this new coffee table and as soon as I saw it I knew it would be a fun pattern with our deck! Reminds me of our old kitchen floors! 

TimberTech Deck Function-

I loved the size of our old deck, but having two sets of stairs really limited my seating options. We use this back door as our family’s primary entrance so if I was going to cut out one set of stairs, I knew we’d have to keep the ones closest to the door. We ended up adding on a few extra feet to give a little more breathing room and now I have three “walls” to use for placing furniture, etc. The way our family uses this space makes more sense to just have one set of stairs. It saves money too!

TimberTech Deck Price and size of our deck-

Speaking of the costs, when taking on a project like this, it is nice to know how much you will be spending ahead of time. One way to save money, is by doing the labor yourself. Timbertech is super DIY-friendly. They have a really fun design feature on their website called deck designer. You can plan and visualize your entire project and be confident you will like the end result. I am a big believer in having a plan! For our project, we had our contractor to do the work, and we are SO glad we did. We have zero experience and not a lot of free time to send on doing the deck. You can find contractors in your area to put in the TimberTech product on their website. 

Overall cost of building a deck does vary based on size, location, existing structures, etc. They have a cost estimator on their website that can give you a ballpark estimate of what your project will cost. You should end up planning on between $15-$20 per square feet (plus labor). Really cost effective when you think of how it is zero maintenance after installed! No painting each year! You can get a free estimate on their website if you are interested. Our deck is 10′ deep x 25′ wide. 

Your Questions Answered on TimberTech-

When I asked my instagram audience what questions you had, so many people asked similar questions: 

• Q- Will it scratch and change color with the furniture movement? A-The decking is made from a strong polymer that is not prone to scratches. TimberTech also offers a 30 Year Fade and Stain warranty on the decking we choose and some of their decking even has 50 Years of coverage
• Q- Do you need to paint it? A- This product doesn’t need paint! The color is the color is the color. It is also guaranteed not to fade or chip. Ours is the color driftwood.
• Q- How to clean it? A- We use THIS pressure washer  (it was a gift for Kevin last year on Father’s day–he LOVED it) and recently added THIS soap attachment. It has been wonderful! Especially with the construction that has happened lately and lots of dirt tracked on the deck. 
• Q- Price Comparison from wood to TimberTech- A- This sustainable material is more expensive than a wood deck upfront. However, with the decreased cost in ongoing maintenance and Timbertech guarantee, it isn’t too different. I think it is definitely worth the investment!
• Q- Does it get hot in the sun? A- After living out here for the past couple weeks with some pretty hot days, we don’t see any difference between Timbertech and regualr wood. 

We are so excited to get back to our backyard and make some memories in our new space! I am exciting that I can have a sectional out here to offer more space for entertaining and relaxing. One thing we won’t be doing on our new deck is our routine smores nights! You know I love a good smore’s night, but we will keep our fire pit closer to the pool and off the deck. (I can’t wait to reveal our pool deck once it is complete!). We are planning on putting a BBQ over in this little space, just haven’t decided on one yet!

Deck Links-

Contemporary Railing

Entire deck is in the Driftwood finish

Coffee Table

Patio Table

White Dining Chairs 

Sectional

Outdoor Pillows 

Stripe Rug

White Patio String Lights

Pole for outdoor string lights (these are 9′ tall, tall enough to go over our outdoor umbrella’s and they came with everything to attach the lights! We did use these to secure lights to the house) 

Our white string lights (our deck is 10′ deep x 25′ wide and we used 4 boxes of lights)

Sliding Screen Door

Lights by Door

Back Door (painted in Tricorn Black) 

Tall Planter Pots by Door

Leaf Doormat

Click on an image to shop-

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