Decking is a superb way to increase your living space. By introducing decking to your outside space, you give yourself effectively another room in which to relax, or wine and dine with your friends. There are many ways of making your decking all year round, such as introducing some sort of removable cover, which will stand up to light rainfall, and maybe even some form of heating. Patio heaters have become extremely popular in recent years, allowing outdoor eating on bright days that might be a bit chilly. But, the big question is whether or not introducing decking to your property will add value?
While there are various statistics bandied about in the United States about how much value decking will add to your property, there are no hard and fast statistics to prove one way or the other in the UK. That said, opinion (from experts and non-experts alike) appears to be a resounding “Yes!”. Adding any form of outdoor living space appears to be mooted by most property experts to be one of the very best ways to increase the value of your property at the same time as making more appealing in a sluggish property market.
One of the main attractions of adding a deck, rather than another room to your home is the relatively low construction disruption and cost. In most instances (albeit in the USA), it is estimated that on a square metre for square metre basis the installation of a deck costs significantly less than half of the cost of adding another room to your home. Decking is particularly effective when used to extend popular rooms in the home, such as the kitchen or lounge. Ideally, if the layout of your home permits, you should aim to stretch your deck across the lounge/kitchen area enabling you to effectively double the size of your socializing space.
The extent to which you develop your deck really depends on what you want to use it for. If you purely want an area on which to lounge or eat, you might opt for a very simple decking construction. On the other hand, because more and more people are looking for a real indoor, outdoor living experience, they are looking for new and innovative ways to make their deck even more functional and more appealing. If you can organise your deck to have year round functionality, over and above eating and lounging in summer time, then it is likely to add even more appeal (and arguably value) to your home.
Allowing for plumbing and electricity on your deck, lets you to create an outdoor kitchen/utility space, relieving the indoor space of much of the equipment required for day-to-day life. There is no doubt that it’s these innovative approaches to designing your deck that will add most value to your property. It’s important to remember that in today’s property market, anything that helps your property stand out from the crowd will help it appeal to a wider market and have more chance of selling as well as selling at a better price. A well conceived decking project, whilst not something to do purely with the objective of selling your property, is, without a doubt a great way to achieve these goals.