1. Any addition, deck, etc. can be built at any time of the year, in any temperature
2. It’s our offseason! You can take advantage of less crowded schedules to get a better price without the
wait
3. Get the extra living space before the holidays to enjoy with family and friends
4. Your new space will be ready and waiting when the spring weather gets here, no waiting
5. Get this year’s pricing! Manufacturer’s price increases always come in spring during the height of the
season; avoid the extra 10% cost

As most everyone is aware by now, there have been wood alternatives available for decking and outdoor projects for some time now. What can be confusing however is the overwhelming number of different brands and products that are available today. As a professional deck builder, McWhorter Outdoor Living has been here for all the changes, and worked with all the materials out there, and would like to share some of our opinions with homeowners trying to make sense of what is available in the low-maintenance decking market. 

 Available Low-Maintenance products on the market today are mainly divided into 3 categories:

1. Composite Decking

Composite decking was the first to replace wood, and while it eliminates a lot of the maintenance required with a wood deck, it still has major problems with fading, staining, and scratching. Composites are still half wood and all those wood fibers will soak up anything you drop on them. Ketchup, grease, leaves, berries, etc will permanently stain a composite deck. The wood chips also fade and weather just like your old wood deck, so the dark red composite deck you have today, will be a light red-speckled white deck after two of three summers. The soft composites will also scratch if you drag anything heavy over them, shift a chair, wear high heel shoes, etc.

2. Cellular PVC decking

PVC decking first came about when all the problems of composite decking began to surface. PVC decking has all the advantages of composite decking, but is extremely resistant to fading, staining, and scratching. It is about half the weight of composite decking, and stays much cooler to the touch than composites. The price is slightly higher, but the benefits far outweigh the cost.

3. Capped composites

One of the new products seen in the market today is a capped composite. This is a traditional composite plank that has a tough plastic coating over the top and two sides. While this coating takes care of the fading, scratching, and staining issues of uncapped composites, it still gets very hot under the sun, is extremely heavy, and is limiting to work with as it cannot be routed and does not take screws well. The price of capped composites is comparable to that of most PVC decking. 

 So, to summarize:
 

So if you are looking for a truly low-maintenance product for your deck, we would suggest a cellular PVC product such as Azek Deck, Trex Escapes, or Timbertech XLM. Be aware that there are many deck builders out there today that are still offering composite decking to keep their material costs low. These decks are going to weather, fade, and stain as bad or worse than any wood deck, and there is no way to bring them back to their original appearance.

Most importantly, call a local deck builder like McWhorter Outdoor Living who is familiar with working with these low-maintenance products, and can guide you through your selection process. Based in Clarksville, MD, McWhorter Outdoor living has been building decks, screened porches, and sunrooms in the central Maryland area for over 10 years, and we have worked with every generation of every material that is out there today. Give us a call for a free estimate, we look forward to hearing from you.

If you live in Howard County or the surrounding areas, chances are you have a wooden deck that was built with your house 15 or more years ago. Most of these decks today are almost unusable because of weathering and have become unsafe due to splinters, falling handrails and wobbly stairs. These decks are most likely far beyond the traditional repair methods of a good cleaning and staining. Once the wood grain begins to open up on decking and rails, the weathering process accelerates and the wood needs to be replaced.

The good news is, most of these deck frames are okay to reuse if a few minor modifications are done to bring them up to today's building codes. Usually, the deck frame has been kept out of the sun and most frames weather over the years, but they can be retrofitted with low-maintenance decking for a fraction of the cost of tearing them down and rebuilding.

Let McWhorter Outdoor Living — a local deck builder in Clarksville, MD — give you a FREE evaluation on your existing deck or screen room frame. We will also provide a free estimate on what it would cost to resurface the deck with PVC decking and handrail. You can even make changes to the existing frame, such as adding or subtracting square footage, moving or adding a staircase, or even adding a screened enclosure.

Please see our deck resurfacing page for more details on our entire process by clicking here, and visit our contact page to request a FREE estimate.

Let McWhorter Outdoor Living, an award winning Screen Room Builder and Designer in Clarksville, Maryland, share some of our screen room design ideas and tips.

Screen Rooms Portfolio : Click here
Our screen rooms feature: Click here
References & Testimonials: Click here

1. Use low maintenance decking and trim to minimize maintenance and match the siding and windows on your house.
To best compliment your home, any additions should be designed to appear as part of the original house, not an afterthought stuck on the back of your home. Screened rooms are noexception. With more colors and finishes available in low maintenance materials than ever,you can design your screen room to complement the décor of your home’s exterior, and looklike it has been part of your homes design all along. Let us show you samples of decking frommanufacturers like Azek and Trex for a wide variety of color options, with matching trim.

2. Focus on making the room completely insect proof, and most importantly, stink bug proof. 
One step often overlooked in screen room construction is adding fiberglass screeningbeneath the deck boards. Insects are able to crawl up from under the deck through thespaces between the deck boards. Attention should also be paid to connection pointsbetween the room and the house, where the deck, walls, and roof are attached to the house.All existing siding should be removed at these points, and properly flashed for a water andinsect proof fit.

3. Use only Aluminum framed removable screen panels.
Removable screen panels allow the screening to be pulled much tighter, and make it possibleto repair torn screens without having to disassemble parts of the room to get the screensout. Panels can be brought to your local hardware store, rescreened, and reinstalled withsimple hand tools.

4. Choose a location for your room that will make the room convenient to use.
When choosing a location for your screened porch, remember to consider what you planon using the room for. For example, if you are planning to use the room to eat dinner inevery night, choose a location that is close to the kitchen. Don’t let existing windows anddoors limit your options, doors can be added almost anywhere to give access to the room.Remember to also consider second story windows and other obstructions when choosingyour location.

5. Consider electrical and media packages to enhance the screen room.
Your screen room should be as much a part of your house as your living room or kitchen.Adding electrical and media packages to your room can make it much more convenient to use and entertain in. Consider adding ceiling fans, recess lighting, indirect lighting, cableoutlets, phone/data ports, and built in speakers to make the room a great place to relax.

Most importantly choose a screen porch builder and designer carefully. McWhorter Outdoor Living is a licensed and insured contractor specializing in outdoor living designs and construction. We have built hundreds of screen porches in the central Maryland area,(click here for our screen room portfolio) and have many local references(click here for references). Contact us today for a free estimate and design consultation.

One of the most popular options for customers with an aging deck, or a deck that is unusable due to too much direct heat, unsafe splintering deck boards, or just unsafe due to rotten handrails, is to resurface the existing frame of their deck. This enables the homeowner to have a deck that both looks and feels brand new, without the cost of removing and replacing a frame that can be reused. Old frames can be leveled, straightened, strengthened to accept a screen porch or roof, or simply reused without modification. No more splinters, no more eyesores on your beautiful home, and no more safety hazards from failing stairs and handrails. Below is an explanation of the resurfacing process.
 
One of the most popular options for customers with an aging deck, or a deck that is unusable due to too much direct heat, unsafe splintering deck boards, or just unsafe due to rotten handrails, is to resurface the existing frame of their deck. This enables the homeowner to have a deck that both looks and feels brand new, without the cost of removing and replacing a frame that can be reused. Old frames can be leveled, straightened, strengthened to accept a screen porch or roof, or simply reused without modification. No more splinters, no more eyesores on your beautiful home, and no more safety hazards from failing stairs and handrails. Below is an explanation of the resurfacing process.
 
Step 1:
We meet at your home to discuss material options, assess your existing deck frame to determine if it is safe to be reused, and make suggestions if it is not. At this point we discuss any other ideas you might have, including adding a roof or screened porch, moving or adding a staircase, or extending your existing deck.

Step 2:
After the proposal has been accepted, we schedule the job, order materials, and procure any necessary building permits.

Step 3:
Our crew removes your existing decking and handrails without damaging the frame, and does a final assessment of the now exposed frame. Any modifications to the frame are done now to ensure the frame will support the future design.

Step 4:
We install the chosen decking and rails, leaving you with a brand new looking deck

If you have an existing wood deck, or a deck that is just not suiting your needs because it is unsafe, weathered, not a practical shape or size, or just an eyesore, resurfacing can offer the perfect solution. Old deck frames can be leveled, straigtened, added on to, or even reduced in size after the old decking is removed. We can add a staircase, a landing, or move an existing staircase.

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