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Art Bryan
Art Bryan is president and owner of Southwestern Remodeling Contractors, Inc. Art started Southwestern Remodeling Contractors in 1970. Southwestern is a fully-licensed residential and commercial licensed general contractor in Wichita and the surrounding counties. Art has been a member of the Wichita Area Home Builders Association and the National Remodel Council since 1974. In mid-2000 Southwestern received the distinction of being named one of the "Top 25 Most Diversified Remodeling Companies in the United States.” Southwestern is listed as the 84th Top Remodeler in the country by Qualified Remodeling Magazine. Art can be contacted at his office at (316) 263-1239, fax at (316) 263-6230, or you can e-mail him at ARTSWR@aol. Com
Home Improvement
2003-06-01 10:13:00
Planning for a deck
: How does one go about planning for a deck? 
ANSWER: Decks and their construction is most interesting. They can be a wonderful addition to any home if all of the elements are considered and planned for, but they can turn out to be a 'nightmare' if even one is left out. Perhaps the following list can help.    First, anticipate your use of the deck. Will it be used mostly for private sunbathing, large parties, family relaxation, outdoor cooking, etc.? These factors influence whether or not you should also add privacy walls/screens, multi-levels, cooking platforms for your grill, etc. Then ask yourself the following questions:    Should the design accommodate benches, lounge chairs, perhaps a table for outdoor dining? It is important to consider how you will be furnishing your deck before we begin building it. For example, by simply adding benches to your deck, you can increase the amount of seating areas without sacrificing the amount of functional space on your deck.    How many people might be using the deck at any given time? The answer to this question impacts the way your deck is built both aesthetically and structurally. Will there be any hotspots (areas where sunlight persistently hits the deck)? If the answer is yes, then you have the perfect area for sunbathing. However, if you prefer to have more shade, then the addition of an overhead arbor to create subtle shaded areas on your deck may be the solution!    Is there an existing deck or other structure that the new structure must accommodate? Even though it might look simple on paper, sometimes it does require a lot of extra labor to build around or tie into existing structures. When a professional contractor constructs a new deck, it will be built level, but existing structures are often not level, and extra work is necessary to cleanly tie the two together. Also, as an example, if you own a hot tub, there will be extra work and materials involved in making the area of the deck that supports it structurally sound.    In the July issue, we’ll continue to discuss more considerations as you plan building a deck.
 
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