Would you rather?? (nbr)

LuvBug12683 · May 2009

...have a concrete "slab" as a deck for less money

-or-

...have a wooden deck thats about 400.00 more expensive

pros and cons of each?

I can't make up my mind!! DH *thinks* he can do the deck and I think I like the look of the wood but its $$$ ...we had a guy come out and bid concrete and he said around 1200.00 for the length of our house and sticking out 10 ft. Do you love/hate your concrete? Do you love/hate your wood?

Big Smile

blueLu25 · May 2009

I personally dont like concrete, and love wood decks. Also, you could do a stone patio that would look awesome. Maybe cobblestone or flagstone? (my dad's business is rocks

)

Mrs.Kiltlifter · May 2009

I would do wood. I don't really like concrete unless it is done with a hearth, etc, or if you live in California where you can do terra cotta. For resale value, I would do wood. (That's what she said)

pinktulips · May 2009

Hmmm. Concrete would probably be easier to maintain. Wood does looks nice though.

Did you explore trexx decking or something like that?

What about stamped concrete? I have seen some beautiful walkways/driveways, and a few patios done with stamped concrete.

Concrete seems more invasive, more difficult to change down the line then a wood one may be.

How much sun does your backyard get? If full sun, then which one will be hotter on little feet?

WatchPot · May 2009

we are having the concrete tore out in our house and puttingin paving stones. But it goes with the style of our house so I think that is a big consideration.

Seattle_JiLLn · May 2009

we have a patio that's concrete, but not one big slab. Big slabs crack. I don't think I've ever seen one that didn't crack. Our is made out of concrete pavers, but they're big - 2x2 ft, 1x2ft and 1x1 ft. So like big tiles. Even still, some of it has started to shift/sink, and I'm SOOOO glad we don't have a slab. Part of why we did these instead of wood was that we got a big pergola thing (if that's the right word) that we wanted to put on it and put swaggy fabric to make shade. It would have looked weird on wood. And it would have been a LOT of money to build that structure out of wood. So we went with the concrete paver things. In the absence of the pergola, we woudl definitely have done wood. But probably we would have used Trex instead of real wood, so there woudn't be ongoing maintenance.

greenmtbride · May 2009

I think I'd have to see your house/yard to really state an opinion re wood vs. concrete. BUT, I would say that I would not let a $400 keep me from getting the deck I really wanted. So if wood is your preference you should get it. $400 in the grand scheme of things (especially home improvement-wise) is not a ton of money. IMHO.

Anita_69 · June 2009

I have a concrete patio now...and I HATE it!! DH is designing a wood deck to build and I couldn't be happier! I wanted him to start the remodel on the guest bedroom right away but now I'm pushing for him to do the deck ASAP. I think a wood deck would really add to the value of the house over a concrete one. Good luck deciding...its always so hard when it comes to home improvments!

iHeartHimMore · June 2009

I vote wood. ?Hands down.

braveangel2 · June 2009

I've noticed that when we put a wood deck over our concrete slab, the heat that was beating down on our front door has been much less.

So far, we love our wood deck.

indigo91804 · June 2009

We have an old concrete slab and it is cracked and can be a bit dangerous. My kids have fallen on it and liam stubbed his toe so bad he had to go to the dr. I'd rip it up if we had the $$ but we don't.?

Bonus...it is good for the kids to ride their bikes on. ?

pixelvixen · June 2009

No question - wood. If nothing else, it's better for resale.

energyzer · June 2009

We have both a concrete slab that was poured in 4 big slabs with a thin piece of wood between each slab and a deck off the kitchen. Both have their issues. The slabs have cracked as others have mentioned (I'm not sure when they were poured as they were here when we bought the place 4 years ago). Our deck has to be maintained every single summer. We have to pressure wash it and stain it every single year. With all the weather, particularly all the snow we had this last winter, it wrecked havoc on the deck.

So I'm not sure I'm much help. Both have their pros and cons.

spacystasi · June 2009

We have a concrete slab that was way poorly designed by the house builders. The steps leading outside take up 1/4 of the slab, so if we ever invested in patio furniture we wouldn't have enough room to place it on the pad. I'm soooo not a fan of concrete now.

I cast my vote for another woody

zulan78 · June 2009

I have half concrete and half wood. Never seen such a thing until I bought my house. It is easier to clean concrete but it is ugly to look at. The wood part is nicer to look at if it has been pressure washed and stained every year or at least every other year. If your kids are going to play on it I would get a wood deck because falling on concrete hurts more than wood.

*Bloom2be* · June 2009

As you already know, we have a concrete patio now ...I'm not a big fan of it, and DH started on our wooden deck yesterday!! I just think overall wood looks better ..and I agree with the pp about $400 not being that much in the grand scheme..you'll just have to make sure to treat the wood to avoid splinters, etc and maintain it ( thats what im not looking forward to..) PS Im sure Andy will help if you guys need it! He'll be a pro doing all ours on his own!

braveangel2 · June 2009

Mrs.Kiltlifter:
I would do wood. (That's what she said)

Awesome.

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