Five Steps to an Eco-Friendly Deck Build

You can build a deck the old fashioned way, or you can build it as eco-friendly as possible. There are a variety of techniques that you can use to make your deck build go as green as possible. I've highlighted the methods that I've found to work the best, most efficiently and most importantly-and eco-friendly for the greenest deck possible.

Location

Choosing a green location is the first step in building an eco-responsible deck. Ask yourself the following questions: Will it kill plants, native habitat or other foliage where I build the deck? Can I take advantage of any natural materials in the area? Where is my deck going to cause the least amount of impact yet still be a location that suits my needs? Nestling your deck between trees rather than knocking them down is the best way to go green when building your deck. Choose a location that has the least amount of impact on the environment. Where applicable, remove the plants/trees that are in the way of your new deck and replant them in another location.

Materials

Use the best materials possible, but also be sure to use the most eco-friendly materials possible. Natural materials like redwood are a sustainably harvested wood species that is eco-friendly and nontoxic unlike pressure treated. It's also naturally resistant to bugs and decay-plus it looks good doing it! Other eco-friendly deck building materials like composite decking boards contain recycled plastics and are somewhat eco-friendly as well. I once did a deck made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles. But the part time worker at Home Depot isn't going to know which deck board is eco-friendly and which deck board is bad for the environment. The eco-friendly materials are out there, but it's up to you to do the research and find the best product that suits your needs and doesn't hurt our environment.

Landscaping

No deck is truly complete without a good landscaping layout around its perimeter. But instead of spending hundreds of dollars at your local big box retail garden supply center, why not visit your local nursery instead? They can help you to find landscaping materials that are drought tolerant local species that not only look good, but they also require very little resources to maintain.

Lighting

More often than not, homeowners choose lighting for their deck. After all, what good is a deck if you can't enjoy it once it gets dark? That's where a good lighting layout comes in handy. But you don't have to have high voltage lighting everywhere to make it nice and bright. You can easily have all of the light you need (and for free) from solar powered lighting fixtures. There are a wide variety of solar lights that you can use for your deck ranging from simple deck stair lighting fixtures to huge solar powered flood lights, so you can be sure your deck will be well lit, without having to use any electricity from the grid.

Water Runoff

Unless your deck is completely covered (and even then) it's going to get wet. Recover that water with a clever drainage system installed under the deck. These water collection units capture water that's trapped on the deck and funnels it into underground storage tanks for use later in your yard or garden. Enjoy your green deck and your free water!