Zoning and Building Codes

• The first thing you must do when designing a deck is check on your community's zoning regulations. Your initial design may have to be altered to meet such regulations as the specific distance allowable between the property line and the deck. Building codes may also specify minimum requirements for the building material you use as well as engineering requirements to maintain safety.
  
  

Location and Size

• Once you have worked building codes into your design, the next step is make plans for the function you wish the deck to serve. This aspect of the design process begins with choosing the location of the deck as well as the size and style.
  
  

Allowing for Accessories

• Functional considerations should also extend to the utilization of furnishing and deck accessories. If you are planning on using the deck for entertaining or partying or preparing barbecue meals for guests, then you want to focus your design on making sure it can facilitate crowds as well as items such as deck chairs and a grill. Now is also the time to decide if you want your deck to include built-in seating.
  
  

Safety Concerns

• Your deck design is also dependent on safety considerations. Work into the construction stage such elements as childproofing accessories and deck railings that combine artistic design with sturdy reliability. Rework your design if you determine that the most obvious type of deck does not meet your safety needs. For instance, your landscape may indicate a second story deck, but safety considerations related to elderly household residents may make this type of deck inappropriate.
  
  

Accessibilty

• Make sure that you work in easy accessibility. If you are planning on using the deck for outdoor meals, you will want a design that affords access from the kitchen or the doorway nearest the kitchen. If your deck is designed to allow you to walk straight to your swimming pool, you may want to add access to a changing area where dripping water will not present any problems. Your design should allow for accessing the deck both from the inside and the outside for the most efficiency.
  
  

Decorative Additions

• The design stage is also the best time to consider extras such as a gazebo or an octagonal section separated from the largest surface area of the deck. When coming up with a design, you have the option of working such additions into your overall plan. Design with the fallback option in mind of not incorporating additions into the final product if you run into budget problems during construction.