Even though our new company, Blue Chip Decks, was only in its second year of business at the time, last year we bid against several other more-established companies for a huge deck project that we came to call "The Behemoth." The decision came down to a literal "design-off," and after a number of revisions to our detailed 3D renderings, we were notified that we had been selected to build the project.
One of the main challenges when designing the deck – which spans more than 150 feet – was to create unique living areas, each conveniently located next to each other, while accommodating several transitions and entry points onto the deck. At roughly its mid-point, the deck is strategically tied together with a transitional area, identified by an intertwining herring-bone pattern of Trex decking. Flanking this is the project’s focal point, a sunken lounge area shaded by a chocolate-stained cedar pergola that features an elegant gas fire pit. On the other side is the hot tub area, which is framed by a custom bar and matching planters and benches and covered by an Arcadia louvered roof system.
The project was capped off with a unique Dundalk red cedar barrel sauna, which is accessed from a separate deck attached to the home’s indoor pool house. The pre-fab sauna was easy to assemble and doesn’t require any major electrical or water hookups. Instead, the sauna is heated by a wood-fired furnace that is loaded at the rear of the unit. It has a large fire box that holds plenty of wood for prolonged burning, and water can be poured on the sauna rocks to create an awesome cedar steam room. Perhaps best of all, when the fire is burning, the yard is filled with the amazing smell of fresh cedar.
