Deck design tips from an award-winning Seattle deck builder

From expanding the footprint of your living space to opening your home up to the beautiful outdoors, decks are a game-changing addition to any home. When choosing your design approach, setting your budget, and selecting decking materials, there are many important aspects to keep in mind to ensure the smoothest process. We sat down with a few of Dunn Lumber’s top decking customers—all deck designers and builders in the Seattle area—to learn how they approach deck projects from start to finish.

Today, we’re joined by Thad Wight, an award-winning deck designer and builder based in the Seattle area. Thad’s company, Wight’s Decking + Design, was established 17 years ago as a landscape and outdoor living space design firm. With a background in landscape design, Thad is passionate about incorporating natural shapes into his outdoor spaces and creating continuity between indoor and outdoor environments. “I quickly fell in love with decks,” Thad says. “It’s an opportunity to fluidly design from interior to exterior.” Taking his passion for outdoor living even further, Thad founded a sister company dedicated to permitting and accessory dwelling units.

Thad’s approach to decking is unique. With his background in landscape design and construction, he is heavily influenced by natural shapes. “I think when it comes to construction, there are squared-off ways of doing things,” Thad says. “Houses and structures are engineered like that to be strong. Coming from landscaping, I’m less afraid of natural shapes.” A penchant for unique design inspires Thad to focus on custom builds that utilize synthetic materials, allowing him to execute distinctive lines, like those that earned him the Best Deck Featuring TimberTech Metal Railing award (pictured below). When possible, Thad uses PVC decking boards, which are more pliable since they’re made of high-quality plastic. By heating the boards to a certain temperature, he can create uncommon curved deck edges that complement the surrounding organic shapes.

Mirroring the effortlessness of the natural world, he sees decks as a seamless threshold between interiors and exteriors. Thad first references an aerial view of the home and lot to assess how the deck can be a fluid extension of the interior footprint. “We build decks at the same floor height as the interior floor, so you never have to step down onto a patio,” he explains. He then uses a horizontal view to design for aesthetics, keeping in mind the style of the home in conjunction with railings and features, as well as any other landscape elements the deck can flow alongside.