Wake Up To The Deck Of Your Dreams

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J., June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Does your backyard deck give you nightmares? With the first day of summer approaching, now is the perfect time to start dreaming of something better. Two families who got to build the deck of their dreams share the steps they took to turn dreams into reality.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130618/DA33352-a)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130618/DA33352-b)

Both families, the Beck family from Long Island and the Durand family from Minnesota, entered the Thompson's^® Water Seal^® brands Deck of Your Dreams sweepstakes. The company has launched their 2013 sweepstakes with a grand prize valued at more than $15,000. That includes $10,000 in cash for building or repairing a deck, $5,000 in gift certificates from the popular Plow & Hearth catalogue (www.plowhearth.com) of home furnishings, and an in-person visit for HGTV/diy network star Jeff Wilson to offer his "decks-pertise." Enter at www.thompsonswaterseal.com until October 1.

The Beck family, who won the first Deck of Your Dreams Sweepstakes in 2011, used their prize to remove an existing 250-square-foot deck, and build a deck that is almost three times larger. "The Becks have a large extended family, and they really wanted to maximize the square footage of the deck," said Wilson. "But they added a few simple design elements that really up-the-impact appearance-wise, but don't cost a lot. First, they had benches and planters built into one end of the deck, with the pool anchoring the other end of the deck.

"Then they got creative with the colors of deck stain. They stained the majority of the deck in Thompson's^® Water Seal^® Deck & House Latex stain in a light brown shade, but the outer boards, and one center board, were stained a darker, rich shade called Hawthorne. The two colors combined to create a very expensive look – that really isn't."

The Beck family built their deck out of pressure-treated lumber and worked with a professional contractor to have the project completed. These are factors that can affect the cost of the project. "They could have used more expensive lumber, but as long as they maintain the deck to protect the wood from water damage, it will serve them for decades," Wilson said. He added that the Beck family got multiple bids, but they didn't choose the contractor based on price alone. "They choose someone they really felt comfortable with, then worked with him to arrive at a final cost," Wilson said.

The 2012 Deck of Your Dreams winner, the Durand family from Minnesota, also chose a deck contractor after visiting local home shows and having several in-person meetings to create their plan. Their deck will be smaller than the Becks based on the size of their home and yard. At 80 square feet, the space still will be highly functional.

"We've designed a deck that mimics a screened porch, with a room and waist-to-ceiling screens to protect us from the ever changing elements here in Minnesota," said Megan Durand. "In addition, we will be adding a large patio off of the screen porch with cozy furniture, a fire pit and of course our grill.  A place where our family, friends and neighbors can gather for parties, bonfires and late night chats.  We'd like to transform our backyard into a little oasis in the middle of the city, and we can't wait for all of this snow to melt so we can get started!"

CONTACT: Karla Neely/Susie Lomelino
214.269.2196/214.269.2092
[email protected]
[email protected]

SOURCE Thompson's Water Seal