How to Create Deck Storage

Deck storage takes a measure of imagination and creative thinking in order to find a place for anything that is to be kept on the deck such as garbage cans, firewood, furniture cushions and covers, garden tools or barbecue utensils. All of these things and more require a place to call home. The first step is to take an inventory of everything that requires a place to be hidden away in order to keep the living space from looking like a giant storage box.

The design possibilities for deck storage opportunities are seemingly endless. When adding a privacy wall build it in such a way as to provide space for firewood to be used in conjunction with an outdoor fireplace, firepit or chimnea. Place a baker’s rack against a drab, empty wall and use it to store empty flower pots, harvest baskets and watering cans. Construct decorative fence sections or framed lattice panels that can be mounted against vertical support posts to camouflage garbage cans as well as heating and cooling units without obstructing airflow. Mount a trellis to support climbing vines on the side of the house. This will hide exterior conduit and wires. If a utility meter is adjacent to the deck and needs a disguise, construct a decorative box around it with a hinged door so that the meter reader can open it.

Paint a child’s toy box with weatherproof exterior paint and use it as an outdoor coffee table with built-in storage. Keep pet supplies and bird seed in brightly coloured watertight plastic bins which protect them from the elemnts and wild creatures in search of food. Buy an extra mailbox or decorative bin to provide a dry place for storing small hand tools, garden gloves or flower seed packages. Hinge tall old shutters together and paint them to create functional as well as stylish screens that can be used to hide a potting bench, garbage cans and yard tools and equipment such as a wheelbarrow, shovels, rakes, hoes and fertilizer spreader. Use everyday yard tools as outdoor art. Mount hooks or handle holders on walls for hanging shovels, rakes and hoes in an interesting and artistic arrangement. The back or side of a garage where the roof overhangs is a perfect spot because it is protected from the elements. If there is a wall but no eaves, mount a shallow awning overhead to keep the tools sheltered from the weather.

Purchase freestanding benches with lids and use them to store furniture cushions and pads or children’s games and toys. Build these benches into the perimeter of the deck itself so that they become an integral part of the deck design as well as an important storage option.

Built-in benches can offer many deck storage opportunities. The unused space beneath can offer a dry niche for storing firewood conveniently close to a firepit, fireplace or chimnea. A built-in bench with a hinged top becomes a handy storage center for all kinds of possible items. The inside part should be built in such a way as to be immune to rain, snow, wind and sunlight.

The space below a raised deck offers a full height opportunity for storage of larger items such as deck furniture, pool equipment or outdoor gear. A hinged entrance door makes a very practical choice for accessing this storage space. The space beneath a deck is another terrific place to create storage. The skirting around the perimeter of the deck can easily include 1 or more hinged access doors or panels that provide openings through which items to be stored can be inserted easily. The ground surface under the deck can be covered with gravel, crushed limestone or patio slabs to keep items relatively clean and dry.

A trap door in the deck’s surface can open to reveal a compartment for the storage of hot tub water treatment chemicals and equipment, garden hoses, sprinkler bases, child’s toys, small garden tools or firepit/fireplace/chimnea equipment. All that is required is a minimum of 2 feet of space below the deck surface. Built properly, a hinged trap door in the deck’s surface and the compartment below can house a child’s sand box which quickly disappears from site when the hinged access door is down.

The ultimate deck design will incorporate all of the needs of the homeowner and family including deck storage for items that need not be seen a good portion of the time but are necessary to the fullest use of the deck.

Topics: Deck storage |

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