Living in suburbia can be a delightful experience – lovely tree-lined streets, neatly mowed lawns, colorful flower beds and beautifully landscaped gardens. But as much as you may love your neighbors, sometimes you crave a little more privacy than the three-foot-tall wooden fence that surrounds your backyard. Sure you could plant a tree and wait…
It can be hard choosing a deck builder in Kansas City. How do you know who to trust? How do you know you’ll get a fair price? How do you know if they have experience? What about the quality of construction? There are so many questions. We’re here to set your mind at ease. But…
At Creative Concepts and Design, we encourage creativity. We love it when a customer comes to us with “crazy” ideas. In the spirit of creativity, we’d like to share some of the most original and unexpected deck ideas we’ve seen. We hope we inspire you to build the deck of your dreams. . Don’t Settle…
Google reviews serve many purposes. Reviews are helpful as a guide for consumers who want to know if they can trust the company they are considering. There are a lot of choices out there and it’s hard to know who will actually deliver on their promises. Reviews give honest feedback, good or bad, to help…
Yes, it’s true. Creative Concepts and Design has won the Best of Houzz Service Award for 2023. We are very proud, but we are more proud of the fact that we have won this award consecutively from 2015-2023. Yes, that’s nine years in a row! So what exactly does this award mean? What Is the…
Taking advice from a professional is one of the best shortcuts to getting invaluable information for making a decision about something you know little about. Whether it’s how to fix a running toilet, how to make meringue form stiff peaks, or how to choose which running shoe is best for marathon training, someone who has…
Most larger home improvements are not inexpensive. Decks are no exception. But if you think you have to wait and save your money for several years, think again. Why not enjoy your deck for those couple of years instead of doing without? With deck financing, you can. Enjoy Your Deck While You Pay with Convenient…
So maybe you’ve had your deck for a few years and it’s starting to show its age. You wish you could build a new deck, but let’s face it, money doesn’t grow on trees. We get it. But don’t despair! There are ways to make an old deck look new. Here are three things you…
If you’re thinking of adding a deck or pergola to your backyard in the spring, you might as well do it the winter before. Homeowners mistakenly think that you can’t build a deck in the winter, but in reality, there’s really no good reason to wait until spring. In fact, there are several advantages to…
When you’ve built hundreds of decks, pergolas and other outdoor structures, you get to know the materials you use inside and out. I’ve got some favorites, for sure, but people ask me what I think about composite decking vs. real wood. Frankly, I’m a fan. Composite decking has come a long way from its introduction…
One of the very best ways to decide what kind of deck you’d like is to simply find pictures and examples and create an online idea book. I find that photos and examples are one of the best and fastest ways for clients to convey deck design ideas. If someone says they want a “fancy”…
So you’ve decided it’s time to add that deck to your home and expand your living space, raise your resale value and spend more time in the great outdoors with neighbors, family, and friends. That’s great! But where do you start? How do you make sure you hire the right company and avoid any potential…
Love your pergola, but sad that winter is on its way? You don’t have to abandon the outdoors when cooler weather sets in. Just make a few adjustments and your pergola will be perfectly ready for fall and even winter! Pergolas are one of our favorite things to build at Creative Concepts and Design. Whether…
First things first…what exactly is a pergola? A pergola is simply a structure with open sides that has a flat roof formed of horizontal trelliswork supported on columns or posts. The easiest way to think of it is an oversized arbor. Pergolas have grown in popularity because of their affordability and their versatility. It’s no…
When it comes to choosing the type of wood for your pergola, one of the main questions is about whether to use heavy or light timber. Heavy and light are simply a reference to the size of material used. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. But in the end, it comes down to proportion…
If you’re designing a deck, you want to consider all of your options. Avoid the shoulda, woulda, couldas by considering these popular and updated deck options before you finalize your deck design plans. 1. Modern Railing One of the biggest things we’re seeing in deck design is a variety of modern railing options. Instead of…
What is the most important feature in a landscape design? Is it the hardscaping like the deck, the patio, the pergola, the pool, the retaining wall, the outdoor kitchen, the fire pit? Is it the plants like the foundation garden, the shade trees, the flowering bushes, or the shape of the beds? Or is it…
All decks are beautiful and enhance the look and enjoyment of the homes they adorn. But, one of our favorite things to do is add custom features that really make your deck unique. Many of our homeowners aren’t aware of all of the options we can provide. Here are some of our favorite custom features…
Many homeowners ask, “How much to build a deck in Kansas City?” Knowing how much a deck will cost is tricky even for a pro. There are so many variables to take into account. Materials, terrain, finishes, floor plan, and engineering are your biggest challenges. Here in the Kansas City metro, the cost basis for…
There are a lot of garden structures with lots of fancy names. It’s easy to lump them all together. At Creative Concepts and Design, we build many of these structures. Here’s a little rundown of some of the most popular garden structures and the differences between them. What Is a Pergola? A pergola is a structure…
