21 Ways to Upgrade Your Deck

Cover Up
Add a custom aluminum roof frame with removable clear polycarbonate panels or outdoor fabric. If you don't need protection from rain, install a retractable awning or build a pergola with vines such as wisteria climbing over it.

Wrap Around
A railing, gate, or other entry feature can turn your deck into a safe, cozy enclosure. Plus, the railing provides a platform for fitted planters, birdbaths or feeders, or other garden ornaments. Top your railing with a ledge so it can double as a spot to set drinks.

Blend In Comfort
Guests and family members alike appreciate places to sit, and built-in benches can be made to look like original parts of the deck. Whether the benches are freestanding or attached, make them blend in by building them from the same materials used for the deck itself.

Color It-Naturally
Whether bursting with flowers or foliage, hanging or artfully arranged in pots, plants are the perfect way to enliven a space and soften a deck's edges. If you have a wood deck, place the pots on brick or other supports so they're not in direct contact with the wood when you water the plants; this can lead to rot.

Rev Up Railings
Railings can do more than enhance the safety and appearance of your deck -- they can make a style statement. Decorative ball tops and turned spindles are among the many specialty products available to embellish railings.