Deck

Most people these days know better than to sit outside in the broiling summer sun with no protection. And surely nobody would sit outside in the winter with absolutely nothing between the skin and the rain, sleet, snow and cold.So why are you expecting your deck to do both of those things?It's an investment that deserves protection. The average deck costs $3,000 to $8,000, says Bob Franklin, president of Deck Doctor of Reisterstown, which builds and restores decks. "People think treated lumber will last for 40 years," Mr. Franklin says.

A Virginia consultant has recommended that Westminster city officials build a parking deck on the Longwell Avenue lot downtown -- if they decide to build the structure at all."Site selection is the first step," said Thomas B. Beyard, Westminster's director of planning and public works.Ned Cleland, president of Blue Ridge Design Inc. of Winchester, was asked to recommend a site for a deck and to estimate the cost of building it there, as part of a parking-structure feasibility study.In a report to the mayor and Common Council, the consultant said the area bounded by Longwell Ave., Distillery Lane, Winters Street and Locust Lane would provide the most spaces for the money.

CONSTANT READERS will have figured out by now that we have made a major commitment to helping you build your deck (short of actually lifting a hammer, that is).We would like to assure you that this is the last installment, and soon you should be lolling on a lounge chair, sniffing flowers and fresh wood, quaffing a soda or a brewski in the sun. (That is, those of you who are not soaking in a nice warm tub to soothe all those newfound sore muscles.)Take heart. The next part of building the deck, installing the railing and balusters, is not difficult.

PUTTING TOGETHER the structure of a deck is a little like doing the proverbial jigsaw puzzle -- except, in the case of the deck, you have to cut out all the pieces yourself. This is the stage, however, when the deck begins to take shape, and all your hard work with the ledger (which fastens the deck to the house) and the main beam (which supports the far edge of the deck) will be rewarded.When you're planning your deck, adhere to the standard lengths of lumber -- that is, the depth of the deck surface should be some regular measure such as 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 feet.

ONE OF the nicest things about adding a deck to your house is that you probably can, if you want to, build it yourself.You need to be comfortable working with a hammer, a power saw and large pieces of lumber, and you need a good grasp of the concepts of square, plumb and level. But beyond that, it's a straightforward process that a diligent home handy person can accomplish.The first step is to design the deck. There are computer programs that will help you do this, and when you're finished print out a list of materials needed.

Westminster has more than 1,100 downtown parking spaces at city-owned parking lots and at street meters but that's not enough, according to area merchants and shoppers who have long requested that the city increase parking. Tonight, Westminster's mayor and Common Council are expected to award a contract for engineering services for the proposed Longwell parking deck. The deck, which would be built over part of the Longwell parking lot, off Longwell Avenue, would add about 220 parking spaces.

TORONTO -- The topic of discussion in Davey Johnson's office shifted naturally from Brady Anderson's incredibly long homer against the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday -- the 100th of Anderson's career and the 28th of his season -- to whether the Orioles center fielder might be included in the home run-hitting contest at the All-Star Game next week.Johnson's eyebrows arched and his voice expressed mock horror at the thought. "Jeez, I hope they don't put him in it," Johnson said.He then mimicked Anderson's long, high finish to his swung.

Missy Connolly loves to entertain, and she wanted her new patio and its al fresco dining space to have the look and feel of the Hamptons. But she only had a Bethany Beach budget. So the Baltimore County interior designer found the wrought-iron patio furniture she wanted at a garage sale and scooped it up for a couple of hundred dollars. She had her husband hammer together an oversized dining table from rescued wood and covered its roughness with a bright tablecloth.

Life at sea could be hard in the 1860s, but Capt. Henry Schreiner Stellwagen's quarters on the USS Constellation were pretty cushy. He slept in a bunk rather than a hammock hung from hooks. He bathed in a small tub instead of washing with deck hoses as crewmen had to do. And while the sailors' bathroom was on a plank suspended under the bowsprit, Stellwagen had his very own "seat of ease." The captain's spacious cabin was his domain. He dined there, did paperwork, called misbehaving underlings on the carpet.

With his last minute return to the presidential race, Ross Perot could dramatically scramble the deck -- or merely play out a losing hand.Advisers to both President Bush and Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton agree that the Texas billionaire has virtually no chance of recapturing anywhere near the breadth of support he commanded last summer when he led in several national surveys before he abruptly decided not to run.But they disagree about how much he could change...