If you plan to improve the lighting on your patio or deck on your home and you are considering using patio string lights one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make is whether or not to use a traditional 12 volt set up that plugs into your homes power supply or a solar powered one that doesn’t need any external power supply.

The main advantage of using solar outdoor string lights as opposed to traditional ones is that you are not limited by having to plan a power source to make your lights work. Literally, your imagination is the limit: from hanging the string lights from a terrace in the middle of your lawn to simply draping them over your patio railing, you don’t have to worry about having ugly orange extension cords running all over the place on your lawn and being a tripping hazard for your guests. Also using solar outdoor string lights doesn’t cost anything once you buy them. Since they are powered by the sun it’s free energy unlike a 12 volt system which has to be plugged in to be used and costs money to run.

One of the main disadvantages of using a solar lighting system is that if the sun doesn’t directly shine on the charging solar panel for your outdoor string lights for a few hours during the day you may not have any lights at night when you want it. Also, even with the advancement of energy saving bulbs in the last few years (such as LEDs) your lights may not last as long as you want them to during the night.

And of course, that is the main advantage of using a traditional lighting system: you have power anytime you want to use it and if you want to you can buy stronger lights that aren’t available for most solar systems.

For me, enjoying my garden is where it’s at, and the best way to enjoy it is from a comfortable, classy wood deck.

How you plan on designing your deck will depend upon many factors. The key factor to consider is how it will suit your lifestyle. You can imagine having your own custom designed deck or patio and entertaining friends and family. This is what the best type of decking designs include. You must use your personal judgment and taste to define exactly the elements you’d like to include.

Think in terms of overall layout, size and scale. Some basic outlines to consider are the decking materials, railings, lighting and layout. The size of your deck can be based upon the overall proportion of your home. Some ideas suggest that you make the largest part of your deck no larger than the largest room in your home. This is just a suggestion based upon balanced proportion.

In terms of the decking materials, woods like cedar make great choices. Cedar is a softer wood, accommodates a variety of stain choices or natural sealants and will weather to a nice silvery gray. There are also composite decking materials like Trex™ that are much more low maintenance. These materials include paper products and resins to bond it all together in a waterproof product.

Deck railings can be made of metal or even wood that complements the overall design of your decking floor. Railings even come in pre-made units that can be assembled or installed on your deck. These ensure that you have an evenly made and measured unit. This will save you considerable time on construction and will last much longer than wood without the need to maintain as you would with wood. However, consider that a traditional 4”x4” post can accommodate great styles of deck lights. There are also rope lights and string lights that can highlight your rails or steps. All in all, decking designs are critical to help you get the most from your deck space.