Why There’s Still Time to Build This Year
By Brendan Norton, Decking Manager, Mans Lumber
Michigan summers are short. You know it. We know it. The moment the snow melts, there’s a quiet urgency to get outside…to fire up the grill, pull the chairs into the sun, and spend actual time with the people you care about. The backyard isn’t just square footage. It’s where the best evenings and events happen.
That’s why so many homeowners we talk to aren’t really shopping for a deck—they’re shopping for more of those evenings. More Saturday afternoons watching the kids play in the yard. More long dinners that start before dark and end well after. A deck is just the structure that makes that possible.
And a well-built deck, with the right materials and a design you actually love and live in, does that for decades.
I’ve been talking with homeowners and builders all season about what’s working, what’s changing, and what’s worth knowing before you start a project. Here’s what I’m seeing during deck-building season 2026.
The Trends Worth Knowing
Composite Decking Is No Longer an “Upgrade”—It’s the Standard
If you’re still comparing composite to pressure-treated wood, that conversation has largely been decided. In our market, we barely sell wood decking anymore. Entry-level composites now compete directly on price with treated lumber. And once you factor in what you won’t be spending every two or three years on staining, sealing, and repairs, the math gets even clearer.
The real question today isn’t wood versus composite. It’s which composite. Premium options offer better color consistency, longer warranties, and increasingly, heat mitigation technology, so the deck doesn’t turn into a griddle on a July afternoon. That last part matters more than people realize, until they’ve stepped barefoot onto a dark-colored board at 3 p.m. in August.
The maintenance-free promise is real. Pick the material you love, build it right, and your backyard will look the same in ten years as it does the day the crew walks off the job.
Sleeker Railings, Better Sight Lines
The railing shift over the last five to ten years has been dramatic. Vinyl and fiberglass are largely “out.” Powder-coated aluminum and cable rail have taken over…and for good reason. Both systems have thinner profiles, more refined finishes, and they get out of the way visually so you can actually see your backyard.
Aluminum now accounts for roughly 65% of the rail systems we sell. It’s sleek, it’s durable, and it pairs cleanly with any composite deck surface. Cable rail is especially popular on homes with a view—lake houses, elevated walkout decks, anything where you want to look out rather than look at your railing. The effect is a deck that feels more open, more connected to the yard beyond it.
If your current railing feels heavy or dated, a railing upgrade alone can transform how a deck feels—even if the decking surface itself is staying put.
Black Is Everywhere—and It Works
The black exterior trend that swept through window frames and soffits has fully arrived on the deck. We’re seeing it in fascia boards, picture-frame accents, post wraps, and railing hardware. The contrast it creates against lighter composite surfaces is striking.
Picture framing—using a different color board to border the perimeter of your deck—has always been a way to add definition to a deck surface. The black-on-lighter-composite version of that technique is especially popular right now, and it creates a finished, intentional look that reads more like outdoor architecture than a backyard add-on.
Post wraps are another place where the black trend shows up naturally. On a walkout or second-story deck, the structural posts underneath are often visible. And wrapping them in composite material (painted or finished in black) turns a utilitarian element into a design choice.
Under-Deck Drainage: Doubling Your Outdoor Space
This is one I always enjoy explaining, because people don’t know it exists until they see it…and then they can’t stop thinking about it.
A lot of Michigan homes have walkout basements with elevated decks above them. Traditionally, the space underneath that deck is wasted—it gets wet when it rains, it’s dark, and there’s nothing you can do with it. An under-deck drainage system changes that entirely. A trough-and-gutter setup runs between the deck joists, collecting water and directing it away through downspouts. The underside of the deck stays dry. That formerly dead space becomes a covered outdoor area.
Hot tub. Second patio set. Outdoor bar. Dry storage. The options are real. Products like Trex RainEscapes and TimberTech DrySpace are purpose-built for this application, and the transformation in how a backyard functions is significant.
In a state where outdoor season is already compressed, getting double the usable space out of one structure is worth the conversation.
On Color: There’s No Wrong Answer
Grays have dominated deck color choices for the better part of a decade, and we’re starting to see a gradual drift back toward warmer browns and earth tones. Whether that becomes a full trend or a quiet correction, it’s hard to say.
What I tell homeowners: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Pick the color that looks right on your home, next to your siding, with the railing you’ve chosen. We can help you lay options next to each other until something clicks. Most decks use at least two tones anyway—a fascia or border that’s distinct from the main field—so there’s room to play.
Why Now is the Best Time to Start. And So Is Later!
Every Summer, I watch homeowners mentally shelve their deck project for “next spring.” I understand the instinct. Summer may soon be winding down, it feels late, and the thinking is: why start now?
Here’s the reality: our pro deck builders work year-round. Spring is a great time to get started, of course, because you can enjoy the deck this year. But fall and winter are actually great timing, too, for several reasons:
Builder availability is higher. The spring rush hasn’t hit, so scheduling is easier and timelines are more predictable.Material lead times are shorter. You’re not competing with every other homeowner in Southeast Michigan who woke up in May wanting a deck by Memorial Day.You’re ready when it matters . A deck finished in November means the first warm weekend next April, you’re already outside.
If you can act now, don’t wait. But don’t assume the window closes when the weather turns. The homeowners who enjoy their decks the most next summer are usually the ones who made the decision this fall. Don’t let the calendar be the reason you wait another year.
Start with What You Want the Space to Feel Like
When homeowners come in to talk through a deck project, the first question I ask isn’t about materials or square footage. It’s about how they want to use the space. Dinner parties? Morning coffee? Kids playing? A place to watch the sunset with a drink in hand?
The answers shape everything: layout, railing choice, whether an under-deck system makes sense, which composite holds up best to the way the space will actually get used. You don’t need to know what you need before you come in. That’s what we’re here for.
Mans Lumber & Home has six locations across Southeast Michigan, a full decking showroom, and builders and designers who have done this a few thousand times. Bring your ideas—photos, sketches, a vague description of a deck you saw at your neighbor’s house—and we’ll take it from there.
Ready to get started? Stop by a showroom or reach out to our team —we’ll help you figure out exactly what your backyard needs.
