Building decks in Merrick
South Merrick is canal country, and building on a bulkheaded waterfront lot is a different job from an inland backyard. Everything is exposed to salt air, so hardware and fasteners have to be rated for it, and the layout has to respect both the bulkhead line and the flood elevation. North of Merrick Road the housing shifts to colonials and expanded capes on standard lots, where the constraint is simply how much of the yard you want to keep.