Rain Systems
A deck sheds water through the gaps between the boards. A rain system catches that water before it reaches whatever is underneath and carries it out past the edge of the deck. What you get back is the space under the deck — dry enough for a patio, a seating area, storage, lighting, even a ceiling fan.
We install three of them: Trex RainEscape, TimberTech DrySpace and Zip Up. Which one is right for you comes down to a single question.
Is the deck already built?
That is the whole decision, and it catches people out.
Trex RainEscape goes above the joists. Troughs and seam tape are installed across the framing and the decking goes down on top of them. It gives the cleanest result, because the entire system disappears once the boards are on. But it has to go in before the decking, which means a new deck or a full resurface — not a deck you finished five years ago.
TimberTech DrySpace installs from below. Vinyl V‑shaped panels clip into brackets fastened along the underside of the joists, catch the water coming through the gaps and channel it out past the edge of the deck. Because none of the work happens on top of the frame, DrySpace can go on a deck that is already built and finished.
Zip Up also installs from below, using interlocking PVC panels that give you a finished ceiling underneath at the same time as they handle the water. If the space under the deck is somewhere you actually intend to sit, that finished ceiling is the difference between a dry patio and a room.
What it costs you to wait
If you are building a new deck and you think you might want dry space underneath one day, say so now. Putting RainEscape in during the build costs a fraction of retrofitting a system later, and it is the only one of the three that is completely invisible when it is finished.
What goes under a dry deck
Once the water is handled, the space underneath behaves like a covered porch. We run lighting, ceiling fans and outdoor kitchens under decks regularly. Keeping the framing dry is the other half of the benefit — a deck frame that never gets wet lasts considerably longer than one that does.
Free estimates
We install rain systems on new decks and on existing ones across Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, King George, Louisa and Mineral. Call 540-907-2307 or request a free estimate.
