Q&A with Cass Smith of Cass Makes Home: Patio Perfection

Cass Smith is a self-taught DIYer who is upgrading her Virginia home with her own two hands. Through her Cass Makes Home blog and social media channels, she encourages and inspires DIYers and designers alike to do the same.

Cass loves spending time with her husband and two daughters in their beautiful backyard and set out to create the ultimate outdoor oasis by upgrading the existing wood deck with high-performance, low-maintenance Trex® composite decking. She also turned previously unusable space beneath the deck into a fully-furnished patio area by installing Trex® RainEscape®, an under-deck drainage system that protects the decking substructure from moisture and keeps the area beneath an elevated deck dry.

We checked in with Cass following the completion of the project to learn more about her decision to use Trex RainEscape.

Why did you choose Trex RainEscape?

We knew we wanted to give the patio underneath our deck a makeover and decided this would be a great opportunity to take it to the next level. I had never heard of RainEscape…and it’s probably my favorite feature of our new deck. It allows us to have a dry and rain-free patio under our deck by collecting and draining rain into the yard. It’s so cool!

Describe your experience installing Trex RainEscape materials.

Before laying the new Trex deck boards, I installed the RainEscape system to waterproof the area beneath. The process begins with rolling out and stapling the membrane trough material between the joists of the deck. You start with the material taught and then increase the amount of material as you go by following the guideline. This creates an incline for water to flow out. I then applied the butyl tape (provided with the system) to all of the seams to seal it up. The butyl tape also creates a seal when screws penetrate it.

What is the greatest benefit of the Trex RainEscape system?

After installing the RainEscape system, I was able to run electrical for a ceiling fan and then close up the ceiling underneath our deck to make the patio area underneath a comfortable living space. 

I am so happy with how it all turned out. The patio is honestly my favorite place to hang out! I find myself here at multiple times during the day to just relax and have some quiet time. It’s also perfect for entertaining. I can’t wait to make lots of memories outside together!