As we mentioned a few days ago, when we received our new lumber we chose to stain it so it would look weathered–a brand new deck would be out of place in the Louisiana Bayou! When our excellent crew, R.M. Construction, started the build we were shocked with how quickly they worked.
Now, there were a few things we had to consider when putting this deck together. First, we had to make sure we had the proper ramp incline, both going up to the deck and coming down to our exit door. If we had guests with mobility issues we wanted to be sure they would not have any problems navigating.
We also had to carefully consider the height of the deck posts. They needed to support lights and special effects, and keep that equipment up high enough so that it wouldn’t distract or interfere with the ambiance of the room. But if the posts were too high they’d look odd–like big wooden teeth jutting out of the swamp–and draw attention to the very things we were trying to disguise. We went back and forth for days over the merits of a few inches.
Lastly, we had been hearing talk from other escape room owners regarding…bodily function issues. There were stories of people getting sick in escape rooms. There were stories of people using dark corners as their own private “facilities”. We did not want to have deal with…fluids seeping through the deck and being impossible to clean! So we asked R.M Construction to screw in every single plank rather than nail them in place. That way, instead of sawing holes through our beautiful deck, we could simply unscrew and replace the…uh, “contaminated” lumber, and clean underneath.
Oh, quick hint for future customers? Do NOT try unscrewing the deck! Our escape room does not require a toolbox to solve. (Unless it’s your metaphorical toolbox of life experience that you bring to bear on the riddles and puzzles of the…er, nevermind.)
Hit play on the video below to see how much we love our deck.
Come take a look at our magical door.
