What is your preferred shopping method for screen porches or decks?

I am curious, many of you follow this blog for design ideas and remodeling tips. I want to know how you would prefer to shop if you had a choice when looking to add an outdoor living space to your backyard like a deck or screen porch? There is the traditional way of having a company come out to your home and take measurements and give you a price. There is the option of going to various web sites and shopping for design ideas. Some companies have complete show rooms with displays set up for material selection and design ideas. Other people insist on going to visit projects that contractors have built near their home. What is the preference out there? How would you shop for a deck, patio, or screen porch if you had any or all of these choices?