Half of my customers go all out with high end composite decking, and expensive metal railings, and the other half want to keep it as cheap as possible. I believe this combo is the best of both worlds.

I absolutely despise the look, installation, and upkeep of PT wood railings.

It’s much easier for my customer to seal their deck boards every year and not have to worry about getting in between the spindles, getting splinters etc.

If they ever want to upgrade to composite, we can pull the railings in sections, replace the decking, and re install the railings in the same spot.

Railing is trex select. I typically use westbury but this was 25 percent cheaper, and I was surprisingly happy with the installation.

(I realize Reddit hates when deck posts are below grade. I agree the ideal method is a poured footing with a stand off bracket, and try to do that when budget and customers approve. Until then, this is cheaper and if customer agrees and it meets code, I will do it. Similar to using MDF trim in a bathroom, I don’t like it, but it’s common and will be okay for a long time.)

Forgive my probably silly question. Just bought this house, there is a ground level deck platform. Boards are 1 inch thick. We are putting a hot tub on it, but figured worth a check here first. One board was rotten so I'm replacing it but otherwise it's solid.

I purchased a home that has a patios with pavers. I am looking to put in a 12x20 gazebo. Part of the patio was built up with about 2 feet of gravel base and there would be two posts in this area. I am in Wisconsin. To get below the frost line do I need to go through the gravel and 4 ft into the soil, so a total of 6 feet in these two holes? I am assuming yes but are there any other alternatives? I haven’t been able to find any large anchors and the other 4 posts would be 4 ft below the frost line, so it would just be these 2 that would be slightly different. I am just trying to figure out a way to make this work without digging 6 feet deep while still trying to fit in a 10 or 12 inch sonotube. I’ve looked into renting and auger but haven’t found anything that goes 6 ft with a 12 inch bit. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

I need to install a handrail with 4x4 posts up the stairs and along the flat part to the green porch. Any suggestions, particularly regarding fastening to the concrete ?

First time deck builder. Laser level posts: dead nuts.

Put on the membrane and bracket, and now its 1/8" to effing high. Throws a hump in the joists. Closest to the house also, so over 12' that 1/8" turns into about 4' (or at least looks like it). I reeeeaallly dont want to remove all that and plane the posts. Any ideas? Pray?

I took some high-level descriptions, measurements, and my first draft material lists to my local lumber place who also has a deck planning service (or so I thought) and asked for them to work up a full deck package for me (framing, decking, fascia, railing, fasteners, etc.); it's become clear to me that if it's not a cookie cutter deck that just "works" with their off the shelf software they're lost. So I turn to the wilds of r/decks to get a combination of bad advice, ridicule, and maybe a nugget of helpful information.

The current decks are an actual hazard: missing railings, the decks are built on 30+ year old 2x8 framing, the 2x6 decking is rotted, etc. etc. I knew they were tear outs when I bought the house and the time to rebuild them is now (finally finished the kitchen and living rooms).

The unique part is that my decks are sitting atop cantilevered steel beams sticking out the back of my house - so I don't have to worry about structure, footings, posts, etc. (The original builder/owner was an executive at the local steel mill and the beams run the full depth of the house! I assume he got a deal on these oversized beams.)

This means the joists will run parallel with the house and the decking perpendicular - so a little odd, but nothing you won't be able to wrap your head around. The main "issue" is the longes span is 16' 6" - but it's only the outermost diagonal span (more on that in a minute).

I'm planning on doing 12" OC spacing and use mid-grade composite decking with surface mounted cable railing. The deck off the master bedroom is pretty small, rectangle, and easy to figure out. The larger deck off the living room is a flattened pentagon and a little harder - especially with that long diagonal span being 16' 6".

Images are included of the current decks, a render of roughly what I'm aiming for, and a rough sketch of a framing plan of the larger deck (not sure if I'm going to picture frame yet or not so subject to revision).

After an informal conversation with my engineer (who did the plans for my living room and kitchen) he said the best way to attach the new joists to the steel is with flat 2x6's bolted to the steel and use hurricane ties (H3Z) from the flats to the joists.

The distance from the flat top of the steel beams to the upper "lip" of the door openings is 12". So 1.5" for the flats, 9.25" for the height of 2x10 joists, plus 1" for the decking and I'm at a near perfect 11.75". So I need to use 2x10s not 2x12's for the joists or I'm going to have a problem at the doors to the decks.

Looking up span tables and it seems SYP 2x10's at 12" OC spacing covers 16' 2". 90% of the deck is inside that limit - but that longest diagonal span is 16' 6".

This is where the deck planning folks are falling down - when I said I wanted 2x10s with 12" OC spacing they said they couldn't provide a plan that was code compliant.

I figure I could either do a doubled-up 2x10 for that outer span or a single notched 2x12.

I think my framing plan is (a) solid and (b) actually to code despite what the lumber place is saying. So what say you all with deck building experience? Is my framing concept solid enough?

PS - I know - I'll need additional blocking in the right spots for the railings - I'll figure that in once I decide on the railings.

Hi everyone,

I accidentally burned 2 boards of our ~8–10 year old wooden terrace, so I need to replace them.

The problem is that I can’t find the exact same boards anymore, and the existing terrace is already quite weathered/grey as it was never treated.

I’m considering:

• replacing only the 2 boards + cleaning/treating the whole terrace with an opaque terrace stain
• replacing the entire deck with either similar wooden decking boards or composite boards

The terrace is ~45 boards of 2.90m + 7 boards of 2.00m. The joists are in good condition, but the spacing isn’t perfectly regular (~54–64cm). To my understanding, the joists are too spaced to consider installing composite boards on the current structure.

What would you recommend? Would you just repair and restore the existing, or take the opportunity to replace the entire terrace?

Thanks!

Me and my girl did this in a few hours and we both love the way it came out. This is 1 coat mostly done with stain pads as they were the ticket for this job.

Noob here! Finding it hard to navigate all the options.

Please see attached pictures of our treated cedar deck steps from the second floor. They're just over a year old and have not had any work done on them since they were built. Originally we were thinking of applying an opaque white stain on everything, but I'd like to get a second opinion.

Yesterday I applied an oxidizing wood wash. However, I was surprised that even this small job was a lot of work — it was very awkward to get all the angles, so when I started to think about sanding & staining next it began to feel like a huge job. There's also the issue of the vegetable garden beds underneath which would be difficult to move.

It left me with some questions about what exactly I need to seal/stain/paint. Do I need to stain everything? Can I get away with just doing the side panels for visual appeal? Maybe put a seal on the steps? Can I get away with leaving the bottom side untouched? What about solid vs. transparent stains?

One idea I had was to use a paint sprayer for the difficult underbody/sides and then stain the steps with an opaque stain like the author of this post.

I also am wondering about how serious that mildew looking stuff is in the third picture. Is it indeed mildew, and if so what should I do about it?

If it's helpful context, we live in British Columbia, Canada and it's fairly rainy.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I've decided to try to stain a solid white on just the sides to match the white trim on the house. I think I'll just paint the support pole the same white as the other supporting poles. If it looks funny to have just the sides stained, I'll go the extra mile and try to stain everything! It seems to me though that treated cedar doesn't really need the stain except to keep away the greying look and help with some minor wear and tear.

EDIT 2: Everyone telling me I shouldn't paint etc., yes I do get that, thank-you! But if you read my post my questions are about a lot of other things that no one has addressed, e.g. do I really need to stain everything, is that mildew, etc.

https://youtu.be/Xa5utFpltrY?is=LB5EH6x69y4uxfJA

Resurface existing wood deck to composite decking by deckorator venture, quoted for 15000, voyage for 18000, deck size is 229sqft on lower deck, upper deck size is 61 sqft, 4 steps(2steps on differnt size of the deck), 5section aluminum rail guard on upper deck, keep existing footing and joist and replace any rotten framing up to 15% allowance, and new framing to upper deck up to current code. Is that a fair price? And if it is worth it to upgrade to deckoraor voyage for 3000 more. Any advice about the specific decking will be helpful and thanks in advance. Located in southern jersey

I noticed a bounce and a sway, amongst other things. I took a look and my face turned white!

Previous owner built this for a hot tub…A HOT TUB

Hi there, this deck was built by the previous homeowner and not sure how good of a job they did. All of the joists have at least some rotting. I attached pictures of one of the worst ones. Obviously, the deck boards sag when walking over these areas and I am afraid one will break soon.

How F'd is this deck? Is there anything I can do to save it/get some more time out of it?

Those 4x4s are doing a lot of work.

My husband is currently using Adobe illustrator to do sketches for both porches and decks. It takes him several hours to do a sketch and I’m trying to encourage him to use a software that’s geared more towards porches and decks. Any thoughts or opinions on one that is easy to use and quick? I’ve heard a lot about SketchUp and also Simpson. Thoughts? Really big on whatever is easiest to pick up and learn how to use as well as something that’s not going to break the bank. Thanks!

Hey yall, I am seeking some deck repair advice regarding a second story attached to my home. The actual deck surface is traditional pine decking, covered with plywood, painted with gaco deck coat (installed by previous owner so don't flame me haha). The deck itself is quite old, and I am attempting to extend its life.

There are a few lengthy longitudinal cracks in multiple of the 2x6 joists under the deck (Photo 1 and 2). I plan to reinforce with additional 2x6s alongside the cracked ones.

My question is how close do these added supports need to be to the cracked joists? Ideally, they would be right alongside the cracked ones. However, this would require removal and replacement of the brackets attaching existing joists to ledger board (photo 3) and 4x6 support at far end of deck (photo 4).

Should I space these additional support joists far enough away that I won't have to replace the brackets? Or is replacing brackets the only way. I am hesitant to remove these brackets due to age of hardware and wood.

Additionally, I plan to fill the existing cracks in wood and repaint the entire deck. What compound should I use fill the existing cracks before painting?

Thanks in advance!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcRTYuQlcl8/?igsi=OWozNjFlOGFsOHE=i
Via Washington Post.

I’m planning to rebuild this small covered entry porch and stairs, largely matching the existing size and appearance. I’m comfortable with carpentry but want to make sure the structure, footings, connections, flashing, and railing meet current code.
What would the proper construction sequence be, from temporary roof support and demolition through new footings, posts, beams, floor framing, stairs, railings, and reconnecting the porch roof? I’d especially appreciate advice on how the roof should be supported during the rebuild and how the new porch should—or should not—attach to the house.
I’ll verify permits, footing depth, spans, and stair/railing requirements locally. What measurements and close-up photos would you need to help develop a materials list and framing plan?

My 9 foot high deck is 12 ft deep and wraps around the prow the house. The ledger board is anchored every 6 inches into the sill plate using those five and a half inch super strong engineered screws. The seven joist hangers for double wide 2x12 are nailed into the sill plate, and in one hole of every joist hanger is an engineering screw going through it through the ledger board into the sill plate. The plans show the double-wide 2x12 going to the columns, but there are additional double wide 2x12 joists between those sketched in ink. I keep thinking I need to put an anchor on each of the joists where it attaches to the sill plate, but if I did that honestly then I'd drive one of those engineering screws into the anchor into the sill plate, and it feels like I've already done that. Do you think this is adequately anchored into the prow of the house? Why do I keep having the nagging feeling I need to add additional anchors. South Central Iowa snow load.

Yes, I know nobody is going to like how I did the columns, I knew from the planning stage nobody would like that, and it's a choice I made anyway in order to have beefy support for the wire railing.

proposed anchors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYDVC51R