decksummer08

Featured pictures

My Deck Pictures

2008-09-30

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deck_project2008 001.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 002.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 003.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 004.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 005.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 006.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 007.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 008.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 009.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 010.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 011.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 012.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 013.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 014.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 015.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 016.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 017.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 021.jpg 2008-09-15

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deck_project2008 020.jpg 2008-09-15

Latest news

Low Voltage Lighting

Sometime next year I hope to add some low voltage lighting. I think I'm going to put on some solar caps and a solar system for the stairs.

Welcome to my Quadra Deck Project Page

The deck turned out really well. The trim is still not finished but the deck is very usable as is.

I purchased the
decking from www.builddirect.com,
the railing from www.usavinyl.com,
and the hand rails from www.mvpweatherwise.com

I hired a contractor for the job.
Deck Pro's in the 507 area code did the work. http://www.stormrepair.com
It was his first time installing the decking and railing so he had lots of questions which I helped answer by reading and going over the documentation in detail and asking the makers of the products. I was very involved in the decisions that were made while the deck was being built and I'm glad I was because things turned out just the way I wanted.

Comments

10/1/2008 4:11:32 AM - 001080805426
Some additional information about the deck. It is 16 feet wide and 18 feet out. The footings were dug 42" deep and 18" wide for the first 3 posts, all the other posts were 14" wide footings. The stairs are 7" rise over 12" run and are 48" wide. The landing is roughly 4'x4'. The ledger board was completely flashed behind, below, and above. Stainless steel lag bolts and screws were used to fasten the ledger. The rest of the hardware is hot dipped, galvanized steel. The pink foam used to wrap the posts is there to prevent frost from grabbing the post and heaving it, something my contractor said he has seen.

Pro's and Con's of this Decking System

Pro's: It's definitely maintenance free. It won't stain, fade (maybe a little), warp, rot, or mold. It does scratch a little but even wood will get scratches, and I can usually rub them out in the vinyl if they are big enough to bother me. The vinyl railing is very strong with reinforced aluminum in the top and bottom rails. The vinyl deck boards have a nice wood grain pattern to them which makes them slip resistant. You will notice in the last couple of pictures that I show some variation in the deck board surface. These boards were staggered to create a nice look. The hidden fastener biscuit system seemed to work reasonably well (accept for the stairs). Everyone thinks that the deck looks awesome, I have to agree :)

Con's: My biggest problem with this deck install was the trim on the stairs. It's an extremely tedious and time consuming process that requires lots of precise miter cuts. The documentation does not go into any detail on how to trim the stairs. The trim boards come in 6" high and 12' long sections and need to be doubled up to cover the rim joists that are 2"x10"s. The trim piece covering the edge of the stair that is stepped on needs to be glued down with silicone caulk to prevent it from moving (or coming off) while walking up or down the stairs. Stair risers are recommended at 12" on center instead of 16". The deck boards them selves are recommended for 16" on center install, however I felt there was a barely noticeable give when stepping in between joists. I would have gone to 14" or maybe even 12" on center. I'm the only one that noticed this, my guests have not, so I don't consider a big deal. There is a little bit of barely noticeable squeak to some of the boards. Not a big deal. The important thing to note here is to make sure all the boards are securely fastened and that there is nothing underneath pressing up on them. In one spot a brace went between the joists to strengthen the location of the 4"x4" rail post and this brace was pushing up slightly on the deck boards. The brace was taken out, trimmed down, and reinstalled which remedied the squeaky problem. Cutting the biscuits in half (used to fasten the stair boards) was very difficult. You had to be very careful that you didn't cut your fingers off. Cutting the end clamps in 1" pieces was also a similarly dangerous task. The special order angle brackets used for the stair railing needed some extra cutting that took a lot longer to finish. The 16' deck boards and the trim can shrink or expand almost 1" according to the specifications. I'm concerned this may cause problems this winter but we will see. Right now I can see small gaps open up between trim pieces on the rim joists when the temperature cools. And lastly birds like to poop on white railing :)

I listed a lot of con's but I consider all of them to be minor except for the stair trim work. If they would make 12" high trim pieces instead of 6" high it would have been much more usable. I really like how the deck turned out overall. The hand rails are really nice. If I had to do it again, I would use the same products except I would purchase either composite or vinyl 2"x12" boards to cover up the stair trim and possibly the rim joists.

Link to installation manual
http://www.auroradecking.com/pdf/aurorainstallation.pdf

11/7/2009 1:24:01 AM