Building composite decks - Rochester Hills MI composite deck project.

Hello everyone ... After a busy year of deck construction in Michigan we have finally found some time to update our blog. Today we will look at a project we did back in May. It is a full backyard deck and patio design.

 On this new construction project we had an open slate to design, the homeowner wanted a deck off the upper level door wall leading to a walkway / patio to service the lower level.

Design Top View

3D View

Here we pick up the project with the hardscaping already installed and we will focus on the deck portion of the project.                                                                                                                       The deck is 14x25 with a 3x15 center bay with double cut corners. The bay works to add some flair to a basic square deck, which works good to fit into our customers budget. 

The decking is Timber Tech Legacy Tigerwood  with a Legacy Mocha double picture frame border and center seam board. Here in the picture we have already installed the decking and we are working on installing the rail posts. 

  We always install the rail posts after the decking is completed. You can see how hard it would be to cut the double border in after the rail posts are installed. We plan the framing accordingly for the proper blocking to attach the 4x4s with the Fastenmaster Thrulok bolts.

 Here is a closer picture of the framing after the railings are installed. Notice the three Thrulok bolts through the rim joist at the corner of the bay that takes care of the rail post attachment. Then below that you have the 2x4 drop down blocking on the bay along with the triple 2x12 beam that also acts as blocking for the triple stack fascia.

 A few other points you can see: We have started the 1x cladding on the 6x6 support posts with the post dimensions of a 6x6 at  - 5"1/2 " x  5"1/2"  A 12" deck fascia ripped in half works for two sides and two 8" stair riser fascia for the other two sides that have a finished edge. The other point in the picture is the lateral load bracing we usually do which is a 5/4 board attached with three 16D nails to the underside of the floor joist running on a 45 degree angle to brace both ways against lateral loads.  

Here the railings are completed and we are working on the triple stack fascia. The railings are Timber Tech Evolution Builder rail with Deckorators Estate balusters all in black. The 2x4 blocking for the triple stack fascia is finished.  

Working on the first course of Timber Tech Legacy mocha fascia. Below in the next picture you can see the different stacks of the fascia cladding that is done already so we can finish the stair railings.

Here is a picture of the stairs that shows a closer shot of the fascia corner and the 6x6 post cladding when finished.





Final pictures below....

Rochester Hills deck construction, Michigan deck builders.

Romeo MI composite deck

It has been to long since we have updated our blog .. I have to apologize !
 It has been hard to find time we have been busy building decks.

Today we are going to review a project we started last November.

We framed the deck last year and the job was put on hold until early this spring when we finished up. We were originally hired to only design the deck. Then we were hired to frame the deck, and the customer was going to finish the deck. After further considering the scope of the project we were then hired to finish the deck this March.

Here is the design that was revised some this spring.

The deck was designed to be a temporary access to the above ground pool which will eventually be removed. So the deck will have to look good when the pool is removed.

The design also has a unique center section with a dodecogan triple picture frame border. 

Here we had to build a jig out of wood decking to get the proper layout of the dodecogan (12 sided octagon) This was a challenge to keep everything square and all the mitres tight ! Originally the deck was only going to have a double picture frame border, so we had to add more blocking.

The decking is the new Timber Tech Evolutions rosewood (cap composite) with Timber Tech XLM sandridge borders, fascia, and railings. Here we are installing the decking and borders.

We tried tying in the colors of the decking, fascia, and railings with trim and brick colors of the house.

From the outside, the deck looks all the sandridge color like the color of the house trim and once you are on the deck surface we tried to pick up the brick color with the rosewood decking.

A picture of the triple center seam board and triple border dodecogan.

The railings are Timber Tech Radiance rail in sandridge with bronze Deckorators balusters. The two rail sections over the pool are removable to access the pool.

Here are few more final pictures

 Michigan deck builders

Shelby Township MI Cedar Deck

Hello again,

 Here is the latest project we have been working on. Basically building a new 26x21 cedar deck. There was a existing decking that was in bad shape, and that had some very large built in planters. So we took down the old deck and re-designed the new deck.

The house is a real interesting design being in a shape of an L with door walls on each side of the home. We tried to go with a unique deck design, incorporating some different angles into the design, which I really liked the 54 degree angle instead of the basic 45 degree cut corner.

    

Here we just finished the framing up and we are waiting for the open joist inspection, so we can start installing the decking.

Here the homeowner pre-stained the 2x4 rails with a Sherman Williams natural oil based stain. So he would not have to cut in around the balusters. This is a big benefit over treated pine because the treated is really wet it has to wait to be stained, where the cedar can be stained right away.

Here the 2x6 cedar decking has just been installed (screwed down)

The seam board, picture frame border course and railings are next.

Here we just installed the Cedar 2x4 builders rail, with a 2x6 deck board top cap rail, and 3/4 round deckorators balusters. Two tiered 1x8, 1x4 rough sawn fascia installed under the picture frame border.

 The last step was building the stairs, they are 4' wide with a 7.5 rise, and with the two tiered fascia detail.

A few more completed pictures

Thank You for reading!

Franklin MI Cedar deck

Hello .. We have been crazy busy with work so I have to apologize for not keeping up on updating our blog. For the last few weeks we have been on this project we are going to review today.

Remove and replace a Franklin MI two level cedar deck.

We are matching an existing design with a few changes. I really like the original design.

Basically the deck is 14 x 42 with a center step down 14x14 octagon level. There is also a 16x20 pergola centered in the design.

The old deck was made from cedar and was in really bad shape, it was built in 1980 and there was a few problems areas.

We filled up a 20 yard dumpster from all the debris on this job it was a bear to tear down. Also every utility line was ran through the deck area, including the electrical main, cable, and phone, air conditioning, a water line and two electrical outlets.

Here you can see the cedar fascia board sandwiched over the deck boards and the framing, this is one of big problem areas we see all the time. This why we always run a border board around the outside of the deck, so the fascia board can be run underneath the border board to cover the fascia/framing seam so there is no gap area where the two materials are sandwiched together. The picture frame border also covers the ends of the cut deck boards.

You see the gap between the fascia and the rim joist has collected all kinds of debris and it created an area for water to sit,  damage the deck frame, fascia, and the ends of the decking.

The other big problem area we see in deck failure in is the ledger board of the deck, (where it attaches to the home)  Here you see there was flashing used in the construction of the original deck, but because the house has wood siding.  The wood siding failed and created the damage to the ledger and than eventually the deck and house.  

So the end result from the siding/ledger failure was replacing about 30' of the house rim joist

Here is the new ledger attachment and flashing

Here is a few framing shots

The latter joist framing for the center seam board

Octagon framing

Next comes the decking installation.

Below you can see the single picture frame border board

that covers the fascia/framing gap and hides the end grains of the decking.

Railings up next

Pocket hole post/rail attachment       

We pre-stained the 2x4 rails with Sherman Williams Deckscapes that the homeowner choose, but the color did not come out right so the homeowner decided to leave the grey colored stain on the rails and keep the rest of the deck stained with a natural colored stain

Next we did the stairs, built the pergola, installed low voltage deck lighting,

 and stained the complete deck to finish up the project

Thank You for reading our blog