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

New products for 2011

Hello again ... Well it is the first week in February and winter still has not let up and being a deck builder in Michigan we are looking forward to spring time and the construction season to begin. With that being said, spring is sure to be  busy so now while we have a little time we will review the 2011 new products 

Last week we reviewed the new line of decking from Timber Tech - Evolutions, this week we are going review the rest of the new products from Timber Tech.

Timber Tech Radiance rail will have two new colors this year, Traditional Walnut and Antique White. The walnut color looks like it will go with the new Evolutions line and the Antique white is a cream or off white color that could go with just about everything, It is not as bright as the original white Radiance rail color. I like both colors and I can see alot of homeowners liking the new colors.

Also new this year in the Radiance rail is the mix and match option, the Radiance rail balusters will be packaged separate from the top and bottom rails. This allows for two tone railing options or you can just buy the top and bottom rails and install you own balusters such as Deckorators or Fortress

Timber Tech has its own screw system out now called Toploc, Which is a screw system for the Reliaboard decking that is face screwed. They also have a unique fascia screw that comes with a countersink bit that allows for expansion and contraction of the fascia to prevent oil canning.

Timber Tech XLM has two new colors this year. Harvest Bronze which is actually a replacement for the original XLM Desert Bronze color, it is a light brown color with black streaking to look like a Tropical hardwood. Harbor Stone is the other new color that is a Grey weathered wood looking color with the black streaking. Rustic Bark is not a new color, it came out at the end of last year and it is a darker brown color. The XLM line is suppose to be coming out with another color sometime this season also.

I think that about covers it , Big thanks goes out to Timber Tech for all their hard work they put into product development.

Thanks for reading ... AutumnWood ~ Deck builders in Michigan  

Getting ready for spring... New deck products for 2011

We just got back from a Timber Tech deck clinic at a local lumberyard - Dillman & Upton they are going to stock only Timber Tech for their synthetic decking this year.

You could feel a little excitement in the presentation of their new products and product line. One of Timber Tech's product designers did the presentation and he did a great job. Even one of the owners was there to answer questions
Big thanks to Dillman and Upton for the clinic

I have to give all the credit to Timber Tech for their product development and their broad product line, they have just about everything imaginable in synthetic decking, and it is A+ top quality.

Just for a little back ground from what I know of Timber Tech. They are owned by Crane plastics who is one largest and oldest vinyl/plastics company that makes vinyl products for windows and siding and much more.

Timber Tech is the second largest and second oldest synthetic decking manufactures in the world, which makes for a very secure company, in a very volatile market, synthetic companies come and go every year it seems.

Timber Tech has a new cap layer composite line out called Evolutions. The line is a revamp of their Earthwood product line that was very popular a few years ago. They have kept the same or similar look/colors of the Earthwood line except the Evolution has the Cap layer protection over the old composite core. This is a major evolution of the Earthwood line, giving the composite a much more durable cover or cap layer.

I am a big believer in the Cap layer composite product. We have used Correct Deck CX for quite a few years and have not had any call backs ! GAF has since bought Correct Deck out and In my opinion ruined the company by changing the name, and not progressing with Correct Deck and going backwards by developing a first generation composite.

We have always liked Timber Tech because of their original more dense composite product. They again have always been the most innovative in the synthetic decking business. After the original Twin Finish and Floorizon lines, They came out with the XLM PVC line which is still a really great product, and could still be considered the best deck boards on the market.  They also have the very best kit railing on the market,  Radiance rail, and now they have the Evolutions line.

In the last two years both Trex and Fiberon have introduced cap lay composites into the synthetic decking market. One thing I want to say here and it is just my opinion. There are four big players in the synthetic decking market, Trex, Timber Tech, Azek, and Fiberon.

Any other synthetic decking product manufactures I would becareful with, because of the volatility of the small companies which seem to fold just as quickly as they start. The problem is you the home owner could be stuck with no warranty and a suspect product with no recourse.  Where the big four have gotten over the hump and established themselves as fixtures in the synthetic decking business

Back to the topic

Timber Tech Evolutions 

Has three colors all which have dark colored streaking, which is trying to mimic the look of South American hardwood decking and flooring,  such as Ipe, Tigerwood, Teak, or Mahogany  

Pacific Teak

 Pacific Walnut

Pacific Rosewood

The cap layer composite technology might be they best synthetic decking product.

It differently has some pluses over PVC

1) Less shrinking & expansion

2) Stronger than PVC

3) Better at UV protection

4) Green friendly using recycled raw materials in its formula instead of PVC which uses all virgin materials

 

Timber Tech waited to introduce Evolutions until they had completely tested their cap layer product and had a full line of matching trim boards. Lets hope that is the same for the other newer cap layer products especially in the testing. 

Evolutions looks to be the best of the bunch !

Next we will look at the rest of the new Timber Tech products for 2011

Thanks for reading

2010 deck products - Timber Tech

Hello ..  We have been writing about the new products for decks and patios for the 2010 year.
 Having already reviewed Correct Deck CX and their lifetime warranty on LABOR and materials.
 We also reviewed the new awesome looking Horizon Tropics  from Fiberon.

Today we a going to look at one of our original favorites

         

Timber Tech has been the most inovative composite/pvc decking product manufactures on the market. Their XLM deck board has made huge waves in the low maintenance decking arena. 

The  Radiance rail is the nicest looking, best quality kit railing in my opinion. They have a few new products that I have heard about this year.

The main one being the Reliaboard     
Which is a deck board product geared towards the budget minded consumer, who wants a low maintenance deck but at a more affordable price. It comes in two colors Cedar and Grey, and it has more of a square edge profile. The Reliaboard is to be screwed down and there is no a hidden fastening system for the Reliaboard. The big plus for the Reliaboard is the fact that it prices out at about the same cost as Cedar wood decking. The budget composites make up about 30% of the share of the low maintenance decking category.

The railing that should be paired up with the Reliaboard is Timber Tech's Builder Rail  Which is a composite 2x4 top and bottom rail with 3/4 round metal balusters.

The budget composite products are not for everyone and they work well in some conditions and not very well in others, so do your homework when considering a budget product. There is reasons why the XLM is the price it is or other ultra low maintenance products are priced higher, they are just about as close to fail proof as there is in decking product choices.

Timber Tech also came out with a new XLM color at the mid to end of last year called Desert Bronze  Which is a black colored streaked deck board which mimics the look of a tropical hardwood. A very nice looking product that has all the durability of the XLM with the enhanced look. In Michigan I have heard it did really good, but it is expensive. I would like to see the Desert Bronze color become more affordable.

The other - some what new Timber Tech product which came out last year

was DeckLites  Which is low voltage lighting for decks. 

There is three different option in the DeckLites -  Post caps, Accent lights, and Riser lights

 First the DeckLite Post Caps are just for use with the Timber Tech railing post sleeves.

       The DeckLite Accents can be used on any                               deck or in combonation with any other decking product.

The Accent lights can be mounted just about anyway you would like.

 

          Finally, the DeckLite Riser lights are for the riser boards on steps.

Timber Tech also make a high quality transformer to use with their DeckLites.

The low voltage lighting is a really nice addition to a deck and is reasonably priced.

Timber Tech generally offers a 25 year materials warranty on all the products, the low voltage has a 5 year warranty

Thank You for checking out our blog

A few thoughts on decking products and warranties

COMPOSITE DECKING Hello ... We met recently with the new sales rep from GAF/ELK. GAF has just recently purchased Correct Deck CX, which has been one of our favorite composite decking choices. Correct Deck was the innovator in the cap layer composite. Which Fiberon and Trex have recently come out with similar cap layer composites. Timber Tech is also going to come out with a cap layer composite product. The Correct Deck CX is a co-extrusion cap layer composite which covers over the first generation composite (inside the cap layer), which is a wood 60%/plastic 40% mixture. FIRST GENERATION COMPOSITES First generation composite products promised allot "less maintenance" then the treated / cedar wood decking, that was the standard choice for deck materials. The main promise was that the first generation composite products did not need to be stained. The staining process of a wood deck can be allot of work and time consuming. So the composite products started to catch on, Trex was the first composite on the decking market. There was problems though, the wood fiber / plastic mixture weathered still , Severe fading from sun exposure , mold became a big problem, and scratching, and staining became issues also. So for having the promise of - not having to stain the deck, you gained a bunch more bad side effects. Keep in mind that in different climates of the country and even different areas of a site where a deck is built can increase or decrease the issues with the first generation composites. We have done some first generation composite decks that still look pretty good after 10 years or more and some that do not look as good. In Michigan where we are, the sun exposure time, the height of the deck, and the moisture that is in the area of the deck, can be the main factors in problem issues with the first generation composites. If the deck is in full sun 24/7 generally western or southern exposure you will get allot of fading of the color on first generation composites, But this will help with moisture/mold growth problems. The height of the deck is also a big factor, generally you do not want a deck built, wood/composite/PVC any lower than twelve inches in height, to the finish floor. The decking needs to dry out and breath. If your patio, porch or deck area is lower than twelve inches, I would recommend going with a hardscape material. Stamped concrete or brick pavers. The moisture issue, is the last of the three problem areas we see, sprinkler system add allot of water to a patio, porch or deck area. They also add allot of water to the water table in the ground which will become an issue in the winter time with frost heave. Also allot of overhanging trees can keep the deck from drying out which will promote mold growth. Mold growth generally comes from wet wood products that stay wet for long periods of time and start to rot, which breeds mold. HEIGHT, SUN EXPOSURE, MOISTURE If you keep those three main factors in mind you can still have good success with a first generation composite product. If you have a deck or patio area that would fall into one of those problem areas. I would recommend the second generation composites or PVC decking choices. SECOND GENERATION COMPOSITES - CAP LAYER/PVC This get us back to the Correct Deck CX product which again was bought out by GAF/ELK GAF/ELK is one of the largest roofing material manufactures in the world and they have been in business for over a hundred years. So they have allot of stability which is always nice. They have come out with very unique contractor certifications and warranty programs based off of there roofing products. Which everyone knows about all the issues that can challenge a roofing product, yet they still offer these lifetime warranties on their roofing systems. Lifetime labor and material warranty The new Correct Deck CX GAF/ELK product will offer a lifetime warranty with both labor and materials covered. I have never heard of the labor being covered, which is a strong security to a homeowner. Trex had some issues awhile back with defective materials that decayed in a year or two and they covered the materials but the homeowner was stuck with paying the contractor to remove and replace the defective product. With the cost to upgrade to a composite or pvc product in the first place, a life time labor and material warranty is a peace of mind. Thank You, for reading .. We will get more into the second generation composites/pvc and the new products in decks for the 2010 season coming up in the next few days.

Shelby Township, MI. Correct Deck CX composite deck

We have been busy so I have been slow to post some updated picture of this project

Framing picture with grooved deck boards ready to be installed. Ledger board flashing and framing for the center seam board A picture of the synthetic post sleeves by Marquis Accents, here we used them to cover the support posts but you can also use them for rail posts

Decking all completed and rail posts installed.

We are installing the baluster connectors on the DCL 2x4s

Timber Tech post lights installed on the Correct Deck CX DCL

Railing with Fortress Antique Bronze metal baluster

Stairs completed with Timber Tech riser lights

Diamond inlay off the herringbone center seam board