Outdoor Living

Michigan Deck Builders

2011-12-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a YouTube video of some of our recent deck building projects

Thanks for reading !

The "outside view"

2011-11-19T17:37:00.000-08:00

This is what all your neighbors will see of your new deck and the details here will have the most impact on the relationship between the new deck and the architecture of the home and landscape.

The "outside view" of your new dream deck breaks down into -

Three parts:

1) Support posts,

2) Fascia/Rim,
3) Railings

I want to focus on 1) Support posts, and 2) Fascia/Rim.
I will look at 3) railings next time.

Number one: support posts

I have heard many complaints from homeowners about the support posts on their neighbors decks looking to small and that they looked like tooth picks in comparison to a wide deck. So here are few ideas to add some depth, design, and maintenance friendly options to your new deck.

Upgrade options to the standard 6x6 treated posts:

Probably the easiest method of covering the standard 6x6 support posts is to box out or fir out the 6x6 posts to a larger size and cap with them synthetic fascia. 2x4 blocking is installed to add width to the 6x6 posts so that a full 12" synthetic fascia can be used to cover all four sides of the posts.

Here is the "outside view" on this deck where the main support posts are covered and there is a triple stack fascia detail that we will get into later.

Another easy option to cover a support posts is by using pre-fab columns. In the picture: we used pre-fab composite or poly columns that mimic the look of stack stones.

The next picture is of a deck and pergola where we used pre-fab poly stone columns

along with round poly columns to cover to the treated 4x6 support posts. We built blocking boxes for the railing attachment. The stone and round columns are just basically covers to enhance the design.

Here is another picture of this project in progress - as we are building the pergola, even though it is not under the deck it still is the same principal where the 4x6 wood supporting post for the pergola run right through the columns.

The top of the line option is real masonry columns to cover the main support posts. We have lost all of our masonry brick and stone deck picture's when our last computer crashed. These picture were borrowed from the Internet. With the brick and stone the options the only change will be larger footing sizes to support the brick or stone veneer.

2) Fascia details

This is one of our favorite details and one that really can add beauty and depth to your new deck. This fascia is what covers the joists and or the beams of a new deck.

Here in the "outside view" picture below you can see the deck building in progress. We are just about to finish the railings and move onto the fascia, you can see the little plywood blocks that are applied to the deck rim joists, and we are about add another rim joist below the upper rim joist that is at the joist level to support the triple stack.

In the picture below you can see the progress, the lower platform deck for the stairs is complete and the upper deck level has the bottom 12" fascia course applied only. We then rip a 12" down to 8" 1/2" and we use the 3" 1/2" rip for the top tier, so they just stack on top of each other which not only covers the joists but the beams also.

Here is what the final detail looks like.

Here is some other deck projects where we have done triple stack fascia details.

Our standard fascia detail is a two tiered fascia that just covers the rim joist.

Notice how you can still see the beam, this a more budget option, or what you would use on decks that are closer to the ground level.

Here is a couple picture of fascia details on wood decks.

A cedar deck with triple stack fascia with solid skirting

Double stack cedar deck

Thank you for reading !

Michigan deck builders

Shelby Twp. MI composite deck

2011-10-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy summer and we have had the busiest year of our company. I again have to apologize for not keeping up with the blog !

I hope to keep up with this now that summer is gone and the Michigan deck builders season is quickly coming to a close.

Here is our second featured project of 2011

This is a tear down of a 15-20 year old cedar deck and replacing it with a Timber Tech evolutions cap composite deck. We worked with the homeowner for about eight months getting all the design & pricing options worked out. They were also waiting for a wedding party they were have in late spring, and they wanted a brand new deck ready for their party.

Here is the before picture and the framing design layout. Notice the existing retaining we had to build around !

Once the old deck is removed the process begins with digging the posthole footings again we had to go all around the existing retaining walls

The other big challenge on this project was the stairway on east side of the deck that had two landing that wrapped around the upper level. Layout on the landing/strings have to be with 3/8s of an inch over the complete run of the stairs. We also had to end the stair right at the paver patio below.

Here is picture of the decking layout, with the double center seam board, double picture frame border, and the decking running on alternate 45 degree angles. The decking Timber Tech evolutions in the rosewood color

Next we are onto the railings & fascia. The railing is black Timber Tech custom Radiance rail with deckorators estate balusters with collar centerpieces on every other baluster. In the pictures below we have just finished installing the newel posts, and we have just started our first railing section.

Some other features on this deck are the triple stack fascia detail and the 40 Trex low voltage lights.

Here is a few final pictures

Michigan composite deck builders

Romeo MI composite deck

2011-07-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

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

Synthetic deck and pergola from last year in Macomb Twp

2011-05-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

Hello ..

Here is a review of a deck we built at the end of last year, and we had to finish the adjoining stamped concrete patio this spring.

The project is a basic square 12x16 deck at the homeowners request.

They choose synthetic decking and railings with a solid white stained cedar pergola.

Here is the design

Timber Tech XLM sandridge deck, with Fiberon Horizons Rosewood double picture frame. Here we are just about to finish the sandridge decking. We have just slide the Bellastone columns over the 4x6 pergola posts and blocking for the rails.

The Bellastone columns are made from a very thick plastic that is hollow inside so we cut out the bottoms so we could fit the blocking around the posts for the railing attachment through the faux stone column bases. The treated 4x6 pergola posts are blocked and thru bolted into the frame of the deck. Once we installed the columns bases we installed the 8" round poly columns that sit on top of the Bellastone bases.

Here we have installed the cedar pergola parts that we pre-stained and cut.

Now we move onto the the railings, Timber Tech Radiance railing sandridge.

A few more finsh shots

Michigan deck builders
Thank you for reading !

Form equals function for deck designing

2011-03-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

Hello again,

Today we are going to look at a different topic ... Deck design and some problems areas to avoid

First lets review the basics of deck designing.

Usually form follows function for designing. When designing and planing, start by how you plan on using your deck. Most decks you have three main uses.

1) Entertaining: A space where you can be relaxing in a comfortable chair or patio set, a space to get some sun, or a place for a small party, or for the kids to get some fresh air and play safely within a watchful eye.

2) Grilling: a space for a grill

3) Egress: space to transition from the house to the deck and from the deck into the backyard.

So think of each of these spaces within your deck design

The challenge becomes fitting them into a designated space and or budget you have for your deck. Finally you should add a ornate quality to your deck by adding your unique flair or style into the design.

When we go out to visit homeowners to give an estimate on building and designing a deck, I first try to listen to the customer closely to find out exactly how they are planning to use their deck space and what their expectation is of their dream deck.

Here are some of the areas to avoid and few thing to do a little homework on.

1) Thorough pre-planing: We see this all the time, homeowner having no idea of what style they are looking for and how a deck will become part of the architecture of the home/backyard landscape. Take some time out and find a few picture of decks you like and try to incorporate some the things you like into your deck.

2) What materials to use:
There are so many neat products available in deck construction, and many of the different products work really good together and add contrast to a backyard landscape. Take a look at Faux columns, Low voltage lighting, synthetic decking... etc.

3) Designing: Add some ornate flair to a deck design with a picture frame border, inlay, combining different colors, arbors, skirting and lattice, railing combinations, and different levels.

4) Site conditions: Each house and site plot is unique and the deck should flow into the landscape and the look/color of the house.

Michigan deck construction and design ideas

Thank you for reading !

A couple of synthetic porches

2011-02-28T21:39:00.000-08:00

Hi again,

Well we have had a pretty good winter with staying busy especially considering the economy here in Michigan. In this post I am going to review a couple of porch jobs we did on two different manufactured homes.

This first one we did back in the summer, and we used Timber Tech XLM sandridge.

Here is the design a simple 4x6 porch with one column and a 4x4 platform and steps.

The old porch was 3/4 plywood with outdoor carpet, and a square 4x4 column with steps to grade. The porch rotted out and once we tore all that off, we got started on installing the decking.

Here in the picture to the left you can see the vertical skirting style we like to use with deck boards tucked behind the tiered fascia, also notice how the fascia is under the picture frame border which acts as a drip edge for the deck, so water and debris will not be trapped in the fascia/rim joist gap.

Here to the right again you can see our preferred way of doing a solid skirting around a deck to enclose the under side of a deck.

Also this is our standard fascia detail on all of our composite and PVC decks, a two tiered fascia detail.

Here we are finishing up installing the Timber Tech Radiance rails on the porch. We also ran a deck board across the bottom of the skirting to follow the slope of the grade.

Here is our second similar porch that we just actually finished up today, but I thought both of the project would fit good together in this blog post because of how similar they are and how they show a verticial skirting detail.

On this porch we tore off Trex accents because of a carport that fell on the deck and damaged the deck. No one locally stocked the Trex Accents so we went with Timber Tech Reliaboard.

The old deck was built by a Trex pro gold contractor and I was not to crazy about their work, but then again it is so easy to pick apart someone else work so I should probably focus on what I can learn.

Here is the before picture

Notice how they ran the skirting horizontally and they just stacked the fascia down to make the skirting. The fascia is even with the decking so the water and debris build up in the fascia seam.

I have seen this before by homeowners, but by a deck specialist I am surprised. It is never a good idea to fasten deck boards with brad nails and I doubt that it is approved by the manufacture, so you can wave good bye to any warranty. It is always best to stick to the manufactures recommended installation instructions on synthetic products.

So here we have finished the demo of the Trex and we just installed the Timber Tech Reliaboard decking. I was impressed with the Reliaboard it is a better product than I thought it to be, it held up pretty well to abuse it took to build the deck. I have to say they have improved on the product.

Here we just installed the vertical skirting with the two tiered fascia detail. Notice again it is now under the decking so the facia/rim joist seam is covered and the picture frame border acts as a drip edge. Also I much prefer the vertical skirting over the horizontal.

Here we just finish installing the Timber Tech builders railing with white deckorators balusters

deck builders in Michigan

Thanks for reading

New decking products part 3

2011-02-27T07:57:00.000-08:00

Hello ... We are a reviewing some of the new decking product for the upcoming 2011 season. Only a few more weeks until spring is here in Michigan, and the Metro detroit area deck and patio building season will start up for another year. Hopefully old man winter will agree on there being only a couple more weeks.

Deckorators one of our favorite companies has introduced a real neat "Duo" baluster connector. Here it is pictured with their aluminum kit rail. The picture shows the "Duo" connectors only on the top rail, but they can be used on the top and bottom rails.

They can also be used with any type of railing,wood or synthetic. They have a arched version that is used with the Classic and Colonial balusters, pictured on the left:

There is also a square version that is used with the Estate balusters. See on the right:

We use Deckorators metal balusters on almost all of the decks we build so we are really excited about the

"Duo" baluster connectors.

Trex has introduced two new colors to their cap-layer composite decking line Transcends. The two new colors mimic the look of a tropical hardwood which has been the hot thing in decking for last few years. The new colors are Lava Rock and Spiced Rum. I cannot get any pictures from their site so here a link to their site - Trex Transcends Colors

Both Deckorators and Trex have came out with their own low voltage light lines. Which is another hot thing right now in outdoor living / deck construction.

Deckorators Lighting

Trex Lighting

We are deck & patio builders in Metro Detroit and throughout Southeastern Michigan. Next week we will take a look a Azek products

Thanks for reading !

New products for 2011

2011-02-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-27T22:42:00.000-08:00

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

Chesterfield Twp. MI New cedar deck

2011-01-25T08:26:00.000-08:00

Hello again, Well it is a new year and winter is in full force here in Michigan. It has been high temps. average 10-15 degrees the last few days, not much fun.

We have been remodeling two bathrooms, so thank God for inside work !

Anyway back to reviewing our summer projects from last year.

This cedar deck we built was on a new home, and is a very simple design to keep it within the customers budget.

Here is the design
A basic 12x16 square cedar deck

On the first day of construction We start by notching the 6x6 support posts to receive the 2x10 beams. There will be two 1/2" thru carriage bolts connecting each post/beam connection. From there we set the joists on top of the beams, since it is a free standing deck we do not attach the ledger board to the house. This is because of the cantilevered bay, which according to the code a deck cannot attach to a cantilevered bay.

Here we are working on the stairs, installing the two tiered stepped fascia, and the 4x4 rail posts.

Some final pictures with the stairs and railings completed

Our railings is a typical builders rail with 2x4 top and bottom rails, 3/4 round deckorators metal balusters. and a 5/4 deck board railing cap. This is our standard railing for wood decks. On this project everything is in cedar wood

Thank you for reading our blog

Deck recover or replacement ? Review of a recover deck project in Clinton Twp MI

2010-12-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

Hello again ... Sorry we have taken so long to update our blog site. We have been in a mad dash to finish up our work before winter sets in here in Michigan.

Well onto our next project from this summer ( we have been reviewing most of the projects we have done this year 2010.)

This project is a re-cover project the homeowner was working with a budget in mind and replacing the complete deck was not in their budget range. The under carriage or sub-frame ( Joists, Beams, Main support posts, and Footings ) were in good shape and they were only about 10-15 years old so we could save the homeowner some money by re-using the under carriage. (re-cover) Where as a (replacement) you have the added cost of the removal of the complete deck, new footings, new main support posts, beams, and joist.

Some things to consider on deck re-covers

1) Deck Joist spacing:

On this project the joist were 2' on center which is the maximum joist span allowed for most all deck boards, the old decking was 2x4 and we replaced the decking with 2x6 Cedar. All deck boards have a span rating such as 12" on center, 16" on center, and 24" on center are the most common deck framing.

2) Deck Footings:

Footings are the main concern in re-cover projects, they are the first thing I look at when I am on a estimate. I believe if there is any frost heave of the footings/posts, rot of the main support posts, or over spanning of the beams I always recommend replacing the deck.

3) The decking products:

Most common recovers are from a old wood deck to some type of Composite or PVC decking. So how the old deck was framed and built will affect your choice or you will need to modify your exist framing to compensate for the new decking or railings manufactures specifications. Deck board spans, framing code compliance of the old deck, and the angle you intend to run your decking will need to be consider. Check the manufactures specifications and the local code authority.

4) Budget:

How does a replacement deck verses a recover deck compare, how much will you save? I have never seen a new house built on a old foundation, but I have seen some really nice additions work out built on the original foundation. I usually quote both ways if the deck inspection is ok, and we let the home owner's budget dictate the outcome.

Hope that helps you make the best decision when it comes time to re-cover or replace your deck.

Now back to the project in Clinton Twp. MI

In the picture below we have already removed the old deck boards, we doubled each joist with a new joist just as a pre-caution, we have also removed all the old railings and installed new Cedar railing post that are recessed and blocked into the frame.

Here we have just installed the two tiered 1x6 Cedar fascia boards which cover all the treated frame work

We are starting to install the railings.

The homeowner wanted to pick up the beige and white brick color of the house with the Cedar and white metal baluster combo.

The railing posts are 4x4 Cedar cut at 42" tall, the top and bottom rails are Cedar 2x4 cut to size.

The baluster connectors are spaced at 4.5" and attached with a stainless screw. The white 3/4 round Deckorators aluminum balusters slide into the connectors.

You also can see the decorative post skirt and the picture frame border.

Finished railings with the Cedar decorative post caps. Under the center of the bottom rail is a small baluster squash block to protect from sagging of the bottom railing.

The last note on this project is a request by the homeowner to build a fenced in area off the deck to enclose their small dog. They wanted the fence to match the deck railing which was kind of unique.

We set all the fence posts 42" below grade, and cement them in, and we ran long threaded rods thru the center baluster of each fence section, the balusters are hollow inside so there was room to run a 3/8s threaded thru bolt with a nut washer on each end.

Thank you for reading our blog.

A new walk out cedar deck

2010-10-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not keeping up with the blog, It has been about a month since we have last updated the blog. We have been busy on a large project for the last 3 weeks, and that is what we are going to review today.

This project is up in Port Huron MI. It is in a very hilly area, around the Black River, kinda feels like being up north in Michigan. There is extreme grade changes under the deck, one side is about 30" off of grade, and the other side is about 9' off of grade. On both sides of the deck there is 30' - 40' drop off cliffs, so site access was a challenge.

Here is a before picture

The design pictures

We demo'ed the old deck in about 4 hours, it was all cantilevered framing from the house joist. There was only one support post on the old deck, we had to add 21 posts with post hole footings.

With the extreme grade conditions, and some Ivy ground cover under the new deck space, Digging the post hole footings was not much fun.

After day two we had the footings done and it took the rest of the week to complete framing portion of the deck, which was around 800 sq ft.

In week two we started by installing the deck boards(all screws), on the upper level. There is three seperate areas where the decking is running on 45 degree angles and separated by center seam boards to avoid butt joints.

Once we installed the decking on both levels we cut in the picture frame border

The opposite 45 degree angles with the center seam board.

Next we went onto installing the two tiered fascia and rail posts

Finally we installed the 2x4 builders railings with posts caps and deckorators classic balusters. We also pre-stained the 2x4 rails and 4x4 posts with Messmers UV Plus natural cedar.

Now we are into week 3 where we built the stairs, and completly stained the deck

A few final pictures from the roof

Thanks for reading

A couple of cedar decks

2010-09-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hello ....

Here is a few pictures of a couple of cedar deck we have just finished

The first one is in Sterling Heights MI. The homeowner removed the old deck and designed the new deck.

Framing picture, notice the latter framing for the seam board and the picture frame border

5/4 cedar decking, rail posts and fascia's installed

Cedar planter box, built from tongue and groove 1x6, 1x4 trim and deck board top cap. The planter boxes are removable for watering and planting.

Our standard cedar 2x4 builders rail. 4x4 cedar posts, 2x4 top and bottom rails, cedar post skirts, 3/4 round deckorators bronze balusters, 5/4 deck board top cap.

We usually have the homeowner pre-stain the 2x4 rails before we install the balusters so you don't have to cut in around all the balusters, (red stain color rails)

Finished pictures

____________________________________________________________

Cedar deck # 2

Balcony deck in Chesterfield Twp. MI

Just a few pictures of a simple square 14x16 cedar deck with 2' cut corners.

The design

Thank You

For read our blog

Outdoor Living trends that will add home value

2010-08-24T19:13:00.001-07:00

Some good stuff from HGTV

http://www.frontdoor.com/Sell/Outdoor-Living-Projects-Expert-Tips-And-Advice-To-Add-Home-Value/55659

Cass City MI... New cedar deck and pergola

2010-08-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

Hello again, here is our latest project. 16x24 Cedar deck with a pergola, way up into the thumb of Michigan. First I would like to Thank Mr. and Mrs. P. for hiring us for the project. We have never had any nicer customer then they were to us, a complete pleasure to work for!

Here is the design

Here a few framing pictures

Working on the decking and pergola

Railings in

Pergola rafter cuts

Stamped concrete walkway

Final pictures

Thanks for reading

Monarch Prestige (Granite color) with Monarch Charleston railings (Slate color)

2010-07-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

Here is what we have been working on for the last few weeks. Remove and replace a existing treated deck with Monarch Prestige. Prestige is there newest line which is a cap layer composite.

Top View

Before

This was a bear of a project, the tear out went very easy we had the old deck down and loaded in a dumpster in about 2 1/2 hours. From there everything seemed to take longer than what we had thought.

The footings took some extra work because of large stones in the ground.

The framing took longer because of the building department, Rochester Hills requires a 1/2" through bolt connection for the ledger, and even the railing posts had to have 2) 1/2" carriage bolts per post and none of the 4x4 rail posts could be notched, and we had a double picture frame border to frame for and a two tiered fascia, and two levels.

Here we just installed the decking with hidden fasteners

Post sleeves just installed (Monarch Charleston Slate)

Here we just installed the railings and working into the homestretch

A few final pictures

Thanks for reading

Why hire a pro - part two

2010-07-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

What are the benefits of hiring a pro:

1)Experience in carpentry, and construction codes.

We see alot of different carpentry techniques I remember going out on a quote last summer to build a Gazebo, The homeowner was really excited about his new deck, which he and his buddy just built. The first thing I noticed was that they brad nailed all the deck boards down. Experience in building decks and tearing down old decks, you will quickly see why not to brad nail a deck board, wood shrinks and expands and moves around alot which a brad nail will never hold up. We never ever nail a deck any where unless we use PL glue in conjunction with nailing, and that is only on fascia boards where you don't want to see a screw head.

With all the new composite and PVC decking products on the market, experience will not only save you time and money but maybe one big headache.
Some manufactures are known to deny claims if you don't follow every step of their installation instructions. Composite and PVC decking is alot more labor intense, and not only how you build the deck, but how you design the deck will contribute to quality of the deck as it ages.

2) The design of a deck will be a large factor how well it lasts, and would you put you name on a square cookie cutter project.

Design is a key factor in most construction project. Each lot is different, each home is different, and each customers needs are different. I am a big believer in whoever designs a project should have a building long standing quality mindset, not just how it looks mindset. With that being said who wants a square jail space look to your new deck. A designer will look to put his unique signature on the design. Some deck builders here, have done unique things that the instant you see the deck you know they built it, I have to tip my hat to them they have stepped beyond the cookie cutter mentality.

Here in Michigan the economy has been really tough, we have been very dependent upon the auto industry to our own hurt. The fat and over paid union mentality has hurt us. We have to not only to create a brand, but work at proving ourselves that we are hard workers and we will go the extra for our clients. This is what has given a bad rap to our remodeling industry. The do it yourself-er would say: We are out to take every short cut, charge a high price and leave work not done and job sites a mess.

A "Pro" should go the extra mile not only in design, workmanship, cleanliness, and in business dealings. That is why you should hire a pro!

Shelby Township MI Cedar Deck

2010-07-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

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!

Why hire a pro?

2010-06-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Bayn Wood I am president of Autumnwood Construction Inc. We are a metro Detroit area deck and patio construction company.

In the last month alone we have seen, a composite deck built by a new construction home builder, that looked like it was nailed off by the framing crew. We gave a recent quote for a pending lawsuit where a homeowner built his own deck, sold his house and stated to the buyer that it was built to code and the building inspector had approved the deck construction, which in reality the deck needed to be torn down because it was not only out of code but a major danger to anyone who used the deck. And we visited a new construction home for a quote on building backyard deck, as I pulled into the driveway I noticed a very nice covered front porch, that had high end composite railings, that were sagging in between the railing posts, after a closer inspection I noticed there was not any squash blocks installed and the bottom rail was installed upside down all by the home builder. All costly errors

You might say there are many other stories of decks built by homeowners that have been built well, and you’re a deck builder, so of course you going to be against DIY deck builder.

That may be true, but what are you getting yourself into when you take on a deck building project?

Here are a few areas to consider before you decide to “Do it yourself”

1) The deck design. A dream deck that flows into the landscape, or a square big box special.

2) Building to code. Plans and permits are needed, and there are a lot of deck construction codes to follow.

As a homeowner how much time do you have to research the deck construction codes, and do you have ability to build the deck to code? First off, your footings have to be sized for the proper soil and load bearing code. What type of footing? Posts back filled with cement cookie post bases, or pier footings. What is the proper frost code depth for my area? Next would be the proper lumber sizes for the deck frame spans. What about the railings? How tall should they be and what is the proper baluster spacing? What about the stairs. Do I need a graspable handrail? Or how tall can my risers be?

3) Materials: What is the best choice for my new deck, what should I base my decision on, and what accessories are available.

What material should you build you deck from if you’re going to build your own deck. I personally believe that treated wood or cedar wood are a lot easier deck materials to work with than Hardwoods, Composites, and PVC products. Hardwoods have to be pre-drilled to attach and they are extremely hard, end grains have to be treated against checking and splitting. Most Composite and PVC manufactures have installations instruction manuals which can be upwards of 20 pages of instructions. The composite and PVC market is growing dramatically and is popular among DIY crowd because of the high materials costs.

Deck building in my opinion is a trade just like an electrician, plumber, or pipe fitter. And to have a special “outdoor living” dream deck space, you should consider a deck building trade specialist

Franklin MI Cedar deck

2010-06-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

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

Shelby Township MI Cedar Deck

2010-05-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We are in full gear deck building mode and it has been busy - so much to do with so little time to do it!

Here is our latest project in Shelby Township MI. Remove and replace a cedar deck. Just a basic square deck 12x26. The two main design feature are the picture frame border with the double center seam boards, and the metal balusters in the builders rail. Again a very basic deck which is what the homeowner wanted.

We did the center seam boards so we could get the most out of 12' deck boards

Here is the design

Framing around the fireplace

Ladder framing for the center seam boards

Two tiered fascia, pre-stained rail post

Decking installed

Working on the rail to rail post connection - we use the Kreg pocket hole jig for the toe nailing of the posts

Finished pictures

Here is a link to the DIY network - With a bunch of good articles

2010-05-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

Here some interesting links from the DIY network

DIY Network

Also take a look at our patio, porch and deck websites.

Autumnwood Construction

Michigan Deck Store

Autumnwood Construction Facebook page

Thank You

So what all is included in a deck quote?

2010-04-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Well the deck building season has begun for us. I do my own design, sales, and me and my brother build almost all of our projects. So it is harder to find time to keep up on writing here. A topic I want to look at today is the deck quote - what all is included?

We have been very busy in the last month with quotes. We have done at least 50 or more proposals it has been crazy.

But what I would like to address is the price of building a deck, I think alot of people get sticker shock or have no idea what it costs to build a deck. Generally square foot prices for decks are -

Pressure treated pine (select cut)   $16 square foot

Cedar (selkirk)                             $22 square foot

Budget composite                          $30 square foot

Top of the line
cap-layer composite or
PVC                                              $40 square foot

For some more ideas of deck pricing and design and size pricing go to our website michigan deck store

So again what is included

Scope of the work:

1) Plans and permits - time to draw the plans, turn them into the building dept. The permit fees which usually run between $150-$400.

2) Post hole footings - auger rental is included which is usually about $200. Cement cookies for the base of the posts $20-$40 a piece

3) Pea stone - Under the deck most building dept. require a layer of 6 mil plastic weed barrier and 3" of pea stone. $200-$300

4) Deck frame - usually runs about $4.00 - $6.00 a square foot for materials. 6x6 support posts, 2x10 beams, 2x8 joists.

5) Decking - depending upon product choices you can run any where from $3.00 square foot to $12.00 square foot for high end pvc decking with hidden fasteners.

6) Railings - depending upon product choices you can be anywhere from $4.00 foot for pressure treated pine, to $45.00 foot for Timber Tech Radiance railing.

7) Misc. Hardware - Hangers, lag bolts, screws, etc. usually about $300 for small decks to $800 for large decks.

8) Fascia - We don't use a fascia for our pressure treated pine deck, but for Cedar and all composites we do a fascia board. Cedar we do a two tiered fascia usually 1x8 & 1x4. Composites you usually do a single 1x12. Cedar is about $3.00 - $4.00 foot to Composites and PVC $10 foot

9) Picture frame border - on all of our decks except for Treated Pine we do a border board. We use the border board to cover the fascia/frame gap so no water or debris will gather behind the fascia board. It also hides the end cut of the deck boards.

10) Labor - generally is 1/3 of the overall project

11) Removal of a old deck, dumpster fees - $2.00 - $3.00 square foot

12) Company Profit - 20% is the goal, usually it is 5% - 10%

This is just some general ideas of the costs that is included in a deck quote. Prices will vary depending upon the size of a project, the scope of a project, and the materials used in a project.

This does not even cover all the cost of doing business as a company - liability insurance, vehicle insurance, license fees, vehicle maintenance, tools maintenace, gas, and advertising.

That is why a company has to make a profit to pay for all the other costs of doing business. It is also the reason why we cannot work for the same price a handyman or some un-licensed carpenter can.

Thank You for reading.

Bordines Spring Expo

2010-04-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

Come visit us this weekend at the Rochester Hills MI Bordines Nursery. Their famous spring expo is being held this weekend 4-17&18 at the corner of Rochester Road and Hamlin Road in Rochester Hills MI.

Bordines will be having all kinds of great seminars and there will be an american backyard theme this year. There will be all kinds of different vendors and kids activities. We will have deck displays - Timber Tech XLM and Radiance railing, Correct Deck CX, Fiberon Horizon Tropics, and a cedar pergola, and bar.

Bordines Spring Expo web page

Here is a link to infomation on the different seminar topics being offered and their times of the seminars.

Seminar topics

Thank You

Rialings part 3 - composite pvc options

2010-04-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Hello again, Spring is in the air and we have been busy doing estimates! For the last few weeks we have been looking at different railing styles and products. This week we are going to look at composite and pvc, low maintenance railing products.

For us we generally offer 3 different railing products for low maintenance decks.

The first product choice we give is Correct Deck CX and their DCL railing with metal balusters.

The DCL - Dimensional Composite Lumber

Which means it can span long distances with the strength required for a railing. Most composites/pvc are not very strong.

The nice thing about the Correct Deck DCL (basically a 2x4) is that it has the cap layer covering the composite base. Which puts it into the ultra low maintenance class meaning it does really good in resisting Fade, Stain, Straching, and Mold. It is also more affordable than the composite kit rail systems most manufactures make.

One other nice feature is that the DCL 2x4 combined with the metal baluster option gives the railing a nice contast to the all one color kit rail systems.

I would like to see Correct Deck come out with some different options with rail posts, skirts and caps.

Their rail post are basically the same as a 4x4 in size, where most all of the other manufactures rail posts are sleeves that fit over a 4x4 that are bigger and look a little nicer, also Correct Deck post caps and skirts are very basic. We usually use the De-kor post caps when we use the DCL rail system.

Next we offer the Timber Tech Radiance Rail

Which is a kit rail system meaning, the top and bottom rails and balusters come in a box in 6' and 8' lengths.

The Radiance Rail is a little more expensive than most other low maintenance railings on the market, but it is the nicest out there. It also matches the colors of the XLM decking and they have white and black colors which look really nice.

Next we offer the Monarch white railing Bermuda

Which is a budget minded product and still is low maintenance

There are many other railing options on the market that are very nice also.

Trex has the Artisan rail which has been re-named the Transcend railing

The Transcend railing has alot of different options

Azek has a few different profiles of the old Premier railing

There is many vinyl railings on the market here one we like with many different baluster patterns Michigan Lakes Railings

Most of these products are very durable and are composite with a PVC cap layer which really hold up well to the UV exposure which tends to tear down paints, stains and cheap vinyl rails.

We hope we have inspired you with ideas for your outdoor living areas

Railings part 2

2010-03-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

Last week we looked at Deckorators balusters and accessories, we forgot to review Deckorators new aluminum kit railing product Aluminum Railing System This kit rail system has a maximum span of 6' and comes pre-drilled for all the different Deckorators balusters. It also has a snap on top cap rail with no exposed fasteners. There is also post sleeves to cover 4x4 rail support posts. The top and bottom rails are basically a aluminum 2x4. The Aluminum rail system comes in black and white colors.

It will be interested in seeing what the price is of this system. If it is more affordable or about the same as the basic vinyl railings on the market it will be a good option on wood decks, the railings are the biggest labor in staining a deck. Judging by the pictures they show it with (composite decks) it will be about the same cost as a composite kit rail system.

So back to this weeks reveiw of different deck railing ideas, we are going to do a basic overview of the main deck and porch railings we see here in Michigan. Treated pine is still the main choice for decks and railing in the metro detroit area deck and porch market.

Wood deck and porch rails

We generally build all of our treated wood deck railings with a 2x4 top and bottom rail and the metal balusters, Sometimes we add a deck board as a top cap which gives the top of the rail a continous look.

Or we will run the rail post above the top rail and add a post cap to the rail posts as you see here in the picture on the right which is a cedar deck. Notice the rail pocket hole attachment method we use on all the cedar decks we build here in Michigan.

Here is the same basic treated pine railing with a deck board top cap, but with 2x2 wood balusters. This is on a handicap ramp we built in Macomb County Michigan. On angle of the railings on the ramp, it is harder to use the metal balusters, so we went with the standard wood 2x2s. In one variation or another this is the most common wood railing

The Pictures below are from the web

Here is a interesting railing, I believe from Deckorators with stained glass inserts and mix of vertical and horizontal balusters. Also tiffany post caps

Here is a wood rail posts and a top cap rail used with cable rails

Here is some baluster patterns.

Chipendale

Sunburst

New England style

Glass balusters

Thank You for reading our blog, next week we will again be looking at different railing ideas

Railing and baluster ideas ( Deckorators)

2010-03-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

Hello, For the next few posts we are going to talk about different railing and baluster products and ideas.

For alot of our railing projects we use Deckorators balusters. Usually the classic 26" balusters, here in the picture you can see the 3/4 round baluster used with a composite 2x4 railing.

The connection to the top and bottom rail is done with either a standard baluster connector, or a designer baluster connector. You can also drill out the top and bottom rails to receive the 3/4 round baluster.

Standard baluster connector

Designer baluster connector

The Deckorators classic 3/4 round 26" balusters run about $1.60 per baluster, in comparison a treated 2x2x32 runs about $1.00 per baluster and a cedar 2x2x32 is about a $1.35

So for a typical 400 sq ft treated wood deck with railings the added costs would only be about $175

and on a cedar deck it would only add about $50. On composite deck railing you actually save money

over composite 2x2s

The labor time to install is a little more than just nailing on pre-cut 2x2s . We probably average a couple more hours per deck using the metal balsuters and connectors. We have a jig for the layout of the balsters and the jig holds the connectors in place to screw down to the rails. We start by finding the center point of each railing section - between rail post. We then layout the centers of the baluster at 4.5" or sometimes 4 1/4" on center depending on the distance between the posts, and we usually stay about 2" away from the ends of a rail section.

Here you can see the pre-drilling and attachment method used in composite and hardwoods

Finished cedar wood rails with the metal balusters

Treated Wood railings with metal balusters

Keep in mind that the big benifit of the metal balutsers is that they do not require painting or staining like a wood baluster. One of the worst parts of staining a deck is staining the balusters

Deckorators are - powder coated aluminum with a lifetime warranty

Deckorators has many other differents styles of metal balusters.

My personal favorite is

The Estate (square)

Which is a little larger looking and I think it gives richer look. I personally think the estate baluster are easier to install also. In the picture you see a 2x4 composite railing with Estate balusters in a bronze color with diamond pattern basket layout.

The Colonial

The Architectural

Scenic (glass)

Deckorators has a some different accessories that are nice options.

Fleur de lis centerpiece with baskets on each side

Here some of their baluster accesories

Deckorators also has a nice line of post caps, post covers, and post skirts

Here is a link to Deckorators website

http://www.ufpi.com/product/deckorators/index.htm

We are going to keep reviewing different deck railing options in our next blog posts

Thank You for reading

Outdoor living spaces - pictures of different design

2010-03-13T20:12:00.000-08:00

Here is a bunch of different pictures of outdoor living spaces
For some design ideas

http://www.hgtv.com/designers-portfolio/outdoors/index.html

Michigan deck and patio builder

Outdoor living spaces can increase your home's appeal at a lower cost than an additional room

2010-03-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

Here is a article we came across from US News about the value of adding outdoor living spaces

Adding a Deck: A Cost-Effective Way to Protect Your Home’s Value

http://www.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/real-estate/articles/2008/11/21/adding-a-deck-a-cost-effective-way-to-protect-your-homes-value.html

Hottest Outdoor Living Trends for 2010

2010-03-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

Here is a artical on the hottest outdoor living trends in 2010

ttp://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/article/CA6721745.html

Structures

Arbors – 87.2%

Ornamental water features such as fountains or splash pools – 86.7%

Pergolas – 83.4%

Decks – 83.0%

Fencing (includes gates) – 82.9%

Porches – 76.4%

Steps – 74.6%

Utility shed (tool shed, garden shed etc.) – 64.8%

Gazebos – 58.6%

Pavilions – 58.0%

Art (sculpture etc.) – 58.0%

Columns – 43.7%

Awnings, including retractable – 42.8%

ADA-accessible structures (ramps, bars, accessible shelving etc.) – 21.4%

I would like to add one more - small greenhouses or backyard greenhouses.

Thank You
For Reading

2010 deck products - Timber Tech

2010-02-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

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

New products for the 2010 deck and patio season

2010-02-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

We are looking forward to spring and getting out and building some new decks, porches and patios. I personally love designing and building outdoor living areas.

This year there has not been allot of changes in Composite/PVC products on the decking market. Trex and Fiberon have come out with both of their cap layer composite deck boards, Trex Transcends and Fiberon Horizons We wrote about the Trex Transcend product earlier this year and we are going to monitor the new Trex line and see how it preforms. The Fiberon Horizon composite cap layer product is interesting. The Horizon Tropics line came out at the end of last year. We did get a chance to build two decks from the Horizon line and I was really impressed. Here is a link to their site.

http://www.fiberondecking.com/

FIBERON HORIZON TROPICS

Fiberon Horizons Rosewood deck we built last year

The center of the triple border is Correct Deck CX pebble color. The rest of the decking is the Fiberon Horizons Rosewood. You can see the dramatic dark streaking in the red colored Rosewood board which mimics the look of a natural Brazilian hardwood. The Horizon Tropics line has two different colors Rosewood and Ipe and there is actually seven different colors used to make up the colors in the Rosewood and Ipe deck boards

The Fiberon Horizon Line has a twenty year fade and stain warranty which guarantees against any fading or staining. This was the first warranty of this kind for a composite decking product.

Here is a link to a composite/pvc comparison chart put out by Fiberon

http://www.fiberondecking.com/products/compareHorizon

In the link you can see the core of the Horizon deck board is first generation composite and the outer cap layer is what they call "PermaTech" which is the cap layer. Another good point about the Horizon line; is the deck board is two sided, so the "PermaTech cap layer is on both side so it is reversible which is completely unique in that no other manufacture that I am aware of has a two sided cap layer.

There is four solid colors in the Horizon line also

Sand, Brick, Bronze and Slate

The railing system is called Horizon Plus which comes in six colors: white, black, sand, brick, bronze, and slate. The Mission profile is a flat top and standard bottom rail in all six colors, and the Provencal which is a bread loaf rounded top style, it only comes in white.

The Brick is the base color for the Ipe and the Bronze is the base color for the Rosewood. So if you wanted to have matching railings to the tropical colors you would choose the brick or the bronze colors, or you would go with a contrasting white or black colored railings.

We like the Fiberon Horizon Tropics because the price point is close to the basic first generation composite. But it has the durability of the more expensive PVC products and it looks the best of any other Composite/PVC products on the markets.

The Fiberon Horizon Tropics should be a big hit, and in my opinion it is the best looking composite/pvc product on the market.

Thank You .... For Reading Our Blog

A few thoughts on decking products and warranties

2010-02-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

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.

Here is a link to an article from Bob Villa. com on composite/PVC decking

2010-02-01T06:20:00.000-08:00

http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Alternative_Decking_Options_Composite_Wood_PVC_and_More-Deck-A3991.html

Winter time .... yuck

2010-01-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

Work has been slow lately. We have been doing some small remodeling jobs, but it seems you have to fight for every job you get. I sure hope things turn around for Michigan.

Looking forward to spring, we have some home shows coming up, and soon it will be time to get out and pound the pavement.

Here is a few deck designs we have worked on in the past. Hopefully to get us inspired for the spring and deck building season !

Low level deck design to flow into a stamped concrete patio and then the backyard.

Dual color, triple picture frame border in composite

Here is a deck with a attached gazebo

Here is a design that was rejected for a more simple design by a customer

I really liked the deck design on this with the angles

Remember to check out our websites

http://www.autumnwoodconstruction.com/

http://www.michigandeckstore.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_os-iN-6lA

We will be updating more frequently on the new decking products for 2010

Thank You

A new product line from Trex

2010-01-03T07:13:00.000-08:00

Trex has just announced Jan. 2010 production of a new product line.

The line is called Transcend.

This is a cap layer composite product. It is covered with some type of a PVC top layer, to enhance the performance of the base composite product.

Their main product line has been Accents which is a standard composite. The also have came out with a PVC deck board in the last few years called Escapes that was made by another company.

The Transcend line is geared towards the ultra low maintenance PVC products on the market, such as Timber Tech's XLM, and Azek, and the cap layer composites, that have been made famous by Correct Deck CX, and they have been followed by Fiberon's Horizons line

We have been a big fan of Correct Deck CX for a few years and we have had good success with the Correct Deck CX. Last year we started to offer the Fiberon Horizon line, because it has a tropical hardwood look which it is very appealing to our clients. The new Trex Transcend line seems to be similar to the Correct Deck CX and the Fiberon Horizons.

The specs and info on the Trex Transcend seems hard to find, they do however have a video on their new here

http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKPgLBtAaD4

Trex has had it problems and we have not been the biggest fan, but the new line does seem to be interesting. It is good that they are developing new products they have been pretty stagnant with their product development. Timber Tech has been the leader in innovative deck product in the low maintenance decking market.

Port Huron Area Carport & Shed

2009-12-21T11:36:00.001-08:00

Here is a project we completed a few weeks ago.

Here is the design , this was basically a 16 x 30 aluminum carport

with a 10 x10 shed and 6' wind wall.

Before Picture

We have worked on manufactured houses for many years, so even through we have shifted are focus away from manufactured housing repairs we still do work on manufactured homes from time to time. This project was in The Lakes manufactured community in Kimball Township MI. The Lakes is the nicest manufactured home community in this part of Michigan.

The carport is all aluminum construction with 3x3 posts, 2x5 beams,

and 032. gauge box pan awning, with snow beams above.

The shed is typical 2x4 construction

The posts have 8" x 42" pier footings for the foundation. The carport is attached to the house with a 2x6 header - ledger lock bolted to the house studs. We pulled the siding off to do this and we double flashed the header with peal and stick tape and aluminum flashing.

The gutter system is built into the carport

The carport makes for a nice snowand rain cover and wind break.

The aluminum carport material can be used over patios for shade, and weather conditions

Porch & Pergola Project

2009-12-15T17:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a project we did about month ago.

This was a screened - in porch, a pergola and a small stamped concrete patio

Here is the design, it shows a trellis that we did not end up doing

6x6 posts set and deck frame started

A different view of the framing for the porch floor, and the crushed limestone base for the stamped concrete

Basic shell of the porch up, and getting ready for the finish details

Stamped concrete - standard concrete with no color,

and black release ashlar slate stamp with brick border

Pine tongue and groove bead board ceiling

Pine tongue and groove porch floor, 2 ft. cedar knee walls

Screens with cedar stops, the cedar knee walls have cedar 2x4 top and bottom rails

with tongue and groove cedar siding

Treated pine pergola, with 6x6 posts, 2x8 beams,

2x6 rafters, and 2x2 stringers

Outside view of the porch

Clear pine screen door with full screen

View looking out of the porch

Outside view

Side view of the pergola and the entrance to the porch

New Baltimore Pergola

2009-12-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

Here is some pictures of a Pergola we built for the New Baltimore Lumber Jack, lumber yard

It is for a display idea, Pergolas have been popular lately with homeowners, landscapers and deck builders.

Pergolas add a nice detail to a patio or deck and can be constructed to add shade to a sunny outdoor living area. They also can be a nice support for a flowering vine.

Sorry the day we built this it was a little foggy - some of the pictures are not the best

The top of Pergola is natural stained cedar wood.

2x8 beams, 2x6 rafters, and 1x2 stringers.

The supports are treated 4x4s, covered with 8" round composite columns

You can take a look at this Pergola at the Lumber Jack building center in New Baltimore MI

at the corner of 23 mile rd. and Jefferson

Thank You

Dock in Harrison Twp. MI

2009-12-07T09:24:00.001-08:00

Here is a project we did about month ago. The homeowner tore out the original dock and we came in to replace it. The original dock was rotted and heaving up from the frost. We augured new 18" x 42" post hole footings dropped a cement cookie base for the support post and back filled the 4x4s. The dock is a 100' long and 7' width through most of the dock with couple of flair outs at each end. The original decking was running the opposite way we installed the new deck boards, which made a nice design feature with a center seam board every 12'. Running the decking this way also looked better from the view of the house by not seeing the seams of the deck boards butting up to each other. This is the standard way most deck boards run parallel to the long side of the home.

Posts set and working on the framing The outside of the dock is supported by the new post hole footings

and the 4x4s, the inside of the deck is built on top of the steel break wall

Here you can see the 12' sections with the seam boards running the opposite way

All the decking was screwed down with 3" exterior screws

The dock is all select cut treated pine- 2x6 framing and 2x6 decking

Thank You

Final pictures from Oakland Township Twin Lakes Golf course deck job

2009-10-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here is some final pictures of the deck we built at Twin Lakes golf sub. The deck is composite, with Fiberon horizon tropics in the rosewood color with a triple picture frame border. The center border course in picture frame border is Correct Deck CX in pebble color. The railings are DCL from Correct Deck CX in pebble color with Deckorators square estate balusters and deckorators baskets in bronze color. The railing post caps are from De-kor (little rondi) and they have low voltage lighting in them and there is De-kor millennium stair riser low voltage lights.

The De-kor little rondi post cap in antique bronze

The step treads are picture framed with the Fiberon horizon tropics rosewood with a Correct Deck cx pebble board in the inside . You can also see the De-kor Millennium riser lights

Triple picture frame border with the main deck boards running on a 45 degree angle

Thank You for looking at our blog

Oakland Township MI Composite Deck

2009-09-18T14:09:00.001-07:00

Hello,

Here is our latest project... A 400 sq. ft. composite deck on Twin Lakes golf course.

We are excited to build this deck, because we are using a brand new composite product by Fiberon called Horizon Tropics in the color rosewood. The rosewood color looks alot like the beautiful tropical hardwood Ipe. We also are using some very nice features we will get into as we progress.

Here is a before picture of the house

Here is the design

The decking is running on a 45 degree angle with triple picture frame border. The middle board of the triple picture frame border is Correct Deck CX pebble color which is also the color of the railings. The balusters are from Deckorators and are square with a diamond pattern baskets per each section, they are in a bronze color. The post caps are antique bronze Little Rondi's from Dekor and they are lighted.

Here is a couple of pictures of the framing

Here we just finished running the decking

Here you can see the two different composite boards that make up the triple picture frame border. The Middle pebble color board is the same color as the railings which we are trying to tie the railing and decking color in together with the trim and brick colors of the house

Here we have just install the rail posts and the blocking for the borders

Here is some pictures of where we are at now, we have just the steps to go and we are waiting for the landscaping/brick paving to be completed so we can finish the steps

We should be finished up next week so we should have the finished pictures coming soon

Thank You for reading our blog

2009-09-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

Here is our latest project.. Two front porch replacements. The existing porches were just standard concrete with one pre-cast step down to a sidewalk. The rise on the single step was eight or nine inches, which was very hard to use for the homeowners being senior citizen's. So they wanted the front porches replaced and they wanted 2 steps with smaller rises.

On the first porch we tore out the existing concrete and replaced the concrete with standard concrete, black release and stamped the porch with a slate pattern and brick border

We also stained the concrete with a acid stain, we did the brick border in a red color. On the slate pattern we tried to mimic the look of a grey slate. We used beige, green, grey and blue colors

We also added a guard rail from Timber Tech - Radiance Rail in the color Sandridge.

The Radiance rail is our favorite railing on the market

On the second porch the homeowner wanted the same thing just in a more budget approach. Their porch also had problems with the brick wall under the porch cracking and chipping off. So we tore out the cement porch and the brick wall under the slab and poured concrete for the wall under the cement porch

The stamp is random stone and it has the same brick border. The color is a dark sandstone with a dark brown release

The guard rail on this porch is Monarch Bermuda in the earth tone color

Thank You for checking out our blog.

Next we will be in Oakland Township MI on beautiful Twin Lakes Golf course building a composite deck. We are excited this will be the with the new Fiberon Horizon Tropics. Which it looks very similar as Ipe and has a 10 year fade and stain warranty!

New cedar deck in Southfield Mi

2009-08-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a project we completed about a month ago

We started by tearing out a old treated pine deck

that was very old and out of code

The new deck is all cedar, 2x6 deck boards, with our typical builders rail with metal balusters, and cedar lattice.

We stained the deck after we completed the building portion. This is a benefit of choosing cedar for your deck, It can and should be stained right away. It is also a much more stable wood than treated pine ( It does not shrink very much).

In this picture you can see the 2x6 decking running on a 45 degree angle, framing is 16" on center with the 2x6 decking. You can also see the border board at the top of the steps, which overlaps the tiered fascia.

On this side of the deck there is a little bay area bump out for a grill Typical builders rail - 2x4 top and bottom rails, attached to the rail posts with a pocket hole attachment with a 2x6 deck board - cap board that is routered with a 1/2 round over bit.

On this side of the deck, the angle follows the driveway.

Another view of the bump out bay

Decking again running on a 45 degree angle.

All done

Thank You .. for reading our blog

Stamped and stained concrete

2009-08-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have updated this blog. My computer's video card crashed twice and Dell computer replaced my old computer with a new one, but it took awhile to get the new computer and to get everything transfered over from the old computer. Thank you Dell for the new computer Anyways back to the topic... Works has been a little slow. But we have been busy also Since we last updated we had just finished a Correct Deck CX composite deck. From that job we went onto to a stamped concrete job. The project was to remove a portion of a asphalt driveway that had been settling and replace with stamped concrete.

The interesting thing with this project was the settling issue we decided to dig down under the driveway to see what was going on to cause this collapsing of the driveway.

We end up digging out 15 tons of buried garbage ! There was 4 or 5 old hot water tanks, a washer, a complete rear end of a car with tires, a complete car engine and alot of metal debris.

We ended up filling a 30 yards dumpster with trash from under this driveway.

The color did not come out to good in these photo's

But we did a beige integral color with a charcoal release color. Then we stained the border a light brown and colored a few bricks in the stamped pattern to give some highlight the job turned out awesome looking and all the water issue they had were fixed. The concrete passed a big test a couple of weeks ago when we got about 7 inches of rain and it all ran off and there was no settling !

Here are a few better pictures of stained and stamped concrete. These pictures are from my father in-laws shop. The Dutch Mill.

Here you have a 8" textured border in a dark colored stain with a inside random stone stamp patern with different colored stained rocks

Here you have a brick border stained in a lighter color, inside the border there is a random stone stamp with every stone stain in different colors

We have also completed a couple of deck since the last update so I will update those project this week also Thank You for reading

Next Project 10 x 16 Correct Deck CX Composite in Auburn Hills MI

2009-07-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

On this project we tore off the old decking and railings.

The frame was still good, sorry I forgot to take before pictures

Here is the design picture

The deck is Correct Deck CX composite. It has a single picture frame border, DCL railing, fascia, treads, and risers in Mahogany color, and the decking is in Pebble with Pebble lattice.

The DCL railing has Deckorators round metal balusters

In the picture below - I would like to point out the squash blocks under the center of the 2x4 DCL rail.

You would be surprised how many decks I have seen without the squash blocks installed.

Every railing I have seen without the squash blocks have sagged pretty bad.

Something so simply makes a big difference

Thank You

Our Next Project: A small pressure treated deck in Rochester Hills MI

2009-06-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here is what have been building the last couple of days. A 7x20 treated pine deck with 1 foot cut corners, and 2 steps. We also built a small privacy fence at the end of the deck

Here is the design

Here is what it came out like

Privacy fence,

Treated pine 4x4 posts, 2x4 rails, 2x2 top section with cedar tongue and groove solid panels,

Next we are going to Auburn Hills to build a Correct Deck CX deck