I am in the process of building a new home and will have several outdoor decking areas, most of them covered. The upper main deck has two sections - one section is covered and is screened in, the second section is not covered. There is a lower deck that runs underneath the entire upper deck so it is completely covered. I also have a separate lanai off the master bedroom that is covered. All of the deck areas face generally east with a small turn , maybe 15 degrees, to the south. The lot is wooded and sits at 1200 ft elevation in a dense forest, with very tall trees. The decks are about 75' from the tree line.

The issue I have is that I just received the estimate for the delta cost to use Timber Tech instead of PT wood just for the deck surfaces (no rails included) and the price is high enough that I might have to give up other wanted upgrades to stay within my budget. I originally wanted a composite decking surface because the deck in my last house had to be cleaned and treated on a yearly basis due to the excessive sun and water exposure (that deck faced south west, and after 11 am during the summer was completely exposed to the sun). Many of those deck boards also started to splinter badly and were going to need replacing.

Given that most of my new decking surfaces will be covered and the sun exposure on the one uncovered area will be a lot less than what I had before, is it really worth the extra cost for the composite material?