If the posts are already notched in to the rim joist depending on how deep the notch is it might be possible to use the Simpson set ups and get your finnal. Simpson has the market with these fasteners and they are a little spendy. They have that market for good reason having jumped thru all the rings of fire to get it. This all lands on your Contrator,the contract you signed with him,and if he is a stand up guy. JonMon

I used a drill press to cut plugs from scraps of the wood (garapa in my case).

I'm sorry, I mentioned I am not buying a system and don't want one. Today I have been looking at copper pipe for the top rail. It oxidizes off to a handsome dark brown that I like as well as some galvanized pipe. If anyone has used pipe this way let me know how it worked out. As for saving a FEW bucks, I'm talking about a several thousand dollars on my 100 feet of deck railing compared to my friend's final price.

you need to work with a pro who has a little creativity because your objections really shouldn't be a big deal. To keep the p/t lumber from being visible, use a stainless steel grommet in the ipe post trim with a hole bigger than the one holding the cable in the p/t post. for the cap rail, do a metal cap rail to meet code, then router a channel in the ipe and mount it to that. Done. It'll take a little bit of design time to ensure that all your proportions are right and everything ties together appropriately and structurally, but there are definitely ways to get the look you want while satisfying the permit store. Obviously not dimensionally accurate or really thought through in terms of attachments, but here's the gist.