IPE and Deck building basics

16 years ago

I am in the process of getting bids for a replacement deck.

I am in Fairfield Connecticut (Danbury area)...so if anyone can recommend a builder, please let me know!!

my questions:

The deck size is 25'L x 13'W (325 square feet). It will be no more than 3' off the ground. It will have one set of stairs.....an extra wide set of stairs that wrap around one of the corners.

I am planning to use IPE....maybe (slight maybe) TimberTech Earthwood Tropical Walnut.

Now, I have never built a deck before and have no experience/knowledge, other than what I've got off this forum.

I have read a lot of the posts on this site but needed a little more clarification as the contractors come to the house to give bids.

What are the basics should I look for in deck building? What should I ask every contractor?

For example:

What size ledger board should I use? 2x8, 2x10??

What size should the joist boards be?2x8, 2x10?

How should the joist boards be laid (distance on center, is what I mean here...16, 20 on-center)?

How big (width and depth) should the cement footings be?

What type of flashing? copper, aluminum??

What are good sizes (height of steps, width of steps) for the stairs?

One contractor quoted me $31.50/sq ft for an IPE deck (with an IPE railing, one set of stairs).....add the footings ($150/footing x 4 = $600.00), total price was about $11,000. How does that sound to the folks on this board? Is that a fair price for Connecticut/NY area?

Those are the only questions I could think of, but I am sure there are many many things to look for when having this deck built.....so any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have learned a few things on this board:

As far as the material, I am planning on calling George at East Teak to get a price.

Definitely gonna face screw the boards, probably using the brown headcote screws.

The under deck will be open...no lattice or anything, so there will be adequate ventilation.

Alright, the post is long enough. I'll wait for replies before asking anything else.

Thanks again.

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Comments (5)

john_hyatt
16 years ago
The price sounds about right, biding that way is a little odd that is pricing the footings and the deck seperately.The permit store might have anwsers to your questions if they are going to be involved.

We all build a little diferently, I would use 15 piers and frame the whole thing out of 2x6. John
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dooer
16 years ago
How can you build this deck with 4 footings? Joists or beams are going to have to be quite large.
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Soundes like you know what you are doing as far as the building. The finish is another story. You would never build a boat out of Ipe. Aside from the obvious fact that it is too heavy, Ipe opens and closes its grain every season as it loses moisture. The surface checking during the spring will be your nightmare. The cracks can not be filled. They continually open and close each season. A finish that fills up cracks is surface film forming. Surface films all fail on ipe. Elastomeric paint even splits after one season on Ipe. Your objective in a final finish is unachievable. Remebmer you are building a boat dock, not a boat. What is the most beautiful boat dock you have seen? Try to copy it, not the boat. Your Ipe deck will outlast you. The color of the Ipe will fade to gray. You can only slow down the graying by applying a penetrating oil, outdoor finish several times per year. Penofin and TWP 100 series are the most sucsessful on Ipe. I think they will be fine over the tung oil you already applied. Also, I wouldn't bother to finish all sides of the decking, unless it will be seen and refinished on the underside, in the future. The finish goes away so quickly on Ipe, finishing all sides of the decking makes no difference. Also, if the finish DOES seal the bottom side of the decking, it encourages cupping. The sun hitting the top side of the boards will encourage the top side to dry more quickly than the bottom...cupping. seal the bottom and it happens more. Keep in mind the finish on the top side of the boards will deteriorate before the bottom. This is encouraging more cupping. Luckily Ipe doesn't hold a finish for long, so once the wood can breathe properly, the cupping will reverse somewhat. This is what builders call "movement" The better you fasten down the decking, the less it can move. That is why most pro builders recommend screwing down Ipe directly to the joist. NEVER drill pilot holes into the joist. The poor screw has no chance to resist the seasonal movement, if it is anchored into a pilot hole in soft wood.
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mrmichaeljmoore
Original Author
16 years ago
Dooer:
I'll do my best to describe how the guy said he was gonna use 4 footers.
Basically he said they would run parallel to the house, about two feet from the edge of the deck. the deck boards would hang two feet off the edge....decking boards perpendicular to the house. the four piers/footings would be in a row. on top of the footings he said, i think, there would be (and this is where it may get a bit fuzzy) 3 2x8 boards fastened together on their side.
Not sure if that makes sense....

This is exactly why I asked the question....with so many different opinions on how to build a deck, how can I compare the quotes from different builders apples to apples?? especially when i don't know a damn thing about building one.......

ugh....
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john_hyatt
16 years ago
The whole thing sounds fuzzy.

Buying a Contractor 101>>>Workers Comp and Libality insurance in writting with your name on it,a framing plan this can be done on a yellow pad I have sold $30,000 jobs with nothing more,a few Folks he has done work for that you can talk to/ web site,drift on over to the permit store and see what they want even if your not going to go with a permit..this is risky...but o well many Folks do it, a legal contract/bid including all major details,when he leaves on the first pass ponder on the hit you got from the guy, after the deal is done both of you do what you said you were going to do.
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dooer
16 years ago
Ok, 25' less the 4' total overhang leaves 3 spans of 7', a 6x8 should cover that. The joists will span 11', I would make them 2x 12's on 2' centers. You could probably make do with 2x10's, but I would have to calc that out.

Like John, unless there is a very good reason to limit the # of piers, I would usually have at least 2 rows of piers, 3 if I was not attaching to the house. I prefer not to attach to the house unless the flashing details can be worked out easily. This is not usually the case on existing residences.
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IPE and Deck building basics

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