What would you use for your 'dream' deck ? and why?

16 years ago

I found someone to build my new deck - my brother-in-law and a couple of his friends who are working at starting their own business. They starting out repairing decks several years ago and then starting building new decks a few years ago (I did not realize they were building decks or I would have gone right to them). They have been relying on word of mouth for advertising but would like to get more serious in the next year (my BIL will finish his business degree in the spring) and want to use our deck as a showpiece, that is fine with me. So we have a plan, 20 x 30 foot single level deck with a bridge to a screened gazebo, rails with turned spindles, lighting, and gravel underneath to discourage critters. We have a HUGE yard so we wanted a fairly large deck. They are doing a computer simulation of the deck and landscaping so I can see what it could look like. (One of they guys is a trained botanist and they want to incorporate landscaping for the property to show off the deck.)

My husband wanted composite, but after doing a bit of research (I have severe mold allergies) I decided that wood might be the better choice. My BIL agrees, although he has worked with composite he likes working with wood better. So I'm looking at wood now, cedar, redwood, ipe... The cost could be a factor because of the size, and availability could be an issue. There seem to be differing opinions on care for the different woods, some people say ipe never needs sealing, some say it does.

So, what would you build your dream deck out of and why? What are your experiences? Is there something else I should consider? We live in north western IL, so the climate can be extreme.

I don't want you to think I don't trust my BIL, but I always research before starting a project so I can be sure I made the right decision. Now that I have read several books (and researched online), unfortunately I have several differing opinions on the exact same thing. I thought it might be good to get opinions from some others who have actual hands on experience.

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Comments (5)

john_hyatt
16 years ago
Ipe/Garapa decking and rail system,alum balusters. The S American lumber wont need a finish if you want it to go silver. Weather is extreme any place you go.

Cedar is too soft,Redwood is second growth. John
thedeckpro
16 years ago
Ipe, Ipe and Ipe. ;=)

jeff

www.thedeckpros.com
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pcjs
16 years ago
After reading this board and spending months looking at decking material, John sold me on IPE if we weren't using a composite. If you look at his website and some of the decks people have built on here, they are lovely!
jcrowley99
Original Author
16 years ago
Ipe is obviously very popular! All the pictures of Ipe decks I have seen here are beautiful, now I just hope we can afford it!
karenmaness
16 years ago
Ipe is very beautiful - we built our new deck out of it last year. However if you don't want to let it go silver, then we are finding it is quite a bit of work to keep a finish on. I have another post on this board on just this subject. Initially we had thought we would just let it weather and go gray, but that rich natural reddish color of the newly installed wood is so gorgeous it makes you really want to hang on to it! Plus, even though ipe is extremely durable, it will start to get some fine checking, etc. without UV protectant and that is what we saw. It is a large investment, and we found we wanted to do everything we could to protect the wood even though we know it is very durable even when left on its own. I don't claim to be an expert of any sort, this is just what our experiences have been. At the end of the day, I do wonder if we should have just gone with composite, but there are definite drawbacks to that approach as well. Sometimes I have felt that we've saddled ourselves with a big ongoing maintenance task, but I realize we are choosing to feel this way about keeping the wood UV protected and looking very nice. Good luck with your decision!

What would you use for your 'dream' deck ? and why?

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john_hyatt

thedeckpro

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What would you use for your 'dream' deck ? and why?

Comments (5)

john_hyatt

thedeckpro

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jcrowley99Original Author

karenmaness

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jcrowley99
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