Hey Jim nice looking framing good idea to cover it up for the winter. I dident see details of the edge trim under the sunroom but let me run by you how I do it and see if its the same , I really cant picture the way you discribe your idea>>trim the decking flush with the frame,using 1 1/2'' rips of the decking glue and screw them flush to and into the edge of the decking, usually we put a router detail on the edge of the rips for detail, I use 1 1/2'' because the skirting that bumps up under the trim is 3/4 or 1'' thick this gives a nice little revealThe vents sound about right both in the skirting and in the decking close to the house. I can not stress the importance of Cross Vintalation enough. You can sand ipe with 60/80 grit pads,this will no effect one way or the other far as the twp taking to the ipe.I jam fit any butt joints,sometimes we glue them together. Ipe will shrink a little width wize not leangth wize Solid cap rail or post caps depends on the look you want sometimes the post caps if there are too many of them over power the total look. I dont really get into lighting much, in the rare times I have and the Wallet goes with the lighted post caps I use pt 4x4s boxed into the frame with construstion adhesive,im not really big on bolts either we secure them in with gun nails and finish the conection with 3'' ss bugle head screws.Then after the decking is cut around the pt 4x4s we install ipe post sleves Ipe Post Wrapps/Sleves>> we make them with ipe 1x6, pt 4x4s can range in width a lot so we make one set of 3 3/4'' and one set 5 1/2''( or full size 1x6) how ever high the posts are.Fasten them together to form a long box, slide them over the pt post.Corectley built leaves enough space to run the wire to power the post caps lights inside the wrapps. Becsuse the pt posts will be exposed to the sun while the decking is put down cover them with white trash bags until its time to install the wrapp.We use 5/32'' bits for the pre drill in 1/6 ipe using 1 5/8''ss # 7 square drive screws with a bead of construstion adhesive on the joist.Pre drill can go in the 3/4 ipe a 1/2'' or so but not into the pt frame.One place that is really making some deals on ss screws>> Fasco Fastener not much of a web site its better to call them 866 327 2633, tell them I sent you and they will charge you twice. You Go Get Em Jim!!! Any friend of the George is a Freind of mine. J

Steve's arbors and pergolas look really nice in the photographs. I would like to hear about the specific defects in the workmanship that Gorilla observed. Are we picking on architecture or craftmanship? I assume Gorilla is a very talanted architect who works as a general contractor and homebuilder. Steve is a master cabinetmaker and finish carpenter. Look at the joinery on the rail detail depicted on Steve's website. Anyone with more wits than the average housewife (Joyce) can appreciate the quality. As a finish carpenter who has worked in San Francisco, I can really identify with the space limitations encountered when working in densely populated urban areas. It is really the biggest challenge we face when working in The City. You have to plan every move based on the limited space available. When you have decades of experience in your trade, the workmanship comes second nature. There is no point in picking apart other poeple's fine work when you know it is quality. Style or architectural preference is unique to every person. If Gorilla has to attack Steve's work it shows a lack of confidence in his own craftmanship. You may be a "homebuilder" but how many homes have you built from start to finish single-handedly? You rely on skilled craft people like Steve and John to make your visions a reality. Lets see some pictures of stuff you actually made with your own two hands. With your eye for architectue and Steve's carpentry skill, you could produce really great work. Be supportive, if you have a disagreement about finishing Ipe, don't let the discussion unravel into personal attacks. By the way, it seems like Gorilla's experience with Ipe is limited. I have done 6 projects with Ipe over the past 4 years. (working solo), so my experience is also quite limited, but I have seen how this wood performs over time. 1. It won't hold a finish on the weather exposed side for long. 2. The acrylic (water) based stains specifically designed for Ipe are really just a paint that coats the surface. I tried Flood Pro supreme performance and it lasted about 2 years. The finish is starting to wear off in places and you can see the gray weathered Ipe shining through. The finish also detracted from the natural beauty of Ipe, the grain pattern is not as prominent, and it certainly does not have the "wet look" of new Ipe that is desired by most customers. I am going to strip the entire finish with Jasco paint and epoxy remover and then use the TDR system to clean and brighten the wood, before using the TWP penetrating oil recommended by John Hyatt. His decks finished with TWP have the desired "wet look" and he claims 3 or 4 year performance with the TWP. 3. The quality of Ipe wood on the market varies. The low quality stuff is often bowed, checked and is often much lighter in weight than the quality dense boards. You can pick through a stack and see and feel the differences. With good quality Ipe, the stack you pick through should be 90 or 95% "perfect boards" straight, heavy but not wet, and with no end checks. If you are putting aside many boards looking for the perfect ones, buy you wood somewhere else. 4. I don't know about anchorseal for the ends of boards. I see ones at the lumberyard end sealed that have huge checks. I have cut unchecked Ipe, and it instantly checked at the cut end. How fast could the anchorseal work? I have other very short cuts of Ipe that never check without putting anything on the ends. If the wood is going to check, it will do whatever it wants. Force a bowed board into straight position, and it will probably check in time. The point here is to but your Ipe from a reputable source and visually inspect each piece. That is my meager experience with this beautiful wood. If you are a carpenter with versed talent, give Ipe a shot. Do not waste your money on this stuff if you are a Home Depot DIY person. And listen to the people who work with this stuff ALL THE TIME. One or two projects completed in the last 12 months is not experience with Ipe. Do not ask sales people for advice, they have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to Ipe.

Riles_J - sorry for the slow response, I was on a mini vacation. The stairs are a basic box design. I build them using 2x8s so I have a nice consistent 7.25" riser height. I figured I would need to do a lot of leveling once I build them but I really didn't. How it is attached to the deck - I set the boxes in place so that the 2x8 that makes up the backside of each box is directly beneath the rim joist. I then used a scrap ~2' long scrap 2x8 piece to 'hang' the boxes from the rim joist. I then leveled the front/sides of the bottom box using 9" pieces of 4x4 as needed. I just pounded those babies to level the ground where they would sit, held the box level and nailed the 4x4s to the inside of the bottom box with 16d nails. I know it will settle over time but all I will need to do it unscrew a few stair boards, pound em a little more and renail.

There is a lot of information here. I hope maybe I can give a few insights into what I know about the subject of ipe and other Amazonian hardwoods. Ipe is not really that good for ground contact. It will rot with direct contact with the soil in our climate here in Amazonia. It is has not been used much as a choice for fence posts for this reason. But, if it is not in contact with the soil it will pretty much last forever. At least longer than most of us will be on the planet. The prime woods used here for fence posts are Itauba, angelim vermelho, pequia, and a few other lesser known species. Massaranduba also known as Brazilian redwood is a very good wood for outdoor non ground contact uses as well. By not being good for ground contact I mean it will not last much more than 10 years. While some of the above may be fine for 50 years. Ipe has been one of the prime flooring woods used for probably 300 years or more in Brazil. It is the equivalent to oak in flooring applications in Southern Brazil. The big advantage to ipe is the stability when air dried. There are few species that move as little as ipe. It also does not surface check very much. About 20 years ago or so they used to make prefab country homes for use in Southern Brazil out of ipe to a large degree. As the cost increased they switched to garapa and other cheaper and more abundant woods. In the area I work we have a lot of Massaranduba and Europe is the major consumer. The Europeans use the antislip profile on boards which hides defects somewhat. And, they do not use wood finishes much from what I understand. In addition the climate in Northern Europe is more humid and stable than most of the USA which is better for Massaranduba. If Massaranduba is properly dried it is fine in any climate. Ipe has gotten very expensive in Brazil and I think it is time for the USA market to look seriously at other wood species for decking. Which has been happening. This is also better for sustainable forest management as it uses the resource better and helps preserve the standing forest. Here are a few pictures of Massaranduba being sawn into deck blanks which were shipped to Holland to be milled into decking there. Hopefully some will find it interesting to see where the material comes from. Massaranduba logs on the sawmill line. Massaranduba being sawn. A massaranduba log. You can see the red color. The tree has a high latex content and is mixed into natural rubber in some places to enhance quality of the mixture. The white streaks is the latex from the bark of the tree. The boards which are 32 MM X 155 MM are cut to length. For Europe that is every foot from 7 feet up to 20 feet. Being packed for shipment. Here is an order of rough sawn ipe going to the USA.