Yo Ken, if your still around your up on this one. Far as Composites go I am with the Larry/whoever We are for the most part. Composites are really no longer using recycled material because there is just not enough of it so most of the raw stuff is virgin,the energy used to make composite is an enviro no no, when its time to remove the project composite is not real big on bio degrade its tricky to burn shreading it would be silly. Bottom line composites are not so enviro freindly. Info like that might suggest its not all that good to clean it either, with anything. I dont agree>> composites will out last Ipe, left to go silver/gray Ipe is as close to no maintance as a person can get. With the softer composites like Choice/MoistureShield even trex= tjunk I have found a coat or two of TWP 116 seals up the decking,locks in the color and keeps mold,mildew,stains from causing major problems. Of course not needing to do this is the reason the Wallet goes for composite in the first place. I my own self dont like composites at all for the reasons stated in several posts here and on other sites. Welcome aboard Larry!!! Sorry I dident understand your intent at the begining . John

Well, my Ipe guy was here tonight. I really liked this guy - a real professional deck craftsman. Besides his portfolio of Ipe decks - including one in my neighborhood that I can go see in person - he was very knowledgeable about putting a deck on top of an EPDM flat roof. I did not find this guy on Angie's List but I checked it and he has a bunch of glowing recommendations there. I am going to check with the customers he gave me names of and go see a couple of his Ipe decks. So now I'm thinking I should get some more bids on this but I want the good guy - not the cheap guy. Plus I'm having a hard time finding people who do Ipe. I do have to spend some time deciding if I'm ready to part with the $$$ for this - particularly if I'm going to stay in this house for a while. I doubt I'd recoup the costs if I moved anytime soon. But at least I'm now pretty sure what I'm going to do and what it will cost - just not sure how soon I will pull the trigger. His opinion was that some man made materials (the ones without wood fiber) will not mold but his opinion was that they weren't very natural looking and were nearly as expensive as Ipe. I live in a very natural, wooded area and I too think a wood deck would fit in better than a giant plastic one. Anyway, thanks for all your input on this. I'm happy to know there's a solution that meets my needs, albeit an expensive one.

SIGNIFICANT WATER POOLING ACROSS NEW DECK SURFACE We recently had a deck built with TimberTech Azek and it looks great. The product was recommended by our contractor and Big Creek Lumber. It is not cheap, nor was the installation ($40,000+). We had realistic expectations, but now we have problems. PROBLEMS: We have significant water pooling/cupping from a couple rains and some heavy mist. (I've also noticed dried dirt marks left behind when it finally dries, but that's a secondary issue.) CUSTOMER SERVICE: I reached out via phone to a representative from the website. He assured me that some "beading" was natural and over time this would stop. When it didn't stop, I reached out to my contractor because this is not "beading"; this is pooling. I waited a few more weeks and after more pooling from heavy mist and fog, I reached out to my contractor. My conscientious contractor said he has used this material before and has not seen or heard of the issue from any of his clients. He promptly gave me his rep's name and number. The rep said she's had no issues over the past 2 years and she would check—with someone—at the company. She emailed saying that "beading" was normal at first. I sent her deck photos of: Pooling/cupping from rain comparing my neighbor's dry, non-cupping, deck (with another composite-type product). So side by side, at the same time of day, with same weather conditions and sun exposure, my neighbor's deck was dry while mine was significantly pooling with standing water along the entire surface. I also sent a photo of significant pooling/cupping from heavy mist. I have asked the rep for a timeline of when this should stop or resolve itself. I haven't heard back yet and am concerned. A site search brought me to this page with the following: TimberTech's stated superiority over wood decking cupping. Product promotion that helps prevent cupping. Suggestions to dry your deck with a squeegee or mop when there is standing water. Dangers of "standing water," becoming slick (falling danger) and damage to the wood substructure. In summary, the site does not come out and admit pooling/cupping, but it talks about dangers and care of standing water. WHERE TO GO FROM HERE: I'll be calling the rep and asking for a site visit asap, unless anyone else has a suggestion.

The Anderson windows are made of Fibrex: "We call it Fibrex® material. It's made up of reclaimed wood fiber and thermoplastic polymer that is fused together and is unique to Andersen." I'm not sure what a thermoplastic polymer is, but I don't think it is fiberglass. I live in an rural area and getting building materials is hard and tedious. So, we had a choice of 2 different types of builder grade vinyl windows and the Anderson 100s if we wanted to get something from a local supplier. We chose the Anderson 100s because they were much nicer than the vinyl choices we had. For what it's worth, my husband installed various types of windows for over 40 years starting with wood windows and aluminum and then onto vinyl. He likes these Andersons. As to your question about how I like the single-hungs. I guess it depends on which way you swing the casement window, but I'm not that fond of them because if they swing in, they take up room in the house. If they swing out, then in our windy area they tend to rattle. So, that's why we went with the single-hungs. We had to go with sliders in the basement because they are 4 foot wide, and they are fine too. Regarding facing west. Because of our lot constraints, the front of our house faces east and the back faces west. The afternoon/evening sun blasts in the windows. However, I have a beautiful view out the back and the sunsets are stunning so I can live with the sun. If you don't have a view or a compelling reason to face the back of the house to the west, I would seriously consider changing it.