[Bob2]

"a deck is never big enough"
I agree. We used the deck for a hot tub till it caught fire. then we decided it would be a great place for morning coffee.

We did put in a patio that is about 1,000 square feet. Built in fire pit and an island with built in grill and fridge so I think we have enough space.

Jeff's advice on the railing is good. I like the cable type as you describe but local code may not allow that. Then the concern with kids is a major one.
Bound to be more maintenance  with that too. Lot's of ways your project could go. Please keep us updated.

[ctviggen]

I'll see what the town inspector says.  To me, these look great:

http://www.decksdirect.com/deck-railing/cable-railing

Everything else blocks the view.

[Bob2]

I'll see what the town inspector says.  To me, these look great:

http://www.decksdirect.com/deck-railing/cable-railing

Everything else blocks the view.

That cable type "fence" is nice, clean looking and does not block the view. If you can I'm sure you will like it!

[JLM]

I've seen deck installations that used plexiglass like material or small chain link wire in custom frames for the "spindles".  Note that what ever you use code says it not allow a 4 inch diameter sphere to pass.  No idea of the cost or availability.

[mcgsxr]

I do like a large deck, but if I could do patterned concrete I would every time.  Permanence has its appeal.

The Trex pictured has been shoveled every time it snows for the past 3 winters.  No damage I can see.  I do use a plastic shovel (vs steel) mind you.

The lighter color is called rope swing, and the darker is saddle.  The saddle can be hot to the touch when in full sun.  The rope swing is great underfoot.  Most of the time I have our awning out if I am on the deck.





Over a winter it can develop a little dirt and sometimes green haze.  In the spring I spray Simple Green on it (full strength) and scrub it with a brush on a broom handle.  Then hose off with standard water pressure from the garden hose and it is looking good for the year.

[cody69]

I built a large multi-level deck in 2010 and used Azek for the decking. Overall I am happy with it... as most things... nothing is perfect.
My experiences with it after living with it for seven years or so include:
- I like the surface and especially that during the heat of the day in sunshine, you can comfortably walk on it bare foot.
- If had to do over again, I'd set the floor joists on 12" centers, vs the 16" I used -- there is some flexing with Azek.
- Over the years the color has faded a bit. Grease spots from my careless spills en-route to the grill and back were noticeable. This really bugged me. I called Azek to talk with them, which was more of an ordeal than I expected, to find out how to clean the product. They put me in touch with a cleaner and a refinishing solution that restores the deck to original sheen and color. I used these products last year and it completely took care of the grease spots and discoloration.

On a different note, if the building inspector doesn't allow the horizontal cable, which would not pass in my area, check out the black aluminum balusters. They are very unobtrusive and you hardly notice them. I got mine at Lowe's, but lots of places handle them.

[ctviggen]

Thanks for the replies.  I like those ideas, and the two-tone looks great.  We'll have to consider that.

[ctviggen]

Had a contractor out to look at the decks (we have two, one for our in-law).  He said it would be at least $10,000 for the materials alone for Fiberon/Trex, and that's simply to replace what's there now.  Yikes.  He said the edges along the long sides of these are not finished, so most people put two courses of rows along the outside, to provide a finished look (though it's not necessary).  We'd also like to extend our main deck two feet in width, but he said we might as well go four feet, as the cost is relatively insignificant and you get more space.   He has to put in 4 more pillars and extend the joists.

He recommends drilling through the decking material into the joists and using plugs (not using the hidden fasteners).  He said the hidden fasteners provide no structural support.  The other option would be to provide structural support using a bunch of 2x4 braces underneath and using the hidden fasteners.  He said the steps all have to be redone because of the way you do steps with composites (a layer of composites make the treads). 

For what we really want to do, I expect the estimate to be 25-30k.  Double yikes!

[ctviggen]

Oh yeah, this contractor said the horizontal cable is ridiculously expensive to install, but he thinks it's allowed.  He recommended the same thing you did, the aluminum balusters.  I'm going to have him run tracks for wires for lighting, but I might not have it installed.  I could do that myself, one day.  It's a relatively simple install, but I'd need an outlet run outside (or inside, depending on where you put the transformer) and also a switch/dimmer to control everything.  I could do those myself if I wanted to, but I've been having these done, as it's a pain in the butt to do wiring.

[mcgsxr]

The 10K for material does not shock me, having been through it.  Our deck is 16x12 or so.  I recall material being around 7K.

Good fun doing a backyard reno.  But the end result can be years of enjoyment, so we did follow through.

Still happy we did, years later.

Some low voltage lighting would have been nice, we did not do that but I have seen excellent results.