A place to relax

[Lee Schierer]

Our back deck surface was getting pretty old so we decided to replace the surface and at the same time expand the deck to give ourselves more room. We looked at several designs and adding half an octagon to the long side seemed like the best option. This design gave us a total of 244 square feet, which is only about 60 sq ft more, but makes the deck a lot more functional. We also wanted maintenance free so we used the same Veranda material we had used four years ago on the front deck, which only requires an occasional cleaning.

The original framing on the back deck had 24" centers with cross framing every 24" to support a basket weave decking layout. We decided that the new decking would run length wise and I would need to add additional framing to comply with the maximum 16" O.C. spacing limitations for the Veranda material. We also added vinyl railing and a matching skirt board cover to dress it up a bit. We're debating whether to enclose the area under the deck to provide some storage and to hide the supporting posts and braces. I used a hidden fastener system called Phantom 2 and some angle clips and pocket holes on the underside so there are no fasteners or holes on the upper deck surface.

THe next project will be to resurface teh picnic table.......

Our dog really like the new area and spends as much time out there as he can watching the neighborhood (mostly fields and woods.)

Thanks for viewing.

[Roy Wall]

Lee -

Beautiful, I love the decking material......

[Greg Carr]

Are those deck boards alternating colors or do they just appear that way in the photo?

Nice looking Britt.

Greg

[David Christopher]

Lee, thats a very nice looking deck but I dont see ant hotdogs or burgers

[John Thompson]

Looks great Lee, nice view off the deck. I did similar two years ago but I made the deck railing in my shop. Those spindles look nice. I would leave it open unless you are just pressed for utility storage that is not critical to staying dry from the rain that will pass between the flooring board gaps.

But.. I would consider capping those support joist on the end from the house out to the end as it would give it a more finished look if you do leave it open.

Very nice job and great view off of it.. the dog seems to like it also.

[Lee Schierer]

Are those deck boards alternating colors or do they just appear that way in the photo?

Nice looking Britt.

Greg

Apparently not all the boards were from the same material lot. The color difference is more noticeable in the picture than on the deck. The first 6 boards from the narrow end were 12' long and all the same color. The 16' pieces had about 11 pieces that were a shade darker. I compared the darker color to the front deck and the left over pieces that had been stored inside from the front deckand they started out the darker color and are light now, so I think it will even out after exposure to the sun.

I felt it was better to alternate them than group the darker ones together.

[gary Zimmel]

Looks like you have a great place to relax now Lee.

I would vote to close in the bottom.
Can't have to much storage to hide stuff....

Nice job again.

[Terry Achey]

Nice work, Lee. Should last for many years. I especially like the Britt . Terry

[Jim Becker]

Nice job, Lee. That does look comfy!

[John Keeton]

Nice job, Lee. I love the composite decking, though I have never used the blind attachment methods. I would imagine they improve the overall appearance considerably.

At our previous home, we did an octagonal deck, and really liked the added interest it gives. I would suggest that you "enclose" the underside with shrubs. Perhaps wegiela, or something similar, that would fill the area, but not get taller than the floor of the deck. Plant them out a ways, and that should soften the look, and transition from the yard to the deck. You could still leave a spot open to access the space. Lower maintenance, and a better look than a "boxed in" appearance.

[Alan Greene]

Lee, the deck looks great and you will have some great times on it. +1 on John's shrub suggestion,

[Matt Evans]

Lee, that does look nice.

I would say the shrub idea is right on, but I wouldn't say that shrubs are less maintainence than closing it in with a vinyl lattice! You still have to trim, mulch, if you are going to, make sure they have water in a dry spell, and, since I know McKean, cover them a bit in the winter to prevent the heavy snowfall from breaking branches. That is the reason a lot of my deck customers go with lattice up here. I think the shrubs would look better though.