Permits
We will provide all drawings, prints, etc. to the township necessary to obtain the permit. We will schedule all inspections which your township requires.
Footings
The holes are dug to meet or exceed your townships requirements, which is normally a 36 inch hole. We pour approximately 16 inches of concrete into the hole, set the post, which is a pressure treated 6 x 6, and then pour approximately 12 inches of concrete around the post. The rest of the hole is then filled with dirt. Upon customers request, we can also pour the footers with concrete to ground level, using a sono tube. A plate is then attached to the 6 x 6 and anchored into the concrete. An additional charge is normally applied to do this.
Beam
The 6 x 6’s are then notched out to accommodate a double 2 x 10 beam. The beam sets in the notched out part of the post. It is then bolted to the 6 x 6 posts using 2 1/2 inch thru bolts per 6 x 6 post. (The reason for the notch out is so the weight of the deck rests completely on the 6 x 6 post and not just on the bolts.
Framing
The ledger board, which is the board attached to the house, is attached using 1/2 x 5 inch lags spaced 14 inches apart. Prior to attaching the ledger board, we will cut out the siding, flash it using vinyl flashing. If the ledger board needs to be attached to concrete, we use concrete wedge anchors 14 inches apart. Our framing joists are standard 2 x 10 pressure treated boards spaced at 14 inches on center for straight flooring and 12 inches on center for diagonal flooring. All joists are attached to ledger board using joist hangers. The joist hangers are zinc coated and hot dipped galvanized to eliminate rusting.
Flooring
You can choose to either run flooring straight, diagonal, or multiple directions. Whatever you choose, there will be no splices in the floor and it will be professionally cut to fit against the house and around objects such as spouting, etc. All edges are routered to give the flooring a finished and elegant look. Our flooring is normally screwed using 2 and 1/2 inch screws. The screw color will match the flooring color to blend in and make the screw less noticeable. We use a dura spin screw, which has a reverse thread near the top of the screw. This kind of screw eliminates any kind of “mushroom” which is when there is small “bumps” where the screw head went into the flooring. We also use hidden fasteners, which completely eliminates any kind of surface screwing and there will be no screws showing on the deck surface. There is normally an additional charge for this option.
Railing
Normally we notch out the floor to accommodate a 4 x 4 post. This is installed on the inside of the outer 2 x 10 and gets nailed and lagged with 2 3/8 inch lags. We use a construction grade of doug fir for the 4 x 4’s, as opposed to pressure treated. The reason for this is the fir does not twist as it ages and thus insures that your railing will stay perfectly straight. For most railing styles, the railing you choose will have a post sleeve designed to fit perfectly over the 4 x 4’s and also a post trim, which slides over the post sleeve and down against the floor to give it a great finished look. The railing of your choice is then installed.
Steps
Our steps are cut out of pressure treated 2 x 12’s, and custom made on the jobsite to accommodate your deck to ground level. They will be concreted in, using the same method as the deck footings. The risers, (the back of the step) will be covered with the same product as the flooring on your deck and the ends will be routered to blend in perfectly with your deck.
Fascia
The exposed pressure treated, which is the outer 2 x 10 around the deck and the sides of the steps, is covered with fascia to match you deck color. You can choose to either have the fascia put on vertically or horizontal. This finishes off your deck so that everything blends in beautifully. This is standard and not an additional charge.
Lattice (Optional)
Lattice is optional and normally not included in the base price of the deck. Should you choose lattice we use a vinyl lattice, normally the color of your railing unless you request different. It is framed using pressure treated 2 x 4’s and we can build a hinged door for access. This provides a nice area to store items underneath your deck.
Stone (Optional)
If you prefer to have stone put underneath your deck, we will do so. First we put down a weed barrier to prevent grass from growing underneath your deck, then cover it with 2 - 3 inches of stone. We put down the stone of your preference. The most commonly used are the red 3/4 inch decorator stone or the 1 inch white round stone. This is normally an additional charge.