Non-Wood Options for Elevated Backyard Deck?

[hawkeye08]

Good to know on the shipping cost being less to terminal. I have a trailer that would haul it home just fine.

 

[GLyford]

Thank you for the link to Nexan.

I have been thinking of building a pergola but didn't want to hassle with something that would need paint, or just look like so many deck boards slapped together, and I don't like the way the box store ones are made, so I was looking at their deck structural pieces with an eye to adapting them.

Turns out they have kits for pergolas too, don't have to adapt deck pieces or anything. Went with the basic model for the cleaner look, though the fancy post double-beam one looks nice too. Assuming I don't completely mess up the install when it gets here, I'll post a thread on it.

 

[ultrarunner]

Can wait to see pictures...

I won't be able to get away until June... so until then I'm trying to get as much information so I can let the job when I am there.

 

[newbury]

Well from the info gleaned here and various price lists It looks like the SURFACE cost before tax&sh(DECKING only, no fasteners, sealant, trim etc.) to cover an area 20' x 24' (480 sq ft) for:
2x6 PT - $440
Trex (Lowes bulk buy price, $60 for 48 sticks) $2880
Al @ $4/ft $3840

Getting it screwed is something else, I figure maybe $100 for the PT, $400 for the Trex and about the same for the AL.

In my area I couldn't envision the need for an Al structure, my PT frame for the deck I built back about 1985 is doing great.

Lowes has a house brand slightly less cost than the trex. And many other brands cost more.

So it looks like composite and Al are pretty close in price.

 

[grsthegreat]

Well from the info gleaned here and various price lists It looks like the SURFACE cost before tax&sh(DECKING only, no fasteners, sealant, trim etc.) to cover an area 20' x 24' (480 sq ft) for:
2x6 PT - $440
Trex (Lowes bulk buy price, $60 for 48 sticks) $2880
Al @ $4/ft $3840

Getting it screwed is something else, I figure maybe $100 for the PT, $400 for the Trex and about the same for the AL.

In my area I couldn't envision the need for an Al structure, my PT frame for the deck I built back about 1985 is doing great.

Lowes has a house brand slightly less cost than the trex. And many other brands cost more.

So it looks like composite and Al are pretty close in price.

the aluminum deck has a special bracket that fits between the planks and has 1 included stainless steel torque head screw to secure. there secured every 16" as i spaced my joist at 16 on center. the screws and brackets disappear into the grooves.

 

[newbury]

Well I was very curious as to shipping costs so I went ahead and got a quote from Nexan for a 20x24 deck. I'm going back and forth to Mississippi hauling my 18' trailer. Their plant would be approximately 17 miles out of my way. The salesman quoted about $1200 for shipping, about 25% of the purchase price.

 

[ultrarunner]

Shipping is a huge factor... it may be a deal breaker for me.

I'm will in Olympia mid June to finalize the project... it keeps expanding... home has a lot of decks!

The current estimates are 100k... and they all exclude the stairs to the beach.

Thing is the decks are Grandfathered... so a "Repair" permit is one thing... new construction should they be removed no longer possible.

The "Root" of my problem is all the decks were built with Clear, Vertical Grain Douglas Fir circa 2004-05.... nothing is pressure treated.

Another factor is nationwide decks are designed to a 40 psf load factor... Washington state now requires 60 psf load factor or 50% stronger.

I could eliminate about 600 square feet of elevated deck if I terraced... the slope is about 45 degrees... so terracing would require retaining walls to create any usable flat area.

 

[goeduck]

Thing is the decks are Grandfathered... so a "Repair" permit is one thing... new construction should they be removed no longer possible..

What jurisdiction?

 

[ultrarunner]

Thurston County WA

Over the last 10 years the county has implemented changes to wetland, wetland set back and waterfront that have significant impacts to me.

My neighbor and myself are the only ones that have not granted conservation easements to the county...

 

[goeduck]

Thurston County WA

Over the last 10 years the county has implemented changes to wetland, wetland set back and waterfront that have significant impacts to me.

My neighbor and myself are the only ones that have not granted conservation easements to the county...

I hope that has not caught on in Kitsap County. I am this close to the saltwater. I do NOT need more deck (have 1000 sq ft) so as long as the granddad clause survives I am okay.

 

[ultrarunner]

I hope that has not caught on in Kitsap County. I am this close to the saltwater. I do NOT need more deck (have 1000 sq ft) so as long as the granddad clause survives I am okay.
View attachment 553995

Not to get too far off but we also have to deal with the Endangered Gopher which can stop a project cold... also trapping is not allowed.

Thurston County adjusts gopher review process | The Olympian

 

[GLyford]

I promised I would post pictures once the aluminum pergola kit got here. I put the pics in their own thread.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/397962-quick-garden-structure-pergola.html

 

[Industrial Toys]

Not sure what has been said. To me, concrete and stone is the only game in town. Wood is just a temporary, throw your money away material. A friend has a nice concrete elevated deck sitting atop sonatube poured columns.

I had a customer that had major damage to their composite deck, so I asked about it. Apparently ice falling off the roof just destroyed it. I could hardly believe it.

 

[ultrarunner]

Good point about Ice sliding off the roof... it doesn't happen often in Olympia where I am but it does happen.

Have not moved forward yet...

The retaining wall and fill seems less of an option due to the steep slop and being 8+ feet off the ground at the back...

Looking at the existing details from 2005 it is clear part of the problem is the way it was constructed.

Met a local contractor that drives 4" galvanized piles and has built a number of decks in the area this way... the top has a saddle to accommodate beams and can be configured with adjustable saddle for later leveling should there be shrinkage or settling.

 

[aczlan]

Met a local contractor that drives 4" galvanized piles and has built a number of decks in the area this way... the top has a saddle to accommodate beams and can be configured with adjustable saddle for later leveling should there be shrinkage or settling.

When we were in GA we had a deck that was built with steel pipes going up from the ground to the deck, the house was built into a slope, so they were probably 25' tall, then there was a conventional wooden deck on that.

Aaron Z

 

[rox]

A couple years ago we put a rook over our open balcony. Here in the BRIGHT Provence sun a pergola just doesn't cut it, we want full sun protection. We ended up with a roofing material that was steel, with an terracotta film , don't know if it is baked on or glued on, and the shape of the steel is like traditional Provence Roof tiles. Then 6" of insulation then on the underside white powder coated Aluminum. Here is a pic


That insulation makes a tremendous difference in keeping our living room cool. I understand in other climates a pergola is a good choice, but here with our baking summer sun, I go for full protection. With the angle of the roof we get the winter sun that comes in under the roof to warm us up.

 

[ultrarunner]

Interesting product... not sure I have seen anything like it State side.

My Deck project is at a standstill... met with contractors about two weeks ago to zero in on the scope... thought it went very well... I flew up for the day.

Not a peep since... one I was finally able to reach said he is booked solid for the rest of the year... is this a great economy or what?

 

[rox]

Ultrarunner, I use a very good trucking broker for shipping pallets of our olive oil across the USA. I use Leo Harvey at FreightQuote.com He will get you the BEST shipping rates, he really knows his stuff, Leo has been serving me for over 10 years.

 

[rox]

Ultrarunner, What materials are you looking at to replace the decks?

 

[ultrarunner]

I've been looking at the gamut... pressure treated, composite, encapsulated and finished metal.