The old deck was pretty plain - but not this plain. Instead of a railing it had a bench with a back that ran the full length and on the end. I forgot to get a picture before I had taken the bench off. The old deck was built out of redwood which (in spite of early predictions) was pretty badly rotted. It had a number of repairs over the years and still had some rotted places - in fact one of the corner posts supporting it was rotted off at the bottom and also at the top. I took the whole thing down and trashed it.

The next task was to get concrete foundations for the posts. These are inverted mushroom things - a big base with a one foot square sticking up above ground, and a bolt in it. The columns are set on the concrete base with a steel post base. The columns are hollow and a steel rod attached to the bolt comes up through the post and then through a steel plate that holds the girder and the post down. A 2X12 is bolted to the back of the house and carries the house end of the floor joist. The girders notched into the posts are double 2X12 (some were close to 24 feet in length). Floor joists are 2X10s fastened to the girders with steel joist hangers.

After the joists were hung, blocks and railing posts were spaced along the 2X12 girders with a 2X6 outer band that is the finish perimeter. The railing posts have one bolt through the 2X6 and the double 2X12 and another that just goes through the post and the double 2X12. On the corners (above the columns) the railing posts are set in a steel post base that is bolted to the concrete foundation by the rod that comes up through the column.

After the railing posts and the outer 2X6 band were installed, the stairway stringers were hung (sort of in mid air) and the location of the concrete foundations for the landing was determined. Those foundation were poured. While the concrete was hardening the outer perimeter deck boards were put down - these are notched around the outside of the railing posts and overhang the 2X6 band about one inch. After this was done the landing columns set up and the rest of the 2x12 girder system for the landing constructed.

This is a picture of the two different railing posts and also shows the blocks and the outer 2X6 band.

Then the decking was started - the large triangle was completed first and then I went on vacation (it had been planned for some time). After returning from vacation and with a couple days off for doctor appointments, the rest of the decking was completed (it was not completely fastened until later).

As soon as the decking was complete I got the "Dry Space" Kits delivered and got that part done. The Dry Space Kits consisted of a vinyl material the was hung between the joists above the existing patio - to carry away the rain water that leaks through the decking. This picture shows how the Dry Space stuff looks after it was completed.

The next effort was to finish the stairway (so that the remaining work on the deck could be done without using a long ladder to get up there - that gets old very quickly. The lower set of steps was completed first and then the landing was decked. Here is a picture of the steps. Each stair tread consists of five pieces, with a pair of supporting "bridge" pieces underneath to carry the middle board of the tread. The riser is another piece of the puzzle. This is what it looks like from the top.

Details are what make the project and here are some of the detail.

This is the second to the last piece of the railing cap. The last piece sets on top of this one. This one is at the bottom of the right side railing for the upper stairway. You can almost see it in the picture below. This was cut out using a skill saw, a miter saw and a jigsaw and then finished off with a round over bit in a router. If you look close you can see that it is in two parts. The next picture looks down on the stairs and the landing. It also shows how the corners were made to avoid having a miter joint. It is almost impossible to make a miter corner look good with pressure treated wood because the wood shrinks when it drys and the joint opens up.

The last piece of the puzzle was the little fence that made up the end of the Deck - we wanted it to provide a little more privacy than the low railing did. It took some discussion and some welding of ideas but this is what turned out. There are two views of it.

It is not obvious in the picture but the random blocks that separate the spindles are cut so that they have curved ends - this was done with a hole saw on a drill press.

This last picture shows the overall. It is a really pleasant place to sit and look out over the water.

When I took on the job, I intended to have it done in four to six weeks, with two of us working on it. As it turned out, I had help for only three days (getting it laid out and the really heavy beams up in the air) and the rest was done alone. Start to finish was right at four months - with two weeks out for a vacation. There are still low voltage lights to be installed but that is not really a problem if the light fixtures ever come in.