4Clover

Hello again. With wanting to remodel the garage and fancy up the landscape, there's still one thing that will look kinda depressing and that is the deck. Now I'm quite creative but this one has me stumped. I can't even imagine in my head what would make the deck look more appealing. I seriously need your help on this one. Much appreciated as always.

For all I know you all might think it looks good.

joecaption

I think the basic deck looks fine. I would pressure wash it and when really really dry apply a clear wood preserver to it.
On the tops of the hand railings I would install composit decking, with screws coming in from below it of screws made just for compoit lumber from above. These screws have a small head on them so you install them just below the surface and tap the area with a hammer just enough to compress the fibes back into the hole to cover up the screws, then rub a wire brush over that area, the screws should all but disapper.
What this will do is cover up the flat 2 X 4's that always cup, split and just plain look nasty.
I'd also use composit deck skirting on the outsides of the outside rim joist to cover up the exposed pressure treated wood. Your going to need a 12" slidding compound saw to make one long smooth cut because there 11 1/2" wide.
I'd get rid of those huge boulders, and install vinyl lattice under the deck. Your going to have to come up with a way to support it at the bottom. We stain pressure treated 2 X 4's black and use a Kreg tool to make angle holes and install the 2's flat so you do not see them as much. These 2's should be about 4" off the ground so they do not rot.
We use a special SS screw that's called a lattices screw to attach the lattice. The screw looks like it has a washer made on to the head area.
You need to predrill the lattice holes over sized and do not screw the screws in tight. Vinyl expands and contracts a lot. We try to make the top part so it slides in between two 2 X 4 and only screw it in at the bottom. That way it's faster to remove.

4Clover

You see the "sun" and the pic i took next to it. More to the right of that is where the family room sticks out a bit. I thought I'd be good to expand the deck into that area more. Just to add a little more "shape" to the deck. The corner the deck is in is L shaped with the top of the deck (looking from above) being slightly protruding outwards and rounded. Not much shape to it. Do you think that'd be a good idea?

Any ideas to expand the design of the basic decking would be great. Just want to liven things up a little bit. Neighbors and their show-offy decks and what not.

Thanks for your help. Much appreciated

joecaption

If you want to spend thousands of dollars just to keep up with others that's fine but think about what looks good to you and to heck with what they think.
You could remove all that decking and replace with composit, remove the hand raling and cover the post with post covers and caps, replace the railings with composit rails and spend at least $5000.00 on materials.
If you do replace the decking it can not span more then 16" so your going to have to add more floor joist. Look into the new PVC coated composit decking. Far less likly to stain and does not mold up like the old stuff did.
Never use nails, use hidden fastners or Ceramic coat or Stainless steel decking screws. Composit requires a special screw with two type of theads on them. It will say right on the box for Composit decking. Your goinf to need an impact screw gun for installing them. A cordless drill is just not going to cut it.

AndyGump

The guard is what is dated, it looks to have been well bult and but it just looks too 70s, Looks like the deck material fine though, I would concentrate on a iron guard and a nice hand railing.

Andy.

4Clover

Alright thanks. I'll have to ask my dad how much it cost him to build. I personally don't think it would even cost $1000 to spice it up nicely. But heck, I'm the one asking you guys for advice, what do I know

MrMiz

Start with your budget and set a MAXIMUM amount.

First off your deck looks great. Let the "Jones" that you put your money toward paying of your mortgage and watch there face turn green with envy. Though that info isn't deck specific it's just as good ;-)

As mentioned a quick pressure wash and a finishing coat of your preference might resolve your desire to make it look better. That being said....

I like the look of black iron and wood/red wood/exotic wood/composite. Replace as much of the railing with black iron and your choice of material with what fits in your budget. Pressure wash and finish the rest as above.

If your raking in the money. Do up the whole thing with black iron and X material and hire a landscaper to do some work around the deck. Add a built in grill, stone always looks nice. Keep it native to your location, but your talking big bucks now. Those are some ideas. Hope this helps.

MegaMagma39

I really like the color of the railings, and I LOVE the "suns". I would make the floor boards of the deck match the railings in color. (When I say "railings" I mean the sides, the parts that have the suns).

Towards the bottom, to cover underneath, I would either put more railings, or perhaps some lattice...

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AndyGump

I was thinking of something along this line of thought.

Andy.

joecaption

If you go that route make sure to get the aluminum powder coated not just painted. Each section of a quality rail like that will cost about $180.00.
Go on the Timber Tec web site for some more ideas. There's also a deck design feture on there site.
Big Hammer also has a CD you can down load for a fee that will design, and even print out the price and a materials list for you.
It's not perfect but it can show you in 3D what it will look like.
There's no way to change it to the railing style you showed and it assumes your going to nail (not through bolt) the decking and rim joist.