Deck Plans (critique my photoshop pic's!!!)

[Rich]

Here's my mock up for my new deck:

here's what it looks like right now: It's gonna be 12'x20' screened/roofed with an 8'x20' unroofed. The image is basically to scale but figure a standard screen door instead of french doors. Also a 3' hand rail on the screened section and an overhand on the roof. We'll probably paint it to match the house.

Decking will be composite (whatever I can get locally, probably choice dek). The lower deck will be 8" from the ground to make it easier for my 2 year old to climb onto. We'll also make the step down to the lower deck more of a landing...maybe 4' from the door.

Quote #1: $4500 This guy is known to have rock bottom prices...I've seen alot of his work and it's average/nothing special. A good "rental house carpenter" as a friend calls him.

Quote #2: $9965 This guy is more of a craftsman and does excellent/solid work.

I'll be getting another quote this week.

Comments?

[Hopkins]

Comments? I don't like the sound of "rental house carpenter" at all.

[stretch]

Here in the south it is a bad idea to have wood in contact with the ground. Any wood. Even treated wood can rot and get termites after about 10-15 years.

Stretch

[Mikepier]

Your house looks like my last house. A wideline cape rear dormered with the same backyard. If it was my house, I would not bother with a deck. I would put a nice plain concrete patio in the back. Maintenance free, plus everything is level with the rest of the backyard. That's what I did .Unless of course you want to keep the enclosed porch , then thats another issue.

[tbasc]

The roof will need a gutter to keep rain from damaging the deck, skirt, and columns with splash. The enclosed volumes below deck and porch will hold humidity and moisture causing cuping and general deterioration of the decks above. The stair, if it is more than 30 inches above the ground, should have a

42 inch high "guard rail. TB

[Goedjn]

You're going to have to move your electrical service drop, too.

[c_kubie]

My neighbor two doors down put on a screened patio. It look very cheap and is/was an eyesore. It seems the only way to make it look nice is the sunroom approach (glass with optional screens) and then do a deck attached.

Otherwise maybe go all deck with a retractable canopy.

c_kubie

[Ken]

I think you will need to have the screen door open in, because if it opened out I *think" you need to have a landing area of something like

3' x 3' right in front of the door. The idea is that you aren't standing on a stair and have to open a door toward you. You better check the codes on that one, because I'm not certain about that.

Make sure they don't screw up the transition from the existing roof onto the new roof. In my experience that is a common area to get messed up in one way or another and you end up with a leak.

Make sure you are ok with the fact that there will be less light coming in throught the set of windows that looks out onto the enclosed part. I would kill to have a back porch with a roof at our house, however my wife has ruled it out because it will shade the kitchen window and reduce the amount of light coming into the kitchen window. Our's faces north, so it's already the low light side of the house.

Personally, I would never use a "rental house carpenter" for anything. I heard a story second hand about one of those type of guys who turned a 400 sq. ft. deck into a room addition on the back of someone's house for ~$6k. It turned out so bad that the owner is furious, but can't do anything about it because he agreed to the plan before it was built. Walls are sagging so bad that 3 out of 4 sliding doors no longer operate, the roof leaks, there was so little insulation that the heat bill went through the roof, etc, etc.

Ken

[yaofeng]

Wood in contact with soil is a bad idea not only in the south. It is a bad idea, period.

[Rich]

the better carpenter said to do it and add a skylight to the deck over those kitchen windows later if it's too dark...my wife is worried about this too! It's a compromise for sure...

[Rich]

yeah...I'm gonna bury it. Getting quotes now to bury it and upgrade my service to 200A. Probably around $2500.

[Rich]

Here's the deal...the mosquito's around here are bad, thus I need a screened porch. This will allow us to be "outside" for 3-4 more months a year.

[Rich]

this guy does basic no frills work... he just tends to use the cheapest materials and does everything the fastest possible way. The people I know that have used him just watch him like a hawk and he's always accommodating with doing things the way you want.

[Goedjn]

If you're already started with that, why not just add an entire glass roof? why mess around?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

You can screen in a concrete patio too. Still makes more sense that wood, IMO.

[Fake name goes here]

we really want the porch to flow out of the kitchen door and not have to step down.

[EL]

Make sure there's at least a small step down, or you'll have water trying to come in the door when it rains! An inch would probably do it but a standard stair height (7-8") is more usual.

Eric Law

[EL]

If it's within your budget, I'd do the skylight when the porch is built rather than add it later. Much easier that way!

Make sure the installation is done correctly, though. If you have a shallow roof pitch, special hardware/flashing is sometimes needed to prevent leaks.

Eric Law