Hello,
I'm in the process of refurbishing an old 16' X 20' PT deck.
So far, I've removed and discarded all of the old 2" X 6" decking. The framing members are still in good shape, so they are being reused. In the process, I'm also going to lower it by 3" or 4" to allow for a snow gap below an existing 6' slider on the house.
Originally, the deck ran 16' along the house and extended out into the yard
20'. What I am doing is turning it so that the 20' length will now be up against the house and the 16' depth will extend into the yard. I'm also sliding it over into a corner where there is about a 5' jog from an attached garage. This will involve installing new ledgers. One 20' along the house and one 5' where the garage jogs out into the yard. BTW, the original installation held up and surprisingly didn't rot anything along the house, even though it wasn't flashed. Does anyone have any pointers or preferences on attaching a ledger to the house? I've read about many methods and seen all sorts of new gadgets for doing so, but just wanted to get a feel for what others have used.As for the decking, I was hoping to use IPE. When looking at the prices of some of the "designer" composite materials, using IPE doesn't seem too extravagant. The actual size of the decking will depend upon the cost of the material. I suppose that either 3 1/2" or 5 1/2" would be the norm. Any pros or cons to one choice over the other?
On a similar note, I've read about some of the hidden fastening systems, such as Deckmaster or Eb-Ty. I do like the idea of not having to pre-drill holes on the face side of the decking. I think that it just looks nicer without the screws showing, although the budget may dictate otherwise. What are some of the preferred methods of attaching the decking?
Lastly, does anyone know of a reliable and affordable source for IPE in CT?
Thanks in advance to those who post a reply to the group.
Peter.