Warning: This is not furniture-making; it probably falls into the carpentry or general contracting arena.
I learned recently that (cedar) wooden decks don’t last forever. The entire deck on the North side of the house must be replaced; also, the deck in front of the family room, and close to the swimming pool, must be replaced in its entirety. And new supports must be installed under the upper deck to stabilize the entire structure.
The bids are coming in. While the cost will be significant, it is to be expected after 35+ years in use. Most of the work will involve shoring up the upper deck, replacing the staircase, replacing the lower deck where the table and chairs are, and replacing the deck that starts near the bottom-right of the photo and runs to the upper level (click on the photo, to enlarge the image).
I have some questions I hope my readers can address, to help me decide how to do this work:
- Have you ever repaired or replaced a large deck?
- Is it best left to a contractor, or
- Was it easy enough that you were able to tackle it?
- What material did you use? The newer composites, or simply replaced with cedar?
- If your old deck was cedar, were you able to reuse any of the old cedar boards?
- If you were able to reuse old cedar boards, did you bother sealing the old nail/screw holes?
- Have you ever repaired a sagging elevated deck?
- How did you do it?
- Did you use temporary support columns,
- Or did you simply install new ones, and then removed the old ones?
- Did you do all the work yourselves, or did you hire a contractor to do it?
- What are some of the “gotchas” I should be be looking for?
- What would you do differently, were you to do it over?
I appreciate your comments!
— Al Navas
About Al Navas
I replaced the decking and the railings on my deck myself. It was pretty easy. I only needed to replace a small part of the under-structure, and added stairs (stairs I got help with.) My skill set is 1 twentieth of yours, as evidenced on your site.
Thanks, Paul!
I will definitely tackle flooring; but it is the structural stuff I don’t know much about. We should find out in the next day or, as all the bids will be in by late today. Thanks for your feedback!
We replaced a 20+ year old deck last summer, just my husband and I. We only worked on weekends, and we were done by October (except for the stairs). Granted, we hit some snags along the way, but then again, I think everyone does. We documented the entire process in detail (perhaps too much detail). If you are interested, go to http://www.lise.ca/Photos/Deck/index.html
We used pressure treated for the structure and cedar for the decking and rails. We overdid the structure–it’s strong enough to land a chopper. But we needed it strong just in case we build a screened-in porch on it in the future (that I want, but my husband does not).
I would have to agree with Bill Dalton,though. It is time consuming, and your time might be better spent making money! We couldn’t afford to pay contractors. And besides, we loved the opportunity to learn.
Lise,
I love the diary of your deck replacement – I bet you still could land a chopper on your deck! In fact, just like with Bob’s recommendations, it has helped with getting *much* closer to a decision. Last bid should be in later today.
Al,
I’ll second what Bill suggests regarding reusing materials and the best use of your time.
I replaced a rotted deck about 20 years ago. It was not cedar, but some sort of BORG lumber that had been painted. I tore it completely down and built anew, and larger. (Not as large as I see on your home.) I did it myself during summer evenings after the day job. Took awhile! I used pressure treated lumber and it has lasted very well.
Today, I would consider avoiding the pressure treated stuff (hard to keep nicely stained) and consider the new composite decking materials. Some of them look very much like real lumber and guarantee you won’t be doing it again. I used the gray exterior decking screws for fasteners, and no bungs or sealants above them. They’re doing just fine. Now, if you want to make it “ship shape,” spin yourself out several thousand bungs and fit them carefully to deeply recessed screws.
(Be sure to align the grain correctly!)
Oh yeah,,,, footings. Those were the hardest part of the DIY job. Our codes here require concrete footings to a minimum of 3 feet. The previous builder apparantly didn’t ask about codes. I did, and once you ask…. So, comply with the code, I did. Sonotube, 1 foot in diameter, concrete to the required depth. We live in a county named Rockland. That name has meaning when you start digging.
Good luck with it. I’m guessing which way you’ll go on who does the work, but will keep it to myself.
Bob,
Close to decision time – I will let you know. GREAT feedback, which I appreciate a whole bunch as I have zero experience with this. However, refurbishing the floor on the top part will be much easier for me; I should start on that in the Fall.
Al,
I’m not an expert, but I’ve had my fair share of using cedar in central Florida. I would replace the cedar. You will waste a lot of time and energy reusing the wood for your deck. I would keep and resurface what you take down to use in outdoor furniture but not for the deck. Unless you are going to change the deck I think you can do it just fine unless your time is worth more than paying a contractor. I’m not being a pain when I say this, 1 you can probably make more money making furniture than spending the time replacing the deck; 2 if the wife wants it done NOW it might be wise to pay someone. It is the time of year you will be using it. Doing it yourself…I mean you have the pattern and layout right there you could probably purchase and cut the whole deck before taking the old one down and then replace. Use Stainless hardware and make sure you protect the post ends from soaking up water. Have fun.
Bill
Thanks, Bill – you have given me good advice! Two more bids, and we will be comparing them and making decisions.