At some point, your deck made of pressure-treated pine will need to be replaced. In this case, it seems like Mother Nature took control of the situation and told these homeowners, “You WILL replace your old wooden deck. You will do it NOW.” Who could argue with that?
At Archadeck of Central GA, we tell clients to expect a pressure-treated wood deck to have a life span of about 15-20 years if well maintained. We understand that many homeowners have good intentions of maintaining their wood deck properly, but it doesn’t always happen. Sanding and staining a deck every year or two can be a huge chore. Wood deck maintenance can slow the deterioration of the wood itself and keep your deck looking beautiful. Without maintenance, the wood will deteriorate.
— Before, the deck was in a state of decay.
Given that information, it’s amazing that this deck lasted 20 years. These clients in Macon GA’s Barrington Hall subdivision had been thinking about redoing their deck for a couple of years. They knew the end was near. They even contacted Archadeck of Central Georgia two years ago about the job. But they weren’t quite ready.
— Before deck replacement.
When Mother Nature took control and the deck began to fail, the homeowners contacted us again. It was time.
Redecking is Not Always an Option
— After deck replacement
The clients were hoping we could use the deck’s original support structure and redeck the surface with new decking boards, railings, and stairs. We like being able to offer that cost-saving option, but in this case it was not possible. Only about one-third of the original framing was salvageable. The rest of the deck’s substructure had to be rebuilt from the ground up, including new beams and a new edge band.
Note: If you’re interested in redecking instead of replacing your deck, we can inspect your deck’s substructure and let you know if that’s an option for you.
Not Every Deck Replacement Needs To Be Bigger!
Many Macon and Warner Robins homeowners want a bigger deck or want to move the stairs to another side, etc. If you liked the size of your original deck just the way it was, however, there is no need to change it. Archadeck of Central GA will not try to upsell you on a bigger deck. When we replace a deck, we listen to our clients. If the homeowner wants to keep the deck the same size, we build the new deck with the same footprint the old deck had.
In the case of this Barrington Hall deck rebuild, we kept almost the same design footprint for the new deck. Our only change to the shape was squaring off a corner of the deck that had previously been designed on a 45-degree angle.
These clients were ready to make the leap from pressure-treated wood to low-maintenance composite decking. Specifically, they chose Fiberon Good Life decking in the Bungalow color from Fiberon’s “Escapes” collection. This line of decking has a 30-year Stain, Fade and Performance warranty. The thought of sanding and staining a deck will never need to enter these homeowners’ minds.
This home’s deck railings were due for an update as well. For the new deck, we built a wood railing with iron pickets from Fortress Railing. The see-through aspect of this new deck railing is not only a fantastic update, it will also make the deck more enjoyable. The black iron pickets practically disappear when you look through them, giving the homeowners a better view from the deck. The rail cap is made of the same low-maintenance Fiberon composite decking boards we used for the deck’s surface.
Finally, we added a custom safety feature here that the original deck did not have: a 5-ft. gate at the top of the deck stairs. The homeowners requested the gate with their grandchildren and dog in mind.
We also relocated an existing gas line as part of the project.
Note: We are currently conducting our complimentary design consultations with video conferencing! If you are not familiar with this technology, don’t worry, we can walk you through it.
Are you ready to rebuild or replace the deck at your central Georgia home? Archadeck of Central GA is ready to help, so get in touch with us by calling (478) 241-8406.
Stephen Denton, owner Archadeck of Central Georgia.
