Useful Deck Information

Not all that long ago, “cheap” was the key word used throughout the Kansas City deck industry.  Starting in the fall of 2008 through almost the end of 2009, “cheap” decks, screened porches and pergolas reigned supreme.  Most customers calling deck builders for estimates emphasized one thing.  The primary factor when considering their quote was going to be how much the deck would cost.  Many new and un-established Kansas City deck contractors built their marketing campaign on a single premise.  They boasted the fact they could, and would, build a deck “cheaper” than the next guy.  Thankfully, that trend is now beginning to come full circle.

Yeah, there are still quite a few tire kickers out there.  However, as a Kansas City deck builder, we’re noticing more and more people looking for the best value versus the lowest price.  There is a difference!  Value simply means getting the most for what you are paying.  It could be the most expensive deck or it may be the most affordable.  That all depends on the detail of craftsmanship, quality of materials, level of service and professionalism provided; compared to what one spends for it.  What someone is willing to allot for such a purchase is their decision based on their personal taste, lifestyle, budget, income, etc.  Price is only a single component of value and should only be used as a gauge to calculate the deck’s value.

As a Kansas City deck builder, this is something we’ve always preached.  We don’t pretend to be the cheapest deck builder in Kansas City.  We proclaim to provide the best value.  “The highest quality deck for the fairest price” – “The most bang for your buck”…you get the picture.

Some of those “cheap” deck builders are not only now realizing the true cost to run a business.  They’re also realizing that the “cheapest” deck is usually the one built exactly right the first time and in an efficient manner.  Whereas, the most expensive deck is the one their unqualified subcontractor took three times as long to build or the one they have to go back and fix time and time again.  Fortunately for the reputable, qualified deck builders in Kansas City, many consumers are also now gravitating toward that same conclusion.

As I humbly predicted, more and more horror stories about unscrupulous contractors and shady handymen are emerging from the dark, murky depths of this historic recession.  Although immensely distasteful, these unfortunate business practices do produce something positive.  A much more conscientious and savvy consumer is now being born in all markets throughout the United States.  Kansas City decks are no exception. 

Many homeowners are now realizing what has been preached since the beginning of mankind.  “You get what you pay for!”  If you don’t believe it, just try walking into your local Cadillac dealership and ask them if they can match the price of a Kia model that’s relative in size.  They’d laugh and probably so would you.  That’s because you both know the two cars aren’t built the same.  The craftsmanship is miles apart and there are many more high-end components and features on a Cadillac than on a Kia.  Well, decks are no different.

There’s a vast difference in Kansas City decks, and therefore, deck builders.  The construction methods they utilize, their attention to detail, skill level of their carpenters and quality of materials they work with.  So do your diligent research.  Check their credentials, call their references and be sure to visit their work first hand.  Because “cheap” is not always an accolade!

Here’s my favorite quote from one from one of the greatest social thinkers Great Britain and the world has ever known.  One I try and repeat it every chance I get:

“There is hardly anything in the world that some men cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper; and the people who consider price only, are such men’s lawful prey.”  – John Ruskin

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

I know it sounds awfully repetitive because it seems like I post something like this at least once a month.  However, I think it’s one of the more important points I can relay to homeowners and deck builders alike.  Decks have always been and still are one of the more secure investments when it comes to residential home improvement projects.

More proof comes from a U.S. News & World Report which lists the “The 5 Best—and 5 Worst—Home Improvement Projects for Your Money.”  The article explains that a wood deck is the third best home project to spend your money on.  It does a better job articulating the reasons than I do, so the link you just passed will take you there.  The report doesn’t rate PVC or composite decks.  Nor does it mention treated or tropical hardwood decks.  However, I guarantee that just about any type of deck, if properly constructed and of quality craftsmanship, will meet, if not exceed, this type of performance.  Especially if the deck is  made from a reputable composite brand such as Evergrain or a top notch material like Azek or a gorgeous, durable product similar to an Ipe tropical hardwood.

Just remember to do your research.  Find a decking that flows with your home and is ideal for your regional environment.  And as always, hire a reputable, professional deck builder.  One who’s built with that exact material more than once.  Trust me, not all deck products are installed the same.  Incorrect installation is not only wearisome and extremely costly; it may even void your warranty.  And what’s the point in that?

For more proof why decks are a sound investment, I’ve attached some of my previous posts:

• Looming Inflation Guarantees a Deck Investment
• Purchase a Deck in a Down Economy?
• A Kansas City Deck is a Wise Investment

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

There is currently an arctic air mass squashing the Midwest and much of the United States.  It’s been making building decks in Kansas City somewhat difficult the past week or so.  Like many other Kansas City deck builders, we’ll be back at it come Monday.  The temperatures are supposed to reach a balmy thirty degrees Fahrenheit!  Hey, we’ll take it right now.  It’ll feel like a heat wave compared to the weather that’s blasted our region for what seems like an eternity.  When we do get back to deck construction, we’re going to be sure and use some concrete additive to help us catch up.

There are different types of chemicals which help concrete cure at a faster rate.  Some deck builders in the Kansas City area use calcium, either powder or liquid form.  We prefer to use a chemical called Trimex NCA.  It’s a liquid that you dilute into the water you’re mixing with the concrete.  Trimex NCA is far less corrosive and much less irritating to the skin than calcium and some other curing agents.  In these frigid temperatures, it’s imperative that deck builders use an accelerant to harden their footings quicker than concrete sets up alone.

Most importantly, the concrete needs to get mostly cured before it freezes solid.  If a deck is built on frozen and unhardened concrete piers, it will sink once a thaw occurs.  Secondly, the concrete will lose a lot of its strength, solidity and longevity if it becomes fully frozen before bonding all the way.  And lastly, uncured footings cost deck builders and contractors precious time and money.  Waiting around to build or complete a deck pending concrete approval is not an efficient way to run a business.

Remember, the ground it still very warm, especially with a bunch of snow cover.  Once we removed the snow, even the very top inch of the ground was thawed when we dug deck piers last Monday.  Even with the temps well below twenty degrees.  Along with using a concrete additive, it’s also a good idea to cover your empty pier holes in between digging and pouring them.  Then again after you’ve filled and finished the tops.  Cover first with plastic to retain moisture.   Add three or four layers of burlap to retain the ground’s heat.  This will help ensure deck piers and footings stay warm and set up in time to drop the deck’s weight before spring.

For more info on building decks in the wintertime, visit another post:

“Most Kansas City Deck Builders Work Year Round.”

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

As I’ve posted before, we’re a huge proponent of FastenMaster’s Cortex hidden fastening system.  It retains the simple engineering principle of keeping two face screws per board per joist.  Many Kansas City deck builders use other methods of concealing their screws.  However, most structural experts will agree that the Cortex system provides a much more stable deck than any hidden clip or tongue and groove method.

Earlier in the year, I spoke highly on how well Cortex’s core and plug operation worked for AZEK Deck®.  I was amazed at both the ease of installation as well as the consistency of its appearance and performance.  However, when I heard FastenMaster had created one for EverGrain Classic Colors*®, I was somewhat skeptical. 

As a professional Kansas City deck builder, our company installs more EverGrain decking than any other product.  Therefore, we know its characteristics very well.  I love the value EverGrain delivers.  It’s both low cost and durable as well as not harboring mold and mildew.  Sorry for the digression.

The main reason for my skepticism was the raised dense grain pattern pressed into EverGrain’s surface.  I didn’t picture those plugs being very easy to install or blending in very well with such a pronounced and defined texture.  Then the EverGrain rep showed me a demo that quickly forced me to swallow my presumptions.  The plugs were easily set even with the raised parts of the surface and simply conformed to and became part of the texture.  I guess that’s why I’m a deck builder and not in the manufacturing business.  I was both surprised and impressed.

If you’re a deck builder or consumer who prefers using another type of decking, FastenMaster has also extended the Cortex line to other brands.  It is now available for Trex® Accents and Escapes and TimberTech® TwinFinish Decking.  They’ve also come out with the new Azek Kona and Fawn colors.

For more info, here’s a link to FastenMaster’s Cortex Fastening System

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

NADRA (The North American Deck and Railing Association) just launched a new search help deck builders find what they need easier and faster.  They have partnered with MultiView, Inc., an Irving, TX, publisher of Digital Buyer’s Guides and E-News Briefs, to launch the NADRA Deck and Railing Product & Service Guide.

Basically, it’s a new online search program that you can access from NADRA’s home page (www.NADRA.org).  The vendor search is specific to the deck industry.  It should help refine the very broad and too generalized method of searching for deck related items on the big search engines.  Deck builders have the choice to either search by keyword related terms or via an alphabetized category and sub-category directory search.

With the use of this new search, a deck builder or homeowner can look for specific items or companies relative only to the deck industry.  Also, if you click the “Desktop Search” located at the top of the main page, you can easily download a toolbar for faster access to the Guide and NADRA, even when offline.  They’re also taking recommendations for other vendors, companies, products, services, etc. that you might be using as a professional deck builder, contractor, or consumer.  You can suggest them to NADRA.  They’ll take a look and see if it can be added to the guide and thus create an even deeper resource.
 

Here’s a link to their search page:

http://deckandrailingproductandserviceguide.com

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder) 

About a month ago, I posted how Azek was ready to show off their new darker decking colors to the deck builders in Kansas City.  Well, I missed the introduction due to family obligations.  However, my partner was able to attend and grabbed a couple of samples so I could relay my opinions on this blog.

One of the new colors is called Fawn.  Fawn is a deep dark tan or milky brown.  Actually, the name is very fitting because it’s exactly what color you’d think a young deer to be.  I’m not a huge fan of any light brown and cedar color decking.  No matter what brand it is.  That’s not so much a knock on the colors the manufacturers created as it is my personal taste.  I wouldn’t put the Fawn Azek on my deck either.  However, I think it’s a more attractive tint than most of the other decking colors close to the same shade.  I also think it will definitely have a stable spot amongst deck consumers since it’ bold enough to be different while still remaining fairly natural and neutral.  Not bad.

The other color has been named Kona.  I’d say it could best be described as cocoa or dark chocolate.  It is right in line with what I thought Azek was going to have to put out in order to compete.  Timbertech and Gossen have developed some creative and sharp decking colors.  Darker colors are definitely the trendy choice with many deck consumers in Kansas City and around the country.  Fawn is sure to gobble up its fair share of those purchases.  It probably already is. 

When it comes to the darker deck colors, deck builders should inform their customers about hot temperature surface.  Some of the dark composite decks can actually feel unbearable when exposed to bare feet.  I guess that depends on how tough you and your feet are. 

Personally, mine aren’t nearly as callused and leathery as when I was a kid.  I use to spend all day playing outside with my dogs unprotected.  Not so much today. 

Cellular PVC, like Azek and Gossen, have an advantage.  The technology of PVC restricts much less temperature change than composites.  That can make a big difference with small children.  Especially in direct sunlight and in the middle of summer.

Helpful links:

Azek decking

Gossen decking

Timbertech decking

Evergrain decking

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

Many people ask the same thing when we’re bidding decks, screened porches, and pergolas this time of year.  “Can you build a deck in when it’s cold outside?”  Actually, our deck builders prefer the cool weather over the warm.  It’s much easier keep the human body warm when doing physical labor than it is to cool it down.  That doesn’t mean they enjoy the brutally frigid temps that get hover near zero.  However, the thirty and forty degree temps are nothing if the carpenter knows how to dress right.

Some customers are worried about the concrete curing properly in temps below freezing.  Concrete will create its own heat.  If the deck builder or contractor covers the pier, footing or pad with plastic and then burlap, the heat will hold long enough to allow the concrete to cure fully.  When the ambient air gets below thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit, we accelerate the curing process by adding Calcium Chloride or TriMix – NCA.  These chemicals help ensure the concrete cures enough before it freezes. 

The deck builder has to make sure that the concrete is cured before putting all of the deck’s weight on the piers.  I’ve seen a number of decks and screened porches sink down in concrete because the deck contractor assumed the concrete was ready.  They simply felt the surface to see if it was hard to the touch.  However, the concrete was actually frozen.  If concrete freezes before it cures, it will not continue to cure until it thaws back out.  You can tell the difference by drilling a small, inconspicuous hole, at least six inches down.  If you get a dry dust or powder, the concrete is most likely cured.  If you get any kind of paste, sludge or moisture, it needs more time.  If the deck builder is unsure or it’s borderline, temporary supports should be left on for a few more days.    

More and more Kansas City deck builders are using TXI’s Maximizer because it’s a “high/early” mix.  It has a very high strength at 5500 PSI and sets up to 3000 PSI in twenty-four hours.  This makes a big difference when time is a factor.  And if a deck builder plans on being successful, time is always a factor. 

Most Kansas City deck builders do work year round.  Just make sure you hire one who knows what they’re doing!

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

Yesterday, I posted about Deckorator’s Classic round aluminum baluster.  I also mentioned Deckorator’s Estate baluster.  They’re essentially the same thing as a Classic round aluminum spindles except for square and not round.  Doesn’t sound much different but they definitely are.  As a Kansas City deck builder, we built a cedar deck in our showroom using the Estate balusters, and I’m sure glad we did.  It definitely looks very different from the round balusters.  Deck builders also still have the option to add baskets, knuckles, finials, etc. to the spindle by a slide on attachment that holds tight with an inconspicuous set screw. 

If you’re a deck builder who likes to bore your round spindles into the deck railing framework, you won’t be able to do that with the Estate baluster.  However, the connectors for the Estates are much stronger and secure than the ones used for the Classics.  They go on the outside of the spindle and have a channel to sit in so the baluster is cradled and locked in place.  The caps also have nubs that press into the railing framework to prevent them from turning.

If the deck builder is imaginative, they can create some unique looks with the square balusters.  Turning the spindles at an angle creates even more of a contemporary look.  Installing them with a pattern of three in a bunch and then a normal space puts off an on old world wrought iron look.  More or less, Deckorator’s Estate baluster simply gives the deck builder and homeowner more possibilities and options.  They are definitely a nice change of pace from the monotony of Classic round balusters which area on nearly every deck in Kansas City.

 Here’s a link to Deckorator’s Estate Balusters.

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

It wasn’t all that long ago when aluminum spindles were first introduced to deck builders, and in turn, the entire deck industry.  At least in Kansas City, Classic or round balusters quickly grabbed the attention of deck builders and their clients.  Today, they are still most popular deck baluster used on decks in Kansas City by a country mile.  This transgression occurred for a few simple reasons.

They are inexpensive.  A little more than a cedar spindle at the time at the time of inception but not outrageously priced.  Today, they cost even less than a cedar spindle.  They are maintenance free.  Anyone who’s ever stained a deck knows the spindles are definitely the hardest part of the deck to finish.  Aluminum balusters also provide a more transparent view from inside the deck.  At three quarters of an inch wide, they are half the width of a two by two wood spindle.  This provides more open viewing area to see through when sitting on your deck looking out.  With these key attributes characterizing the round aluminum spindle, there is still a more important reason they became so widely used by Kansas City deck builders. 

The number one reason these balusters are so trendy is because they are so trendy.  By that I mean they are very different from the decades of wood spindles that bordered nearly each and every deck in Kansas City ten or more years ago.  Driving down almost any street in Johnson County, Kansas or Kansas City, Missouri, or Desoto or Lawrence, all you could see is wood decks with wood spindles.  Sure, there was some separation by creative deck builders in the patterns and styles of railing some had designed.  However, they sure had to work at it to make their deck unique.

Now days just about every deck builder in Kansas City uses Deckorator’s Classic round baluster.  As a matter of fact, they’re as common on decks as wood spindles were previously.  These round balusters are definitely something Kansas City deck builders rely on to dress up their decks without breaking the bank. 

Tomorrow I’ll tell about Deckorator’s new Estate baluster.  They’re a nice change of pace from the round balusters.  And who knows, they may even soon take their place amongst deck builders and homeowners alike.

Here’s a link to Deckorator’s Classic aluminum baluster. 

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

I can’t tell you how many composite decks I’ve looked at recently where the deck wrap hasn’t been properly installed.  It seems there are a lot of Kansas City deck builders who’ve not been told or instructed how to correctly install composite deck wrap.

What I most commonly see is composite deck wrap which is wavy and buckling all around the perimeter of the deck.  This is caused by two factors.  The main reason for the waviness is the inadequate amount of screws used.  All composites should be screwed off with no more than eight inch spacing between screws.  I must say that being a Kansas City deck builder, we didn’t used to install screws this close for fear of looking too peppered with fasteners.  This was before the composite manufacturers informed us that we had to put them this close in order to keep a warranty intact.

The other reason composite deck wrap or even composite decking will buckle is too little or no space left between boards for expansion.  Gapping of composite decking looks aesthetically right.  However, I know why most deck builders don’t like to leave gaps in their composite deck wrap.  It’s because the homeowner will almost always point it out and ask them to make the joint tighter and less noticeable.  Generally, when you tell a consumer, paying a fair amount for a quality composite deck, that the joint is supposed to be gapped for expansion, they tend to think the deck builder might be making excuses for not wanting to replace the board.

Unless you want to spend much of your time going back and trying to suck in bows and twists in all your deck wrap, stick to your guns and put the gap in there.  Do it relative to the climate.  Leave one eight to three sixteenths of an inch gap in the very coldest of temperatures (below freezing).  A weak eight inch gap about this time of year, for most of fall and springtime, is just about right.  In the midst for summer, only about a sixteenth of an inch is necessary.  

Mushrooming around the screw heads is another major problem.  Not only with composite deck wrap, but even more so with composite decking.  Some Kansas City deck builders try to convince consumers that Deck Mate screws or any kind of exterior grade fastener is sufficient for installing composites.  I won’t mention any names, but you guys know who you are.  Wise up a little.  You can’t establish yourself as a reputable deck builder when every composite deck you put up looks like it picked up an outbreak of the chicken pox and mumps at the same time.  I know, you hammer them down to show the homeowner that they just help cover the screw heads and tell them those appendages will stay down forever.  But why?  Then you just have to deal with the headache when they don’t stay down for one month and that customer is complaining about their rocky road of a deck surface.

Fasteners such as Trap Ease composite deck screws should ALWAYS   be used when installing any composite deck or PVC deck.  Better yet, do as we do and pilot every single hole on your decking, wrap and railings.  It will remove all the unnecessary material and allow that screw head to sit nice and even with the board surface.  Just make sure the pilot bit shank is about the same size or less than the shank of your screw shank and smaller than the head.  An eighth of an inch or five thirty seconds is about right for a composite deck screw.  Trust me, you customer will be much happier, and it’ll be much easier to build your name as a quality deck contractor.

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Deck – Kansas City deck builder)