A Woodworker Builds a Deck....

Editors note...
I have been working on this deck for 3 years...on and off.  Considering this, I have a lot to say.  If you're not interested in the details, skip through all the text and just enjoys the pictures.  Also, my apologies in advance to those non-broadband or DSL users...this page takes a long time to load on dial-up.

About three years ago I started on a project that would become my largest piece of furniture to date: my deck.  Furniture, you say?  Yes...I do consider this deck a piece of furniture.  It has all the qualities of fine craftsmanship: exotic hardwood materials, tight fitting woodworking joints, and oil-rubbed finish, concealed joinery throughout, and an anal-retentive woodworker behind it all!

Our house's elevation is not that high.  Nine out of ten homes like mine are completed with a poured concrete or brick paver patio.  Being a woodworker, I was not about to go that route.  I had my heart set on a deck from the beginning.  Knowing that I had never built a deck before, I decided to make it simple......NOT!  I found out about Ipe on the Internet and never looked back.  Composites were never even considered.  I don't care for the limitations with composites.  With wood you can do just about anything.  After doing a lot of research, I decided to buy from Advantage Lumber (www.advantagelumber.com), whom  I highly recommend.  They're a great company to work with, delivered exactly what I ordered, and made right quickly when damaged boards came on the first delivery.

If you haven't heard about Ipe, it's an imported exotic hardwood from South America.  It has many trade names like "Brazilian Walnut" or "Ironwood".  It's one of the densest, most rot, insect, and fire resistant woods there are...it doesn't even float!  It's extremely difficult to work with, but the end product is definitely worth the added effort.  Every end-grain cut must be sealed with a wax emulsion.  Every fastener must pre-drilled with the correct sized pilot hole.  Try and drill into Ipe, or just drill too small of a pilot hole, and you will snap the screw!

I designed 90% of the deck/gazebo in CAD.  This was done more for the ordering side than the actual construction.  I wanted to get an exact idea how much wood I would need, and the dimensions, when ordering.   This is where the guys at Advantage where very accommodating.  The CAD design also came in very handy with the gazebo construction.  Let me tell you a little something about Ipe: it does not "give an inch"...it's not forgiving.  Everything had to be absolutely perfect in order to come together.  You couldn't cut a board a tad off, push it into place, and shoot a nail through.  The double-rafter roof is a prime example of how particular the construction must be.  In order for the 8 custom built rafters to come together at the top, I couldn't be off at all.  It was a real challenge....my hardest to date.

A few quick details about the deck, and then onto some pictures..

• Entire deck/gazebo secured with concealed Ipe-Clips or countersunk screws with Ipe plugs.

• All stainless steel fasteners....screws, lags, carriage bolts, etc....pretty costly!

• All railing fasteners hidden as well.  Pocket hole joinery used on undersides on railing.

• No maintenance aluminum spindles

• Picture frame decking

• Finished with Messmers UV Plus for Hardwoods

And now finally, the pictures...

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Gazebo

I originally did not have intentions on building the gazebo, until I saw a double-rafter roof gazebo at a friend's house.  Knowing that this was my first deck, why complicate it with adding a gazebo, right?  I am so happy I went through with it, though.  It's my favorite part of the deck.

The angles and complexity of the construction just about did me in.  In an effort to keep everything perfect, sections were built in production: bottom gates, middle gates, top gates built at the same time to guarantee all were exactly the same size... the pieces for the bottom and top rafters all batch cut and assembled simultaneously.

The rafters are u-shaped.  Dadoes were cut in the sides to accept the rabbetted bottom piece.  The rafters were epoxied and screwed (countersunk and plugged) together.  Also, each sides' top was beveled at around 7° before the glue-up.  This was done so the t&g roof pieces would sit flush across the entire width of the side.  Both ends were then mitered post glue-up.

You'll notice that both the top and bottom rafters are notched over the tops of the 4x4 posts.  I could not guess on the location of each notch, and hope it would be correct.  Therefore, the roof was raised twice: once with the rafters sitting atop the posts in order to exactly mark the location of the notch, and the second time to finally set it them in place.  The sides of the gates extend up the 4x4 posts, meeting the top of the rafters flush.  Screws are countersunk through these gates sides into the rafters.  Additionally, a 1/2" diameter stainless steel lag bolt in driven down through the center of the u-channel rafter into the top of the 4x4 post.  The same process is repeated for the top rafters.  All 8 upper rafters are double-bolted to the center king-pin. 

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By far the best feature of the gazebo is the ceiling, imho.  I used t&g knotty cedar for a beautiful contrast against the Ipe.  The roof/ceiling was such a chore to complete.  The t&g went on first then covered with CDX plywood.  You cannot simply lay a piece of t&g onto the Ipe rafters and shoot a nail through to secure.  Every piece had to be pre-drilled and screwed into the rafters.  Same thing for the CDX.  I had to be extremely careful to not miss the rafter and drill past it into the exposed cedar.

Below are some interior shots of the ceiling.  

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On the below picture you can barely see one of the many methods I used to conceal every fastener.  These 2x8's were secured between the upper 4x4 posts using pocket-hole joinery.  In order to conceal the pocket, I milled 3/8" dowel stock using a router table jig, epoxied in the dowel, and sanded flush. 

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The screens were the last big task for the gazebo.  Originally I had planned on building 7 large 5'x8' screens, leaning then into the corners from the inside, and use filler strips at the posts.  That all changed.  I decided to install them from the outside.  Doing so I was able to make smaller frames (above and below the rail)...making less of a repair job when screens are punctured.  This also preserved the railing on the inside of the gazebo, leaving an edge for beverages and to lean on.  With the frames being smaller, it was also easier to custom size each, so they fit just perfectly in their respective opening.

Thirty frames in all were needed to screen in the gazebo.  They're simply butt jointed together and deep countersunk screws hold them together from the sides.  The countersunk screws were deep in order to avoid the groove for the screening spline.

The top frames slide nicely into place.  Each side is beveled at 22½° and slide up from the bottom into place between the top gates.  A single screw in each bottom rail keeps them from falling down.  For the screws that could not be concealed (mainly for the removable screens), I used powder-coated, stainless-steel trim screws that matched the color of the Ipe.

The bottom frames fit under and over the gazebo railing.   Two of the seven sides needed a wider stile on the frame in order to notch around where the deck railing meets the gazebo.  The above railing screens are installed first and secured from underneath the railing.

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The door was a project in itself.  It took me around 3 days to build.  The rails and stiles are rabbeted to accept the partial overlay screen frames.  The rails ends were rabbetted as well to join to the stiles.  Each joint received double loose tenons (BeadLock).  Drilling into the end grain on the rails was an absolutely exhausting effort.  Just drilling the holes for the loose tenons took around 3 hours to do.

This door is very heavy...even for a screen door.  I would approximate it at over 80 lbs.  As such, I had to shop around for heavy-duty, double ball-bearing hinges.  The handle is by Baldwin, and unfortunately installed upside down on a few shots (correctly quickly after my buddy pointed that out to me!!), and is merely a passage set.  It did not need or want a locking set.  It's sad to say that this door is constructed better, fits nicer, and looks 10 times better than any 6-panel door in my house!

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The last few shots of the gazebo are miscellaneous detail shots...

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Sitting Area

I wanted a multi-elevation deck, so I added a rectangular sitting area at one corner.  This is where we have our 3-person swing.  The boys and I love sitting out here watching the planes go by.

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Grill Bump-out

This was a last minute addition.  I did not want the grill to be in the way from the main decking area.  I've sort of limited myself from that future huge grill purchase, but that's ok.  We really don't grill that much.

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Post-Caps

Ipe post-caps are not available....anywhere!  So, of course, they had to be custom made.  These took me about 3 days in the shop.  The mitered sides are grooved to accept a plywood rabbetted top, so everything is flush on the top.  The 2x6 top is then beveled on the tablesaw and attached to the top with 2 face-frame biscuits...just on the long grain sides so the top can expand and contract.  A single screw from the center inside also secures the base to top.  The caps are then secured to the posts with construction adhesive.

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Flooring

The main deck flooring is laid diagonally, with a picture frame around the whole thing.  In order to picture frame, you need double rim joists around your deck.  Mine were 2" apart.  This gap also served as a "mortise" for the post railing.  Each 4x4 railing post received a 2"x2" 7" long tenon on the end.  This tenon slips down through the gap in the rim joists and everything is bolted together. 

The floors was designed to not have a single butt joint.  That's why I designed the deck in CAD, so I would know just how many 8' through 20' long 5/4 deck boards I would need to order.  All the decking was secured with Ipe clips.  Where this was not possible (picture frame and ends), countersunk screws were used and plugged with Ipe. 

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One last pic...

In order to keep the animals out, the underside of the deck receives 4/4 siding.  Again...screwed from the back-side to conceal the fasteners.  You can also see the fascia in this picture and picture framed stair.

Well...that's about it!  I hope you enjoyed the pictures.  Hopefully now we can enjoy the deck!  Too bad it's almost winter, though!

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Copyright © 2002 - Jason Falejczyk