New composite deck with white vinyl railings and a wide stair

The house

A single-story home with a brick base and tan siding, white trim, and a back door that opened onto a drop to the yard. The owner wanted a deck for a table and chairs and an easy way down to the lawn. The photos show the finished deck in August 2022 with the yard still bare from the construction.

How a new deck gets built

Unlike the resurfacing jobs on this site, this was a deck from the ground up, which means the frame is the whole story:

1. Permit and layout. A deck attached to a house needs a permit in almost every Pennsylvania township. We draw it, submit it and lay it out on the ground before digging.
2. Footings. Concrete footings dug below frost line, about 36 inches here, with the posts on metal bases above the concrete so they never sit in water.
3. Ledger. The board that ties the deck to the house is bolted through to the framing and flashed so water cannot get behind the siding. This is the part that fails on badly built decks.
4. Frame. Pressure-treated joists at 16 inches on center, with the tops taped so water does not sit in the fastener holes under the boards.
5. Decking. Brown composite boards with hidden fasteners, so the surface has no screw heads.
6. Railings and stairs. A white vinyl railing system, posts sleeved over treated posts, and a wide stair with closed risers.

Why white vinyl railings

The house has white trim and white windows. A white railing ties the deck to the house instead of making it look like an add-on. Vinyl railings never need paint, which is the difference between a deck you use and a deck you maintain. The trade-off is a chunkier profile than metal; on a house like this one it looks right.

Why a wide stair

A deck stair that is only as wide as code requires feels like a fire escape. This one is wide enough for two people, which makes the yard part of the deck instead of a place you climb down to.

Expert notes

• Composite boards on a new frame need the joist spacing the manufacturer specifies. Sixteen inches is standard; some boards want twelve on a diagonal layout.
• Leave the yard grading for after the deck. The photos show the ground raw because the deck came first and the lawn repair second.
• Picture-frame the edge so no cut ends show.

*The town of this project will be added once we confirm it with the homeowner.*