Deck Lumber

[visualk]

I am looking to build my deck this spring/summer and would like to know if there any hot deals on lumbar or if anyone can recommend a good place with low prices to check out

Also in Calgary, what kind of lumber is good to use in our weather?

[nonlinear]

based on the post above, i would recommend hiring a contractor.

[ZorroAMG]

Cedar FTW....

Why should he hire a contractor? Cause he asked what the best wood for Calgary is? Maybe he IS a contractor from the south, you Assuminator, you!

[hedge]

nm

[swak]

on that note though, a deck is probably one of the easiest things ive built.
Not rocket science. But if you're completely oblivious to wood work, hire a contractor... Nothing like having a beer on your deck and falling through it.

[bmeier]

totem is usually pretty good, i bought all my stuff from them last year.

Cedar or pressure treated are both fine. Cedar is nice and smells good but costs about double what regular PE does.

Or you could try the new composite materials which are pretty damn good, last way longer, every board is perfectly straight etc. this will cost much more as well.

I personally like Cedar if you leave it a natural finish. PE if you want to paint or do something different

[sputnik]

Totem

[m3_powered]

best deal I seen last spring was at Timbertown. They're flyer seems to come out every week exactly the same as the last; just look for they're deck packages on the back of the flyer

[ExtraSlow]

The folks at totem will design your deck for you, and they'll provide you with engineered drawings for the building inspector to look at. Decks can be pretty simple, but there are a few things that need to be carefulll designed. someone with a little training needs to do the design, which is why I reccomend Totem.

[blitz]

Cedar these days isn't nearly as good as it was 20 years ago. You have to cut down the old growth trees to get the precious heartwood.

Use pressure treated, cheap and easy.

If you want to go high end, Kayu Batu.

[freshprince1]

You should use the green pressure treated pine lumber. Best bang for your buck.

[Gabru Shakeen]

Totem is very good for deck packages. They know their shit and can help you design it and only sell you exactly what you need.

I'd use Pressure treated. Affordable yet has the strength you need.

[frozenrice]

Rule of thumb is anything within 6-12" of the ground should be treated. If your deck is low to the ground, this will typically require that the support posts, beam and joists to be treated. If your deck is up off the ground (like 3-4ft and higher) you can probably get away with just pressure treated support posts and conventional lumber for the rest of the deck structural (to save a few bucks). As for the walking surface, there are a lot of options from just using standard lumber, 5/4" treated, Trexx composite, to sheet vinyl (ie. Duradek).
Of course there's cedar too, but some consider it old school. You have to keep in mind too if cedar will go with the house. It may look okay in an older neighbourhood, but could look out of place in newer developments. Here's a shot out my back window (ignore the deer), the cedar deck sticks out like a sore thumb and doesn't really match the house let alone the rest of the neighbourhood.

[redblack]

anybody have a millenium deck? thinking about installing one of those this summer and looking for pros/cons to this type of deck

[RME2009]

I am a contractor that specializes in Decks and Fences.

In terms of pricing I would look at some of the smaller lumber yards as they often have better pricing than the bigger cookie cutter outfits like Totem and Home Depot.
As far as material I would suggest either Cedar or Pressure Treated, Cedar is more expensive but looks better in my opinion, both will require maitnence as they will fade in the sun over time and will need to be stained.
Composites are substantially more expensive then both options mentioned above and though they require less maintenance, they will still require annual maintenance and willl also fade with time.
Overall if cost is your concern I would recommend PT.

As for the post above all structural material must be PT to adhere to code.

Building a deck can be done by do-it-yourself-ers but if you are not equipped or experienced it can be a huge headache.

I would be happy to drop by and work with you on a design and provide you with a free quote. More information is never a bad thing
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