In defense of breaking the mold
As a modern framing contractor, many people think that our products are not for them or they are impossibly out of reach. While it remains unfortunately true that modern framing is significantly more costly per foot than pressure treated lumber, we are adamant that it is the superior option from every metric including value, which in many ways is more important than raw cost. With that said, consider the cost and inherent loss of value you set yourself up for by installing a 50 year deck board on a 10 year frame. You are likely to only benefit from 20% of the value you paid for. That is likely not what you had in mind when you signed the check for your new deck.
When consulting with potential clients who are just learning about modern framing for the first time, they often ask about whether or not it is really necessary or the best choice for them. I have and will continue to tell potential clients that it is better to not rush into a bad decision. It is better to wait and save for the proper materials than to pay for it later with rot and regret. In situations where a deck is needed on a tight timeline and the budget is not there for the full project, we offer a deeply unusual but curiously clever solution.
We tell our client to embrace an approach that gives them what they need without wasting their money. We build a modern framing deck with PT deck boads. Withhold your judgement please, we know it looks absurd but ask yourself: which would you rather cut costs on, your clothes or your bones?
With this method the client uses their budget most efficiently and still allows for improvement in the future. They have their usable space, they have the best frame money can buy, and when their budget has more flexibility, they can buy the boards they like and install them on a frame that’s built to last. Consider a possibility where a client runs into financial strain, they now have a deck without having over extended themselves. If their situation remains strained for years, and their deck needs work, it’s a lot less challenging to replace a few deck boards our the entire deck if the frame doesn’t need to be rebuilt too.
Consider the inverse, you’ve run into some difficulty, the synthetic deck boards you paid for still look great, but the frame beneath them is sagging from rot and growing mushrooms from trapped moisture. You are on the edge of losing the deck you paid for decades ahead of when you expected it to be a problem.
Ask yourself which position you’d rather be in. We hope this brief rundown has given you a helpful insider opinion for your deck build no matter where it may be. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, we’d love to hear hear from you.