'It has a tight grain and comes in a better mix of lengths,' he explains. Although ipe stands up well to traffic and turns an appealing silver gray over time, Kroll prefers fir (Figure 1).

Most of his deck surfaces are either ipe (Brazilian walnut) or vertical-grain fir. 'And once it's stained, the stain is almost impossible to remove.' 'There are too many things that can stain it: hamburger juice, suntan oil - even daily foot traffic can leave stains,' Kroll notes. In this tradition-bound New England market, that usually means natural wood, not plastic.Р”Вespite the moisture-resistance of composite decking, you won't see it on any of Kroll's projects.

His customers want materials that offer low maintenance but that also look good on an expensive home. In this marketplace, Kroll also has to walk a line between durability and aesthetics. 'We live here, so we need to get things right,' he says. His customers tend to stick with him, many from the beginning of construction, and most of them are neighbors. Many of these decks lie a few feet from the water. Peter Kroll of Cape Painting and Carpentry in North Falmouth, Mass., has been building and renovating homes on Cape Cod for 25 years. All agreed durability is the goal, but they each take a slightly different path to get there. We asked three East Coast builders who work on waterfront homes what materials and techniques they recommend for exterior decks. Add to that the homeowners' desire for low-maintenance finishes that stand the test of time even in a salt environment, and it's clear that builders have to be especially fussy about their deck materials choices and installation methods. In hurricane zones, multistory decks over porches or integrated into the foundation footprint have a better chance of withstanding a major storm, while attached decks (inset) are more vulnerable to being ripped apart by storm waves and hurricane-force winds.Р”Вecks and porches on beach homes take the brunt of any storm. Deck durability begins with the house design.

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