Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - IPE Deck

I need a ball park figure for replacing an existing ptw deck with IPE. The existing deck is 15.6 feet wide by 13.6 feet long. There are no stairs or steps involved. Entrance to the deck is by the interior via a Pella double pane, wood sliding door. I am looking for IPE handrails with alumimum balusters. The IPE deck is to be secured with stainless trim screws. I just had the 6 by 6 inch supports replaced with new cement piers about two years ago and these may still be usable. The other end of the deck is supported by a ledger attached to the rear of a row home. The joists may need to be replaced as there are large checks in them and they will not hold a proper length screw. I was looking at composite's called Trex and another brand but I notice they scratch easily and do not want composites if thats what I can expect. What would be the lowest and highest price I might expect to pay for materials and installation including dismantling the old deck.

Sight unseen, I don't know!!

A deck is like a car -- you can spend about as much or as little for one as you want to, and it's always going to be more than you had in mind.

Call 3 or more local contractors and get quotes from them.

If you are planning DIY, then put together a material list and ask a local lumber yard to price it for you.

Either service is free.

I checked around yesterday and there are no lumberyards in the Philadelphia, Pa area that carry Ipe. The closest distributor to me is in New York. I don't see any contractors in the Philadelphia area that list their experience working with this type of decking. On another forum, I was getting prices prices of $16,200. It appears contractors are adding a high markup on the materials. I am not too fond of any markup for materials unless the contractor is also a distributor who stocks the material. Then the markup is justified as long as it is in line with the competitor distributors.
I would certainly like to examine this expensive hardwood decking before purchase also. So getting the materials and finding a contractor to install for a reasonable price may be difficult especially when I supply the materials.

There are enough contractors in my area that have plenty of experience installing composites but I noticed that they scratch easily just using your fingernail. I don't believe I would be happy down the line with this material. However, there is a new type composite called Trex Brasilia which the manufacturer states contains plastic and hardwoods and no soft woods and I am going to see If can get a sample of it.
The Trex decking and another type of decking is what is being pushed in my area. I believe the Trex comes in 4 differant styles and the Brasilia is the only one with hardwood content, I think.

From what I see on the internet, there are complaints about composites and If I can get a short length of it to lay on my deck during the Fall and Winter season, I want to see if these complaints are justified, especially if cleaning, spot removal or mold removal gets to be a major chore outside of normal expected maintenance. Thanks for your reply.

Addedum:

I check the Trex website about their Brazilia composit and they call it a tropical hardwood in one part of their literature and in another part, they say it has the look of tropical hardwood. So I sent an email for clearification.

rjordan392,

Let me make sure I've got this right.

Your deck is about 210 sq. ft. and you want Ipe. That's roughly 500 linear feet. To the best of my knowledge, Ipe doesn't have a railing system. So an Ipe railing system is going to have to be custom built.

You're in Philly. The closest Ipe to you is in NY. (I'm on the left coast, so I'm GUESSING that's something like 600 to 800 miles?) Regardless of exactly how many miles it is, you are looking at freight, when diesel is about $3.00/gal. Freight simply ISN'T gonna be free!!

You want a Cadillac or Porsche or Lexus deck, you simply ARE NOT going to get it for a Ford or Chevy price!!

I am leaning towards the Trex as it is more readily available locally. So Ipe is now out. I need to find out whether I can attach 2 by 4's (Ptw) to the joists to use as a screw down surface for the deck boards. The top side of the joists are badly checked and will not hold a screw for long. But the sides and bottom are in good shape. Do you know if this is an acceptable procedure to pass code.

rjordan392,

If the joists are so rotten that they won't hold a screw, REPLACE THE JOISTS!! If they won't hold a screw, they are too rotten to hold any weight either. Scabbing a 2x4 on top of them just isn't going to work. (If they won't hold a screw for the deck board, how are they going to hold the screw to keep the 2X4 in place??

You started out talking about going with Ipe. Then you have switched over to Trex Brazilia. Either way, you are talking well over $1500 for just the deck boards. And you are thinking of putting this on top of a ROTTEN FRAME???

The frame is not rotten, its just old but still has a life of 10 more years. I was not speaking of placing a 2 by 4 on top of the joist but along side of it. But that idea is now out as I have been advised by another forum that I should really have the deck torn down and get the framing replaced. The code has been changed and now larger joists are required and three beams sandwiched together on a 6 By 6 inch support. A neighbors deck just completed was built this way. For three beams, I would think an 8 by 8 would be required. But I don't see these in the home centers. Then theres the matter of possibly losing my parking space under my deck if the code is followed in building a new frame. Sorry for any trouble you went to. I just did not want to believe its time for new framing. Maybe I can work something out with a contractor and have him just put a new frame up and I would do the decking and railing.