03-06-2003, 01:32 AM
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Patio & Deck Options & Costs?
(John Teller) babbled and bored us in
m:
Hello All,
We need to replace out 20 year old deck. We would like to have a
resonably priced, low maintenance deck or patio. We are stunned at
the number of alternatives. Ipe/Ironwood, Composite "wood" (sawdust
in a resin matrix), pavers, bricks, concrete, acid etched concrete,
stained concrete, dyed concrete, colored concrete layer on top of
plain concrete base, etc.
The bid on Ipe came in at $25/sq ft. That seemed expensive.
The bid for stained/stamped concrete came it at $18/sq ft. Also
higher than we expected.
Our deck is large (900 sq ft) with about 60 linear feet of railing.
Does anyone have any advice? Do these costs seem in line with
industry norms?
Any and all input greatly appreciated,
John
Composite wood is shit. It's top layer spalls and frays and comes apart like
old solid fiberglass and it looses it's color and turns grey.
Better ones are the solid planks made out of recyled plastic, solid color,
but expensive.
I myself would do one of two things;
1. Bricks. Since the bricks themselves can be had on sale for .25 each if
you wait or go get a business lisence and get the wholesale price, the rest
is labor. A crew of 4 meskins for one day can do the whole patio if you have
all the materials.
a. Have a dump truck bring you a lot of fine sand and gravel, rent a
vibrating machine to tamp it down hard, then have the meskins lay the bricks
and use one course of bricks standing upright as a permanent edge.
2. Poured solid color concete patio, stamped.
a. Or basic concrete with river rock spread on top, let it milk up and
wait 20 minutes, hose off the milk, set, then come back the next day and use
muritic acid and water to polish and clean the last of the concrete milk off.
The advantage of pouring concrete is that your imagination has no bounds on
forming and shaping walks, steps, bends, flower boxes, circles in the middle
to plant a large tree etc.
hth
mapi
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