Spring National Home Show 2009

We've been busy creating a display in the Spring National Home Show's "Dream Gardens".

It turned out well.

Most of our local builders participated and some have more than 50 hours invested so thanks for the tremendous effort guys.

Connie Cadotte was a pleasure to work with--She kept everything together. Gelderman Landscaping's landscape crews were helpful and efficient. Thank you all.

If you are a customer looking for ideas visit us at the spring national home show is on until Mar 1-09. If you want to meet with a designer give us a call at 888 293 8938 and we will let you know when to visit to meet with the right people.

If you need directions to the show click the banner link on the left to get to their site.

If you are a builder looking to join us, please get in touch. There are still a few areas open in Ontario.

L

Lifestyle Ads

Here's the puzzle of the day:

What do you think these folks are selling using this photo?

Being Rich, White and happy with perfect teeth?

Their investments are paying off well enough that they can sit on this deck being shiny and happy all day long without a care in the world?

Doubt it.

Look at that grimy deck--betcha that's where the barbecue was--before the photo shoot I mean.

It is an ad for the largest deck and lighting company in the United States.

If you sell decks, but you don't build the most beautiful decks, then show happy smiling people. Who is smarter... them with their happy perfect people or the folks putting so much effort into design.

Time will tell.

L

Plagiarism

Plagiarism–noun

1. The unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.
2. Something used and represented in this manner.

Thanks to dictionary.com for the definition.

The next word should be Infuriation--

I had to strip numerous pages of photos since someone that signed up with me, (that had good referances btw).

If you didn't design things you have photos of you can't claim to be the designer.

If you didn't build something you can't claim that you did.

If you are not a landscape Architect, or you don't have the right to call yourself a landscape Architect, or a Certified Landscape Designer, or Master Builder...

Don't misrepresent your credentials.

I don't claim to have an MBA from Harvard Law, (not that it is as much of a positive these days), but if I did have one, I'd be furious if someone that didn't claimed they did.

Anyhow, I just got off the phone with yet another deck company website displaying photos from our website, renamed and loaded into their site as their own project. That's what google image search is for... they are easy to find.

I am tempted to keep going on this bent and do a nice rant post about deck builders manipulating web rankings, and the same one manipulating their web counter, (listing page views as visits), and automatically giving themselves extra hits so that they can claim 4 million hits per year and sell advertisers their wonderful manipulated traffic--but I will save that for another day. I am so tired of waiting for Google to create an algo to subvert these cheats.

It has been very difficult to keep all the posts positive so lets end this dry, boring negative burst of posts with this one.

L

Trex Class Action Lawsuit 2009

Trex - Latest Class Action Lawsuit Jan 13-08
Trex Lawsuit info here
Trex Suit Information
Trex-Complaint-Filing-Jan 2009 

I have just scanned through 26 pages of very interesting information about the Trex Warranty and Marketing Materials. Really not much in it that we haven’t covered, but it is interesting that this group of lawyers doesn’t think their warranty is fair and equitable either. The suit intimates that they word their warranty in a way that people just won’t bother to fight or ask for what should be offered as remedy when your maintenance free decking falls apart or gets covered with black mold.

It basically tells the story of a home owner that bought a Trex Deck through a Contractor and when the decking fell apart and Trex tried to offer replacement Trex only, no disposal, no labor to replace… but instead demanded the home owner sign a release before getting anything from Trex.

They are looking for other people thus mistreated. Actually, Anyone that had issues with the Trex they purchased. Especially having to do with mold or anything else excluded from their warranty.

This includes anyone that had to replace his or her Trex deck if it was initially installed in 2004 or later.
(Earlier installations were covered by the previous law suit).

Now, this is early 2009, and I really want to keep this blog positive. It pains me to touch on a subject like this at the best of times, but in this case it is an ongoing wrong that just needs correcting. Trex should have corrected its issues and offering a real warranty long ago.

This Suit has not been Confirmed by a Judge yet, please get in touch with the law firm here for more information.
http://www.hbsslaw.com/

update: Trex Responds in the Press Here

They discount the suit verbally.

L

Eon Warranty Information

If you bought Eon Decking or Fencing you have no warranty. The company is in receivership.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2009/07/c5871.html




In Ontario Brite, Xtendex, CPI Plastics ( Eon ) have all folded recently. The composite decking industry seems to have some issues of late.
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The possibility of composite companies going under and not being there to honor these long term warrantee promises has to be considered when purchasing or building a composite deck.
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I'd love to say they will be missed--however it just wasn't a good composite product and we simply refused to carry it. I'll leave you with this photo of an Eon Deck built by a client, (yes, I was there to plan the replacement with real decking).


More info about our history with Eon and CPI plastics:

http://decks-fences.blogspot.com/2007/02/false-advertising-by-eon-cpi-plastics.html

L

Woodwork Art

What is Woodwork Art?

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Is it doing something different for the sake of creating something different? Is it about being a trailblazer? Is aWoodwork Artist someone that creates out of a need to feel superior?

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I’ve pitched all kinds of things and the most important thing is that it suits the client's tastes, and desires, and blends with THEIR HOME.

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Some of these "Artistes", forget who they are working for. The client.

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Some of these were decks in the quarter million range, upscale garden sheds and angel wing gates to allow foot traffic only. Some of these jobs happened, however some did not. At that time I didn't understand that shooting at an invisible budget is a wasted effort.

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When someone says we want to make a statement and we would like to commission you to create a $250,000 pergola, that gives you free reign and a budget to work within.
.Sometimes, in order to progress an artist needs to tone down their work and take baby steps towards their end goal of being able to compose what they really want to do—and get paid well in the process.

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When a client gives you "Artistic License", that means they love what you do and they trust in your judgement. That is instruction to design what you think will be best.

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A while back a Contractor-"Artiste", told me that he was absolutely sure that he was far superior an artist than I. I guess you know you are good when you can accept a comment like that and smile—thinking back to the days when you thought the same way.

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His severe criticisms rolled off my back, however I could not critique his work because I knew he could never accept it. It was his personal Achilles heel.

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Phrases like “Form Following Function”, “Proportions being nearly Impossible to teach”, “Balance being Important”, and “Wishy-washy detailing being unacceptable” all contain seeds of what every designer, architect and artist must heed to achieve critical success.
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Critical Success is when your peers look at what you do and see virtue in it.
If you want to know what makes GardenStructure.com the leaders in outdoor woodwork—it is Art.
.We have put in the 2 decades necessary to truly create "Our Own Brand" of Woodwork.
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We don't get our ideas from magazines like some of our competitors do.
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We don't just make it bigger, or use the newest untested materials, or the most expensive wood to make what we do special.
.We use our own techniques that we developed over many years that make it last longer and age more gracefully coupled with information gleened from projects studied from the ancient world.
.We share these advanced techniques with Craftsmen in our Builder Group.

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L

Happy 2009 Everyone!

2009 will be a better year for people in the Woodworking Trades.
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We saw our first annual decrease in traffic (less than 10% decrease year over year). By our analysis it looks like most of our competitors were down nearly 50% for the year.
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Prices of homes have dropped nearly 40% in the US, 10% in Canada, many homes are in dire need of repair--(banks make terrible property management companies), and values are now near the bottom. Stimulous will be coming through mid spring and infrastructure projects will be putting millions back to work.
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People will soon realize that the stock market is not likely to recover for many years to come. Double digit returns will not come from the equity markets. Even Kramer is counting down the hundred or so days that he expects the housing market to recover.
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House flipping will once again be possible and profitable. Adding inspired details like our pergolas, fences, decks or trelliswork will add value to the investment and increase the flippers profit and the speed at which the houses sell.
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Repairs put off on forclosed homes will have to be done by the new owners which means less competition for our more decorative type of woodwork.
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The glut of decorative woodwork and projects planned but never initiated will start to come back into focus.
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Here's an exerpt of an email from yesterday to our Tampa Location.
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"I don't know if you remember us or not but you came out to our house a year ago and we talked to you about building a pergola. We put our project on hold because we ended up going to China and adopting a little girl. We are ready to get it going again and wondered if you would be interested in coming back out and seeing if it would be something you would be interested in doing."
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I personally designed about 1.5 million in the Toronto area last summer that just didn't happen because of jitters due to the stock market.
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Fund Manager connections imparted that they are still sitting on cash--they estimate TRILLIONS of dollars on the sidelines waiting for something to invest in.
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Nobody knows exactly what will happen precisely in the new year, but what we do know is that the event has happened. The North American Economy is in the depths of recession.
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A new President taking power in a couple of weeks time with fresh ideas and optomism, and New Leadership on the horizon here in Canada, it looks to be positive from here.
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Empires have been built in tumultuous times like these.
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You can react in two different ways. Curl up in a ball and weap--or Pick Yourself Up and Start Looking for Opportunities.
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Personally, I am in an upbeat mood. For the first time in about 4 years we will be participating in the Spring National Home Show (Normally We Don't have Time), and we have been able to arrange joint marketing with much larger companies that will put our builders in a much stronger position starting this spring.
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Watch for many other changes, new products and new builder profiles in the coming weeks.
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We Wish You and your Families All The Best for 2009.
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L

Decks, Builders in Toronto - When do we quit for the season?

Our Builders of Decks and Fences in the Toronto area will likely be outside until some time in January.

Terry Grosjean (photo above), our builder in the Oshawa Whitby area is putting in footings for a 350 square foot deck today. He is drilling the holes, setting the sonotubes while it is near zero this afternoon, then insulating the sonotubes and putting down straw as insulation. So long as the concrete doesn't freeze in the first day or two, the footings will be good to go next week.

Most people don't realize that 3-4' down the ground is warmer. The liquid concrete draws heat from there as it sets, and also generates a little heat of it's own during the curing process--a chemical reaction.

They are busy putting footings in so that they can keep going for a while yet. So long as the ground is fairly warm we can plan footings for decks and fences.

Normally we can set footings for decks and fences in the Toronto, Barrie, Whitby and Niagara areas until about December 15.

Sub-Contractor to Contractor

Making the leap from Sub-Contractor to Contractor

The major difference between Sub-Contractors and Contractors or Builders is that Sub-Contractors work for Contractors only, and Contractors sell their services and sub-trades work to Builders, Architects, Companies and Private Clients.

Carpentry sub-contractors are often talented specialists. It is all about efficiency. They are builders that specialize in Stairs, Handrails, Framing, Trim, Windows and Doors, Flooring, Decks, Fences etc.

They manage to source help and since they specialize in one trade rather than many, they devise ways to get more accomplished than any general woodworker or carpenter could in a given time.

Sub-contractors often lack knowledge of how to price the entire job, how to sell, how to organize the different activities involved the whole job. In my general experience, any good sub-contractor possesses the ability to learn these tasks. If you can be good at one trade… chances are that you can be good at a few trades given the chance.

A Builder or Contractor needs to know about Marketing. What works, what doesn’t.

They need to learn how to sell to private clients. You can read a few books on the subject, we give our builders a sales and marketing guide. Sales is more about mood and attitude and doing what we know we should than anything else.

In this economy you need every tool and advantage you can get to survive.

A successful Contractor needs to have consistent leads. It used to be that you could just pay the yellow pages to get leads. You didn’t have to do the best looking work in town if you could afford a good ad. With the onslaught of Google those days are gone.

To dominate the web you need to do the most beautiful work in town, and you need to use techniques that last longer and you need to treat every single customer like gold. The internet has ways for unhappy clients to exact their pound of flesh from your future sales if they feel maligned.

When you are ready to become a successful Deck, Fence and Pergola Builder click here for information about our Deck Builder Group and then get in touch with Lawrence Winterburn at 888 293 8938

What is a Sub-Contractor

What is a Sub-Contractor?

Carpentry Sub-Contractors are dependant upon others for their livelihood, and they are often not in a strong position to set their own pricing. They get the “Going Rate” for whatever their specialty is. Often akin to slave labor, as prices tighten up, so does their pay.

Woodwork and other types of Companies have been trending towards sub-contractors and contract positions to avoid offering benefits and the need to take deductions and remit them to the government. It allows them to offload many expenses like pension, benefits, unemployment, compensation etc.

They force the sub-contractor to get a compensation and legal clearance certificate prior to starting the job.

It is a fuzzy line to pinpoint the difference, but one thing for certain--being your average woodwork sub-contractor is not an enviable position to be in presently.

Governments have created new definitions that generally state that a sub-contractor that only works for one contractor or client is an employee.

Lets say that you have had a sub-contractor working pretty steadily for 3 years, but you really didn’t sign any contracts for each job. The sub-contractor just invoiced hourly, rather than spelling out any jobs and amount to be billed ahead of time. The sub-contractor didn’t actually work for any other contractors whether you knew it or not.

That sub-contractor is actually an employee in the eyes of the government.

They will hand you a bill for all the deductions and compensation that should have been paid on that employee.

GardenStructure.com doesn’t deal with sub-contractors and hasn’t for quite a few years.

We believe that a builder that has his name on the contract, his share of the profit and the pride of producing a work of art will always take more care and produce a better product than a sub-contract worker will.

Our builders on the whole get more referrals and produce more magazine quality work than any of our competitors do crew vs. crew.

We are presently gearing up for spring and do have areas available.

Click here for info about our Deck and Pergola Builders Group then get in touch with Lawrence Winterburn for more details at 888 293 8938.

Should I use Paint or Stain on my Deck or Pergola?

Most Experts oversimplify the stain process.

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The Western Red Cedar Association shows a chart in their finishing guide telling you to expect 10 years of durability on properly applied paint—what they don’t mention is that should be expected on a wall of a house. Vertical walls are a little different than a pergola or deck.

I rarely see mention of kiln drying, or back priming, or end cut sealing or pre-finishing.

When wood absorbs water it swells. Swelling causes cracks to appear in the stain or paint and leads to premature failure. The majority of moisture is absorbed from the end grains. Applying stain or paint on a deck after construction is a “maintenance nightmare in the making”.

NEVER use Paint on a Deck or Pergola.

ALWAYS pre-finish the materials all 6 sides with a high quality exterior stain before assembling.

ALWAYS seal the end grains during construction.

Our Guide to Exterior stain walks you through the process of applying stain to decks and pergolas for years of durability. There are many pitfalls, like trying to finish wet wood, mill glaze and applying stain in direct sun which could make your stain fail within weeks. See our Guide to Exterior Stain document below for comprehensive answers.

L

Our Guide to Exterior Stain Application, http://www.gardenstructure.com/exterior_stain_wood.html

WRCLA Finishing Guide for Cedar
http://www.wrcla.org/pdf/WRCLA_Guide_to_Finishing.pdf

Web Sites for Deck Builders - Traffic Down

Websites bring us plenty of traffic. This graph is compliments of compete.com. It is a great tool for checking on your competitors on line. I would expect it to offer a comparative snapshot... but we know it isn't perfectly accurate. (We get Much More Traffic than they indicate).

Figure out how accurate it is for your site... and those numbers will give you a fairly good guess at how your competitors are faring.

Archadeck is down 45% this year, which is understandable since they are in the US primarily. Most of their business comes from direct advertising anyhow.

Hickory Dickory Decks seems to be down 70% year over year. Maybe that's just karma for using our design work in their "Dream Deck Contest" two years in a row.

And GardenStructure.com (Our Main Site) is actually down 5% this year over last. I would call that a "Not Bad". 10 times the traffic Hickory Dickory Decks gets, and twice the traffic that Archadeck gets if you work with Compete.com's numbers.

It just means that our builders haven't seen much of a change in the number of leads they are getting even in this economy. I can say that I have a much larger pile of resumes on my desk though.

The economy affects nearly every business. When you are selling things as discretionary as Decks, Fences and Pergolas you had better be doing plenty of high value marketing--and setting yourself apart from the crowd.

We believe our Builder Group is the smartest move for a forward thinking Deck Company.

New products like under pergola canopies and new designs for fences and pergolas coming down the pipe will help us dominate all over North America.

Our Plan products are now sold at Lee Valley Tools and select "Castle Building Centers".

We have a few new builders in our group this year-- Stay tuned to see some of their fine work!

L

Trends in The Deck Business 2008-2009

Deck Business Trends 2008 - 2009

2006’s Trend of using IPE for decks has crashed for the main reasons of quality and price. It doesn’t arrive kiln dried so it tends to crack and twist badly as it dries. We’ve seen some poor quality product retailed locally and it is extremely difficult to work with.

Apparently Ipe is on the list of endangered species so we have ceased using it at all.

Lighted post caps are a trend, however built in low voltage lighting seems to be a permanent part of the deck business.

When it comes to materials, Tigerdeck is the king of 2008. It is sustainably harvested from more than 40 countries and comes kiln dried with a warranty—yes, it is a hardwood and is expected to last 30 years on a typical platform.

There's a new product going by Envirowood "Heat Treated Lumber". Last time it was marketed as "SilvaWood". It is not new. They believe that by superheating pine lumber they can make it last longer out of doors. The heat treating makes it uninteresting to insects--however the glue that prevents moisture from penetrating (sap), gets burned up in the process. In effect you can successfully turn Jack Pine or Southern Yellow Pine into Poplar... which lasts only a year or two outside.

Composites are yesterday’s news in my opinion. Azek seems to be the best of the group, it used to be Pro-Cell before being bought by another company.

Brite closed it’s doors this spring due to cash flow problems, The Dexx plant burned down a couple of years back (they were making composite from recycled gas tanks), Xtendex was closed permanently last year and the in stock product was sold for pennies on the dollar. We expect a few others will do likewise due to a shrinking market for composite and increased operating costs.

Trex has issues with products made at their Arizona plant deteriorating prematurely, so they have set aside many millions for warranty replacement. “Weatherbest”—also has a serious problem with structural failure. They are proactively trying to seek out the defective product before injuries occur, so kudos to them for being so responsible.

Nevertheless composites are NO LONGER seen as “The” premium product in the business due to aging in a chalky and simulated way. Putting plastic or vinyl outside leads to deterioration—and there is just no way around that fact.

Pre-finishing of wood decks is a major trend again this year. When we can pre-finish red cedar and have it age more gracefully than composites at a competitive price to premium composites… and then refinish in 5 years and make it new again, folks understand the advantage.

Curves and Brows are a trend that won’t go away. Organic looking, free flowing decks will never go out of style. The decks we are designing today look very different than 10 years ago.

Built in Garden Areas have always been popular. Outdoor kitchens need herb gardens—trelliswork screens need a place to root vines.

Pergolas for shade and privacy are becoming much more popular, and this year we have a new product that mounts within the pergola to create total shade and is fully retractable. Made of stainless steel and aluminum mechanicals with a 12 year warranty, they also offer a motorized version with a remote. Sunbrella fabric helps it age gracefully and resist fading. You can now shelter a 16 x 20 area from rain in a single retractable under pergola awning.

We have designed these into a few projects so far—and will have good photography soon. These canopies will be very popular.

It is a challenging economy in many places--generally large cities and all of Canada are doing well--smaller communities in the US are generally having a time of it.

To get involved in GardenStructure.com call 888 293 8938

L

The Best Pergola Builder in Los Angeles

Gary Bouchard has been building, pergolas, decks and fences with us in Los Angeles For about 3 years now.

It is astounding to me how immune this area is to most economic turmoil. These folks are imaginative and know what they like--Perfect Clients.

This is Gary Bouchard's second career, he was a project manager for 30 years with a photography company previously. He always did woodwork as a hobby, and when he joined with us he started on smaller projects.

Gary likely turned away more work than any of our builders. I can remember hearing about 2800 sf decks in Hollywood Hills stars glistening in my eyes... He said candidly it was just too big for him to deal with at that point. He could easily deal with work like that today, however that is the genius of Gary Bouchard. He doesn't take on more than he can chew. He knows how to say no--and gets enough leads that he can afford to.

In the days where contractors are constantly late finishing, disappearing for weeks at a time and not returning phone calls--Gary's methods are refreshing.

In 3 years I have not heard so much as the hint of a complaint from clients--and with work like this, I don't imagine I ever will. Thank you Gary Bouchard for representing GardenStructure.com so well in Los Angeles - Beverly Hills - Glendale.

GREAT looking work Gary!

L

Cornwall Deck Party

The Upscale Decking Group, Our Clients and all the guests were very impressed. All told nearly 100 people dropped in for wine and cheese in Cornwall to see Darren Smith's Dream Deck.

A good time was had by all, it was a successful event and on my part it was good to see everyone again.

By the sounds of it Darren will be working on more interesting projects that will have me driving down the highway 6 hours very soon.

Thanks for hosting this great event Darren--

L

Wine and Cheese in Cornwall

You are Invited for Wine and Cheese in Cornwall.





Darren Smith is hosting a gathering in South Lancaster from 12-7pm on Friday Aug 8 - 08 (rain date, Saturday Aug 9- 08).



Le Domain is off Hwy #2, look for the signs.



You can RSVP with Darren Smith at 613-551-4259



This is a very large deck that features built in hot tub, privacy screen, curved section featuring tempered glass rails as well as a sun room addition. The project was designed by "Yours Truly--Lawrence Winterburn", and it is a showpiece that Darren Smith and the crew at "Upscale Decking" is very proud of also.








If you live near Cornwall and you are thinking about having a deck built or you are involved in the building trades and may have projects that are a fit for Upscale Decking's considerable talents--please make arrangements to attend.



I will be attending also--



Here is a map



">Le Domaine Rd, South Glengarry, ON, CanadaLink:



L

Watching the Competitors Build a Deck

I do love the internet.

With the click of a mouse I can watch a deck get built in real time by the competition. Trying to imagine why a 600 sf deck will take 3 weeks, but it certainly has me on the edge of my seat!

Here's the blog link to indulge with me.

L

Trex Warranty

A closer look at the Trex ® Warranty

25-Year Limited Residential Warranty
25-Year Limited Residential Warranty Details (pdf, 24K)

If a defect occurs within the warranty period, Purchaser shall notify Trex in writing and, upon confirmation by an authorized Trex representative of the defect, Trex’s sole responsibility shall be, at its option, to either replace the defective item or refund the portion of the purchase price paid by Purchaser for such defective item (not including the cost of its initial installation).

"They Intimate--that they (may either replace or refund purchase price of only the portion found to be defective) --obviously this entire article, with exception of quotations is simply opinion--L

Trex shall not be responsible for costs and expenses incurred with respect to the removal of defective Trex products or the installation of replacement materials, including but not limited to labor and freight.
"They will not pay to dispose of the defective product, shipping to return the product or installation costs to replace the defective product or any other associated costs, (that is what (but not limited to labor....))"
Here is where it gets interesting and where I will try to help you cut through to what will or will not be covered if you happen to have a legitimate warranty claim.
Here is a partial list of what you or your contractor could do wrong that would negate any implied warranty.
1) improper installation of Trex products and/or failure to abide by Trex’s installation guidelines (48 page, 23 meg on-line document)

• All colored chalk lines are permanent except white.


• Trex Company does not recommend sanding. Sanding will change the appearance of the surface of Trex ® material and will void the warranty.


• Check your local building codes for restrictions. Trex ® cannot be used for structural applications. (page 12 paragraph 1)


• Spacing of edges and end grain butt joints must be present to the specified sizes.
• They don't spell it out, they assume you know what 100lbs/sf of strength means... it means that a 100lb man with size 12' will be supported by the decking on 16" centers... Better space joists minimum 12" and 8" if diagonal for a solid feeling deck. There is a chart on page 14.


• Stairs need support every 9" for some products--12" for others.


• Trex Escapes decking should be cleaned at least twice per year (Spring and Fall). It is important to keep the deck clean of dirt and debris. Any debris that sits on the surface can be a potential food source for mold and mildew.
• ...never use a metal snow shovel on a Trex deck. A shovel may scratch the deck, which is not covered under warranty.


• Trex Company does not recommend the use of a pressure washer. The use of a pressure washer with a greater than 1,500 PSI and/or applied closer than 12" from the deck surface could damage the decking surface and result in a loss of warranty coverage.

Mold Technical Bulletin (excerpts)
...Due to mold’s adaptability and large number of species, it is very hard to control and impossible to totally eliminate. Mold will not affect the structural performance of Trex decking.

...Mold spreads easily and may return in some environments despite proper cleaning and preventative measures. Mold does not damage Trex and will cause no harm if allowed to propagate. In some cases it will require several treatments with the deck wash to completely remove all mold colonies. Even if the spots are no longer visible, there may still be mold spores on the surface that could regrow.

(commentary)

This said, Trex is made of pulp lumber (byproduct of the pulp and paper industry, bark and sap wood from deciduous trees known to be high in sugar content (sugars are food for mold). As well the plastic part of Trex is recycled also, much of it pop bottles, again, high in sugar content. Pulp lumber exposed to the environment will begin to decompose quickly.

They negate any implied warranty for;

(2) Use of Trex products beyond normal residential use, or in an application not recommended by Trex’s guidelines and local building codes;In my view, when they don't want you to use in commercial applications the product has wear related issues.

(3) movement, distortion, collapse or settling of the ground or the supporting structure on which Trex products are installed;

Standard...

(4) any act of God (such as flooding, hurricane, earthquake, lightning, etc.), environmental condition (such as air pollution, mold, mildew, etc.), staining from foreign substances (such as dirt, grease, oil, etc.), or normal weathering (defined as exposure to sunlight, weather and atmosphere which will cause any colored surface to gradually fade, flake, chalk, or accumulate dirt or stains);

I find it laughable that they include mold in the "Act of God" category--but, there it is. They quickly lump stains and fading into this "Act of God category as well. Keep in mind that they had issues with flaking last year and they have set aside many millions of dollars for compensation of homeowners after closing the plant in Arizona.

(5) variations or changes in color of Trex products;

Every batch is a slightly different color--no big deal really.

(6) improper handling, storage, abuse or neglect of Trex products by Purchaser, the transferee or third parties; or leaves left on for weeks, dirt on the decking... barbecue grease spillage--don't be abusive to your deck is the message... better still, don't use it.

(7) ordinary wear and tear. That is a difficult thing to define.

In summation-- many things most people expect to be covered by Trex Warranty--Simply is not.

Do your research.

Here is an interesting post at GardenWeb

Here are more composite decking posts

Here is a composite decking article dealing with many types of composite decking

L

L

Pergola Design 101, part 2;

GardenStructure.com Pergola Design Rules:

• More than 12' spans are expensive, use sparingly.
• Pergolas should have more than 4 posts whenever possible, 4 post pergolas always have that "Amateur Look".

If I get another amateur designer/homeowner ask for free plans for a 16' x 18’ pergola perched on 4 posts I am going to scream.

Not only is it a design faux pas, but it is just plain dangerous to run that close to the edge. First strong wind—first sign of rot—first tremor and your dream pergola with only 4 posts is likely to hit the ground. (If not designed properly)

What are they thinking?
A post stuck in the ground will never move?

A post perched upon a sonotube has infinite lateral strength?

Maybe that the footings are the difficult part of the job so they only want to do 4?
Or is it that they wouldn’t want anything to obstruct their wide open view. Why bother building a pergola if you don’t want to look at it. Does a pergola not frame the view?

Then again when you look at the pergolas typically built by deck contractors, with their 4 posts and their 2 stacks of sticks designs, I would prefer not to look at it either.

Go ahead—ask if we can give you plans for a 16 x18 pergola with only 4 support posts and try to cut me off before I explain why that is a really—really bad idea.





We can design a pergola that size with only 4 posts… the posts will be massive (and come at a premium), the footings are likely to be 2-3’ in width, (also at a premium), and the beam is likely to be more than 16” high, (heavy premium-and will obstruct some of your precious view).
If you are willing to shorten up the spans and use 8 or 12 posts rather than 4 it will be about ½ the price—and just my opinion, but I think it will add architectural intrigue to your home and frame the view rather nicely.

Here’s another article about the same subject: large span pergolas


L

Eon

Eon really isn't composite decking. It is plastic, and walking on it feels like walking on hollow plastic tubes. We've heard all kinds of complaints and I'm not going to rehash them. If you are thinking about purchasing a deck clad with Eon product go and walk on an Eon deck, and choose a cool day to do it.


On a cool day you will see the gaps between the boards that tell me instantly--this is Eon. One client referred to it as "Orgasmic"--it groans all day long while the sun moves across it.

This customer put down this decking a few years ago--before they had a proper installation guide. Boards have cracked and broken and the shrunken away from the joists to the point of collapse.

I am doing design work for these folks presently and the first project is putting proper decking on this substantial frame--and giving it a better looking rail. They will likely be putting down TigerDeck.

L