While my clients’ home in the northern hills of Orange County, Calif., has outstanding—and expensive—views, their existing deck was dated and leaked like a sieve onto the patio below. Since they (and their pets) use the ground-level slider underneath the deck to access their pool and backyard, the homeowners did what they could to shield the doorway from the rain with a makeshift deck cover made of plywood and caulking
The original deck was dated, and had been jury-rigged with plywood over the decking to divert water away from the ground floor entrance beneath the deck.
But the old deck’s bigger problem was its ledger, which had been bolted to the house framing over the home’s three-coat stucco siding and caulked to the stucco instead of being properly flashed. Not only was this a bad idea structurally, it also created entry points for water to penetrate the stucco and get inside the framing. A permanent fix to all of these problems was needed on a home of such value.
The author cut through the stucco to create a channel so that the new ledger could be bolted to the framing.
We removed the old 2-by decking and deck framing, then cut through the stucco back to the rim joist before installing our new ledger. After bolting the ledger to the framing and installing proper flashing, we called in our plasterer, who patched the area around the new ledger using Rapid Set stucco mix. Fortunately, the home had recently been painted, making it easier for us to match the paint color after the plasterer got it close with his last color-coat of plaster.
To keep the area under the deck dry and useable, the new deck features a deck drainage system.
After re-framing the deck (the footprint of the new deck is close to that of the old one), we installed a Trex RainEscapes deck drainage system. Integrated with the ledger flashing, the waterproof membrane completely protects the ledger and deck framing and creates a perfectly dry area underneath the deck for both people and pets. Next, we installed Trex Transcend decking and a matching railing with low-maintenance aluminum balusters and low-voltage LED lighting. Then we finished the under-deck area with PVC trim and a nice ceiling.
The nearly-completed deck perfectly complements the nearby landscape.
When we were done, the new deck matched up perfectly with the existing spiral stairway, columns, and corbels.
