How do we get the opportunity to build personalized decks for international executives at Proctor and Gamble? One word: Quality.
This gorgeous 20′ x 16′ custom deck made from treated wood features customized built-in bench seating and THE single highest-end railing system on the market (designed to withstand in excess of 400 pounds of pressure).
The first and third of the above photos are good visuals of the railing system and built-in bench seating, but it’s the middle picture of the flooring pattern that tells a unique story. If you take a look at the boards around the outside edges of the deck, as well as the middle boards running perpendicular to the house, you will see that they form a border around the deck. This is known in the industry as a “picture-frame”. In this case, a “double picture-frame” was used for a very specific reason.
You see, most contractors build a 20-ft deck by using 20-ft boards cut at both edges, or 10-ft boards on either side of a picture frame. They do this because it’s easier on them, and the lumber is cheaper. However, neither one is ideal and here’s why. With 20-ft boards cut at the edges and no picture frame, you can see all of those cut edges as you walk around the deck. Not a good look. They’re also more prone to splintering. Now the other option of 10-ft boards around a double picture-frame is a large improvement, but still NOT the best design possible. Lumber is prone to all kinds of variation in size, texture, quality, and grain patterns. By using separate 10-ft boards on either side, the floor pattern becomes prone to left-right imbalances that really take away from the look as a whole.
Okay, so here’s the kicker:
Now what would happen if you were to take 20-ft boards and cut them in half, placing each 10-ft section on either side of the picture frame? Perfection. Only this one unique approach allows you to hide every single one of the cut edges AND maintain perfect harmony between the left and right sides. Each side comes from the same board, so you are guaranteed to have the grain patterns and sizes line up perfectly. It’s a bit more work to do it this way (okay, it’s a LOT more work), but the increase in quality is DEFINITELY worth it.
Knowledge of small details like this (of which there are hundreds in even the smallest project) is what makes us the best in the business, and we’re not shy about it.
If you would like one of your own wood or composite personalized decks built to the McCann Standard of quality, make sure to call us at (513) 800-4144 to schedule a meeting with Patrick or John, our project managers in charge of decks. Or, you can click on the “CONTACT US” button in at the top of the page to send us a quick email about your project and have us call you.
P.S. – You can check out the rest of the photos from this project, or from our other personalized decks and projects, at Our Facebook Page.