Deck Replacement - Part 4

The railing installation was no fun. The posts were easy enough to bolt to the joist, and cutting the pre-drilled rails to size was no problem. Lining up 14 metal balusters in between the two rails was a major PITA. After getting the all the balusters squeezed into the bottom rail, I started from one end, clamping the top rail into place and then lining up the other balusters one by one until I worked my way all the way across. This is definitely not something to try at the end of a long day - wait until you are fresh before trying this as it will try your patience.

In any case, we are very happy with the end result.


Once the railing was in place, I moved on to the wrap-around stairs. I built out the bottom stair as a box of 2x8s and then added the smaller step on top. The front of bottom box is bolted to a short 4x4 that is anchored to the concrete patio. The previous steps rested directly on the concrete and gravel ground and were rotten on the bottom (no surprise). The back end of the box is bolted to the deck structure and is again off the ground.

These steps and deck should last for a long time.

I placed some scrap plywood and OSB onto the steps for a temporary step as I won't be able to finish them up for a couple of days.