We have a bit of a complicated (disclaimer: I over complicate everything!) dock/deck that we are trying to build in order to keep the new kid from swimming before she's ready. I've been reading this forum and a few others for a while, and I figured it is time to throw our concept out to the masses for advice/ridicule.

First of all, the challenge we have is that we are on a smallish lot near Houston, TX with salt water on two sides.

We are trying to fence off the back yard and add some usable square footage that can be turned into an outdoor kitchen in the future.

From Deck Rev. 2

From Deck Rev. 2

The concept now is to clear out the bushy shrub and build a deck that hangs off the southern most portion of our lot, effectively squaring off the corner made by the shallow saltwater pond (~3 ft. in depth at high tide). See below:

From Deck Rev. 2

This will require at least three pilings and end up being approximately 20'x20' when completed. The one restriction I am aware of is that the local building department wants the finished height to be less than 16" for the deck. We will have a railing (ala scooter1975's) on the deck that ties into my neighbors wrought iron fence on the south side and transitions to another wrought iron fence that ties into my other neighbors pool fence on the north east side. The plot shown has north pointing downward.

Unfortunately, that's all we have finalized for the design so far. I'm going to talk to a bulkhead/piling contractor tomorrow to discuss the size of pilings and wood vs. concrete costs, so I hope to be able to make that decision quickly.

The other big decision we have to make is what decking material to use. I'd like to do the standard 5/4 X 6" ipe with pressure treated 2x8's 16OC for framing, but my concerns are:
1) The humidity and 16" max height on the non-water side might not allow for enough ventilation for the Ipe?
2) Also, stainless fasteners are a no brainer, but will the galvanized joist hangers hold up to the salt environment?
3) Any recommendations on size or material of the piers?

I'm really not a fan of the trex style decking, and I'd consider concrete/tile, but I'm concerned the piers are going to settle at a different rate than the other half of the deck so serious cracking/sloping would occur.

Any feedback or mocking comments are appreciated, and I will try and keep this updated as the project progresses.