It is Minnesota; there is no way to avoid shoveling.

Sure there is. You just go somewhere else for the winter! ;)

LOL! That is always an option!

Classic rambler. I’d do an extension and step down so you can get the deck to the corner. I’d do composite. I have both. Ipe needs to be sanded and restained periodically. I’m in CA so don’t shovel snow, but do you really want to spend your beautiful weather days enjoying your deck or maintaining it? Me either.

We are thinking of letting the deck age naturally. Is that what you are doing, stryker?

What kind of composite would you suggest, Heather?

I'm a little bothered by the fact that your proposed deck makes your house "left heavy." I would consider building out to the right. The deck as you've drawn it.

Thanks for the mock-ups, Grover. It probably does look better to have a longer, more centered narrow deck, but I don't want to darken the downstairs or to see it any more than necessary from the living room. No one really sees the view from the photo, anyway, since we back up to a wooded buffer zone.

Grover is onto something. If you could plan to connect the deck, with a lower level landing that turns and leads to the patio area below, between the existing arborvitaes...that would draw the eye out into the yard, and look less one-sided. A tall element, like a snazzy umbrella on the patio table, would also draw the eye to that side.

juliab51...may I ask what did you use to do your proposed deck rendering?

kjoy - The rendering was done by a designer, so I don't know.

rred - Those are great looking decks. I'm actually not too concerned about how it is going to look from the yard, which is very private. How it lives and looks from inside the house is a bigger concern. I hate to lose the view of the perennial border just to look at a table and grill and an expanse of wood.

Yes, I'm letting the ipe turn gray.

You are right about the effect of the deck darkening the downstairs and how it will change the view from the inside. Of course, the bigger the deck, the bigger the cost, especially with ipe. Build only as much as you really want and will use. Do you have enough space for a grill and seating and everything?

It looks as if we have room for everything, though I'm not sure how the stairs will work with the slope of the yard. And, people seem to have strong feelings about letting ipe weather. Could you show me what your gray wood looks like, stryker?

I wouldn’t let Ipe age naturally. You’ll end up replacing the deck pretty quickly. Ipe is harder than the redwood decks I have, but all of them require maintenance. For the record, I have way too many and much sq ft of decking. It’s in the thousands of sq ft. I don’t live in an area with harsh winters like MN, but I would strongly recommend composite. There are a bunch of different types. You may want to buy a sample and see how hot it gets in the sun, etc. to find one you like. We’re all about redwood decking here, but everyone’s switching to composite due to the maintenance and replacement schedule.

Heather, why do you say untreated ipe would need to be replaced quickly? It is my understanding that cities use it for boardwalks and that it lasts decades.

Here you go.

I'm not sure what sort of maintenance you recommend, Heather. They call this Iron Wood. You can't hammer a nail into it and it won't burn. The holes have to be drilled. The rest of the house will fall apart before the deck will.

The ipe deck at the old house was put in in 2002. I moved in 2015 and it was solid as ever. The treated cedar railing was falling apart, though.

I have an Ipe deck. Not impressed. It’s rough, still requires sanding (even if you don’t stain or paint it) and it’s expensive. I’m not saying it’s not solid - I have 30 year old redwood decks that are solid. Wood decks need maintenance- more so in harsh climates. I personally like my composite deck much more, but then again all I have to do is hose it off.

It is expensive. No question about that. Probably less than replacing deck materials every few years, though.

It puzzles me that your deck is rough. Where do you live and how bad is your weather?

I’ve seen Ipe wood decks fail - in Brazil. They don’t last any longer than a well-maintained redwood deck. The previous owners replaced the front porch deck with Ipe because they thought it was premium. They used the cheaper composite off the kitchen. The composite deck doesn’t get hot enough to burn your feet in the summer and just requires hosing off. My Ipe wood deck this year needs sanding and re-staining. Weathered Gray isn’t a good look for a front porch..... but that’s just me. It’s a great wood product, very expensive - I just don’t feel it’s worth the money over composite options (I realize not all composite materials may be great products, but I’m not an expert). My Ipe deck will last like all my other decks - and I have way too many decks.

I'm somewhat adverse to composite because my sister and BIL had to replace two Trex decks due to the material failing and also had mold or mildew spots. They received some compensation from the company but it cost them a fortune. Also, I prefer the idea of wood over plastic and rather like the weathered gray color, especially with my charcoal colored house.

Thanks for the visual, Beverly.

It came out beautiful! I’m saving this picture as I want to update our 30 year old decks. I love the railings.

Wow, that's a beautiful deck! I'm very familiar with Ipe (ee-pay) having spent time in South America. Maintaining the current color will require some work but, Ipe is as close as you're going to get to a "forever" product.

Wow! That looks great. Really transformed the house. Goes perfect with your home.

I am about to get my old deck replanked with Timbertech composite and am really scared about the issues you mentioned above. The IPE does require some maintenance from what I read and unfortunately I don't want to deal with it.

Congrats on a beautiful space.

ETA: Did you change the window to a slider? I am thinking of doing something similar as well.

I will say one thing: for Minnesota make 100% sure the deck builder flashes the top of the structural members. It is not required by code, and you don't see it much outside of high end installations, but every single deck in your climate should be done this way IMO. The flashing will add about $100 in materials and maybe 30 mins of installation time. Even with treated lumber it will insure that even if your decking wears out, the structural integrity of the deck will last significantly longer. There is really no financial reason for deck builders to not be doing this.

Very nice, indeed.

That is absolutely STUNNING! Saving this one! ;)

The deck and the landscaping turned out so beautiful - great job!

Very nice!

While I love the color of the ipe now, I think it also will look nice when it ages gray and blends in with the stones.

Thank you for posting these photos. It’s gorgeous! Saved for our future deck/backyard project.

@Super Lumen, I can't see the structural member flashing. Can you please explain a little? I am about to re-do my deck and want to make sure all is the best it can be. Thanks.

Thanks for all the positive comments. We did replace the window with a slider and are loving the easy access we now have to the outside. Our plan is to let the wood age naturally. It has already faded a lot since it went in in late June.

Wow. Fantastic choices. I have a mahogany deck and wish we had let it age naturally. Penetrating stain needs to be refreshed annually to look good and letting it go after years of staining it is a patchy labor of love

Julia, when you put the slider was there any residual affect to your inside floors? If I do something similar, I am hoping there is no problem with existing hardwood as I am not ready to sand or re-screen. I will most likely put the deck in first as we don't have the money quite yet for the slider. The installer said there should be no damage to my deck but I forgot to ask about inside issues.

I think the painting the surrounding trim around the windows black helped tie it all together.

Before the deck and new slider, how did you get from the kitchen to outside when grilling, etc.?

Aurora, we had no problems whatsoever with the door installation. The contractors protected the hardwood during installation and placed a threshold that covers the gap where the wood meets the door. Our sixty year old floor has some marks where a carpet tack strip used to be, but it all looks pretty good, I think, and makes getting outdoors so easy compared to before. We used to have to go down a flight of stairs and through the family room to get to the grill and backyard, and had such an awkward little patio that we never ate or entertained outside.

You need 10' min overhead wire clearance if the surface bellow used for walking.

Yes, we had to bury our lines.

Heather: you say the composite DOES NOT get hot? I've heard if does get hot, that's why I'm reluctant to use it. I have 2 dogs with sensitive paws. Is IPE hot in summer?

Yes, the IPE gets hot - just like any wood does. The composites - it depends. The stuff that looks more like plastic definitely gets hot, just like wood. The stuff that looks like refined particle board doesn’t get hot enough to burn feet. I’m not that familiar with all the engineered decking available, but I suggest you go down to the lumber yard and get samples. The lighter the color, the ‘cooler’ as well.

Ipe gets very hot. I love it, but that is a drawback. Walking on it barefooted in the summer hurts. Maybe it stores up heat because of its density?

@juliab51 beautiful deck! Do you know what railing kit you used? I want something with a similar look. Thanks!!!

Molly, the railing was custom made by a local fabricator.

smakcanada, I just saw your comment. We haven't noticed an issue with the ipe being too hot. I don't go barefoot very often, but our elderly little dog doesn't seem bothered by it. and will stand and lie on the deck in the middle of the day.