We did our deck about 4 years go and went with TimberTech. It has held up very well. There are good earthy color options too. Worth looking into.

Here is a photo.

Here’s a couple other of ideas:

Thank you everyone, Well done!

To answer some of your very appropriate questions, Dana, yes, the deck is rotting (we've fixed and restained it and protected it several times) and the railings are warping. It's not safe and the upkeep has to be too often now.

The house is sided. I can't imagine that we'll ever change it.

Yes,there are muntins on the window on the top left. I didn't consider that when we've been thinkng about windows. We'd really hope that the windows wouldn't have them and that they'd be larger . Or at least a large one in the middle and a smaller one on each side if that works best. The contractor will put support beams inside the wall between each window,

My choice for railings would be white PVC but my husband isn't fond of that idea so that's fine. Although I wouldn't mind seeing a mock-up of that. I don't care for black raililngs, etc. I think that the black phase will die out before too long.

Dani and Emily, your AI skills are great. I've not tried to learn but will do so. RedRyder, thank you for the suggestion of TimberTech; I'm sure it's a lot more cost-effective!

Again, I appreciate everyone's input.

Check with local jurisdiction(s) to see what regulations there are for in, at, or near the water's edge. They change and are misinterpreted quite often.

Our studio specializes in 3D exterior design and visualization. We can create a complete visualization of your home’s exterior and develop several different design options based on the direction you’re considering, so you can compare the overall look and see how each concept works before making any final decisions.

We work entirely online. If you’re interested, feel free to send our studio a private message here on Houzz — we’d be happy to discuss your project and the visualization options.

Do you have children? Check code. Horizontal balusters create a ladder for children to climb and thus might not be code. Code or not they are counter indicated with children.

Arcy, good point; thank you. No, we don't have children or grandchildren.

Prime Estate Studio, thanks.

To my eye, your current deck is so large and has so much railing that you would be best served by choosing railing materials that are very subtle. Like the black in Dani’s sample or the cable in Emily’s sample. Those are much more attractive (to me anyway) than the busy wood/trex that you currently have.

If you don’t have little ones, but a great view, this is another idea.

Yes, RedRyder, we've considered that type and they're very attractive.. I just wonder how difficult they are to keep clean. Hmmmm ... (low maintenance is key!).