06-2010 Stafford IPE Deck
IPE Deck Build
Stafford, VA
Ipe (pronounced ee-pay) is a very unique Brazilian hardwood. A dark beautiful wood, IPE is so hard and dense that it is scratch resistant, splinter resistant, termite resistant and fire resistant. IPE has a 25+ year life span if unmaintained. If you want the lowest maintenance decking product on the market, building an IPE deck is the route to go. This deck will include a vinyl skirt, structural vinyl railings, two sets of steps and a bump-out section in the center. We are enlarging it to extend to the breakfast room doors. The original deck was 25 years old. The homeowners took very good care of it to last as long as it did.
It is fun being a deck builder, especially when we are ripping apart a deck. Moving the pile of old decking boards, joist, beams, railings and post isn’t always as exciting as creating the pile but fortunately we didn’t have to haul it away. We found someone who could preserve the wood and that included pick up.
Demo is complete. Waiting for the framing material to be dropped.
A tough couple of days. The sun didn’t seem to move. We dug and dug and dug. Code requires footer/pier holes to be a minimum of 2 feet below grade or until you hit solid soil. We dug some post holes as deep as 6-7 feet deep and others as shallow as 3 feet.
I can’t believe you framed that deck in one day. That’s nuts! I love tracking your projects. Can’t wait to see the IPE decking pictures next week.
I’ve never heard of Ipe before. Great stuff. Thanks for sharing your project.
We just finish posting or final pictures for the project. IPE is so beautiful but very hard to work with. It is really no different than other exotic hardwood flooring. It comes in random lengths. It can be sealed with an oil, but once you start putting on applications, plan to do so regularly. The wood is extremely dense and won’t absorb well at all. It will naturally turn a gray/silver over time.
I live in Stafford and I have been looking for deck contractors. My neighbor gave me the website so I could see what IPE decking looks like. It is so beautiful!
We live in Spotsylvania and are interested in getting our deck replaced. Thanks for posting these pictures it gives me a better understanding of what it looks like. This deck is absolutely beautiful.