Asian inspired deck in Corvallis

Mike & Tricia asked us to build them a different kind of deck in their back yard. When they came to us, they had already hired Bruce Olsen, a local architect to design their deck. Bruce’s beautiful, hand drawn deck plans featured Asian influences including a copper covered lantern. We provided a contract to build the deck using Trex Earthwood Evolutions composite decking. The handrail, trellis and detailing is cedar.

All of the framework of the deck is pressure treated lumber. As pressure treated lumber is not immune to water damage, we take extra precautions above and beyond standard building techniques. We spray cut ends of lumber with additional rot preservative. We also form concrete around buried posts to cause water to flow away from the posts.

The decking is attached with Tiger Claw hidden fasteners. The cedar is attached with Fastenmaster Split Resistant screws. We take extra care when installing our handrail posts to be absolutely certain they will remain rock steady for the life of the deck. We use galvanized through bolts and Simpson DTT2Z hardware to ensure that you won’t have that “wobbly” feeling in our posts five years after we leave.

We noticed during construction that some details of the deck design might not work for our customers. The bench was designed to be very low, common in an Eastern deck, but not very popular in the West. We also felt that some sections of the handrail could be changed to better suit the landscaping in the back yard. We generated three dimensional drawings of some sections of the deck and talked with Mike and Tricia about our concerns. Working with Bruce and the owners, we came to a solution that worked for everyone involved.

We built the framework for the copper lantern and took it off site to a fabricator who installed standing seam copper. The lantern has frosted glass walls with clips to allow easy removal for cleaning. Inside is a simple LED bulb. We were able to build it so the wire is completely hidden from view and goes to a switch just inside the back door. The lantern looks lovely at night. We also custom built housings for two mail-order planters Mike and Tricia picked out.

A lot of elements came together to make this deck. Bruce’s vision is extraordinary. G. Christianson Construction’s building know-how, and foresight caught many potential issues before they became problems. Our lead carpenter and our office staff came up with many innovative solutions to the special set of challenges in building this one of a kind deck. Call us today to make your dream a reality!