" Welcome back. While the backyard deck here in Plymouth is becoming a little bit more elaborate than the original one, last week, we showed you how to build the structure, and as you can see, we've got a basic girt here. We've kind of levered our joist over. What we've done additionally is to build kind of a miniature of that as the landing. This is a platform that's 5 feet wide and 8 feet across, and it's resting on the same structure; a pair of girts on to a pair of posts that are on concrete footings. And what this does is it allows us to have kind of a transition instead of a long flight of steps down to the grass. We have a transitional space where we'll also be able to build in a couple of little benches. The interesting thing we're doing is we're using a very untraditional material for the decking. You could have used, you know, your traditional straight-grain fir or pressure-treated lumber, which is usually southern yellow pine. We are using something called Ipe, which comes from Brazil. And it's a great dense wood that looks very much like a mahogany grain, although when you pick it up, it feels more like teak wood because it's very heavy. Now, it has a lot of properties that'll make it really long lasting and beautiful outdoors in the weather. And the thing that's most attractive is that it's about $1.40 a board foot, so that it's very competitive with other materials. It's a little bit harder to work with, but if you're a do-it-yourself, you know you've got the time. Let's check in with Riley and talk about how we're building this. Riley, it's a good thing we got a couple of extra helpers, huh?"

" Yes, sir. We got David and Jerry here to give us an idea this morning."

" Alright. Now, what's the 1st thing to remember when you're starting to lay out your board for the decking?"

" 1st off, you wanna be sure to select a very nice straight [unk]."

" If you wanna make sure our that you're starting out with a good straight board because it's gonna be a guide for all the other boards----"

" Exactly."

" along the deck, yeah."

" Right. It determines how straight the whole thing will be."

" Now, using the Ipe, it requires a little bit more labor, huh?"

" This is a very hard wood. So this is the 1st thing we wanna do is to show that we safe everything out. So we're using a 16 penny galvanized spikes here."

" They're just temporarily put there----"

" Right."

" to be evenly spacing the wood."

" That's correct. And while we put on that, what we're doing, Gary here is doing a pilot hole in the wood----"

" Uh huh."

" that was just wide enough, 3/16 of an inch to allow the shank of the throw, which is a 212-inch galvanized to get through the wood----"

" Yeah."

" and into the framing [unk] below. And now Dave is on to drill a----"

" A countersink."

" a countersink. So with the head of the screw, we'll be bound into a flush with the material right in here and the head will go right in."

" Now, it's important to be using a galvanized screw anytime you're cooking outside."

" Oh, for sure because that's gonna prevent the rust."

" And here, we're using a regular screw gun, right?-Just a regular. Actually, it's a drywall screw gun with a built-in click so that it stops driving once it hits the material."

" Exactly. Another advantage of this material is this 5 quarter, which means it's sturdy enough to use for the structure of something like this seat. This bench is going in place right here on the line. And of course, we'll be using the Ipe on top just like the deck can. But anyway, right now, wanna take it to Nantucket Island to see a deck and a house that was recently completed by Kate Mitchell of Island Women Construction. Well Kate, this is quintessential Nantucket with the rambling roses of the roof, and the whale [unk] and everything else in such a wonderful rambling beach cottage. Now, how long did it take to build this?"

" It was 2 years in process."

" In the making."

" Right. It took us a little longer because the owners were very careful about the design, and did quite a bit of [unk] work----"

" Uh huh."

" in the process."

" Uh huh. Well I love the curving approach to the house and then the fact that we've this gentle curve all across the front of the deck. It just makes it---- It kinda sets it off."

" Yes. Isn't it lovely?"

" Yes. Yes."

" It's very, very nice."

" Yes."

" Now tell me about the detail here because we've got about a 20-foot width of----"

" That's correct."

" footsteps."

" You have a good eye. This is exactly 20 feet."

" And----"

" And---- yes, these are douglas fir tread----"

" Uh huh."

" 5 quarter. And of course, you can only buy from a lumberyard 11-inch wide stock----"

" Uh huh."

" So needed to laminate this so we could have a much wider curve----"

" Right."

" so we could reflect the curve."

" Beautifully done."

" Thank you."

" And it's out here in the weather, so you know."

" That's right."

" Of course, a straight-grain fir is a good, good material to use in the weather here in New England."

" That's right, and then of course, underneath we have pressure treated southern yellow pine."

" Structure members, yeah."

" Give us an idea of the dimensions of the deck."

" The breath here is 27 feet."

" And this is the front door of the house."

" And this is the front door, the main entrance of the house."

" Uh huh."

" And then, the length is 76 feet."

" So that in this area over here you've got a wonderful place to take lunch under the umbrella."

" That's right."

" And----"

" That's right."

" then lots of lounge chairs in an area to have breakfast maybe, right?"

" That's correct, yes."

" What was the concept here in making such an enormous deck?"

" Well, we thought that the---- Gina and Bruce, who actually did this design----"

" The owners of the house."

" Yes. Originally, there was a much smaller deck, and they decided that it needed some grace, that this was really the main entrance."

" Uh huh."

" And that---- You see, the difficulty is this. They have water views, but it faces the bay----"

" Uh huh."

" that which is Nantucket Harbor."

" Uh huh."

" And that face is north."

" Yes."

" So that this is more protected, this faces the south."

" Yes."

" And so many times, the winds are coming from the north, there's only---- even when the wind isn't coming from the north, it's full of breeze out there."

" Right."

" And so----"

" So, they've put on an expanse of deck that you can get the option from the door to go get out of the wind."

" Exactly. And particularly in the fall----"

" Yeah."

" which is Nantucket's most lovely time."

" Sure. September and October."

" Right, right. And also in the spring."

" It's like you have a pedestal for the house."

" Yes. Absolutely. And it's lovely. Actually, if we could continue around I can show you some lovely decks that continue with that them."

" This is fabulous. Nantucket sound on a gorgeous sunny day."

" Uh huh. Right now, I have to tell you, you know, Nantucket is known as the great lady."

" That's true."

" And this is perfect weather----"

" Uh huh."

" for you to be down and seeing it in its most beautiful self."

" We lucked out indeed."

" Yes, absolutely."

" So the decking continues all the way around the house essentially."

" That's correct."

" Yeah."

" That's correct. Now as you notice, this is a much smaller, narrower deck----"

" Uh huh."

" and that's really because the weather is not the most gorgeous over here. On the other hand, until about 10 o'clock in the morning there's hardly any winds. It's pretty typical on Nantucket for the wind to pick up right----"

" After 10."

" after 10. So, it allows for plenty of time to have breakfast stuff here in the morning----"

" Yeah."

" or at on days like this, of course, you could be out here----"

" But----"

" all day long."

" most days, you might wanna be on the other side to get to the sun."

" Very definitely."

" Yes."

" And they designed that into it."

" But then of course, you've got the beach, right?-That's correct."

" Yeah."

" They have the beach. It's great."

" Spectacular."

" Isn't it great?"

" Just spectacular."

" Alright."

" Tell me a little bit about the side of the [unk] on this side."

" Well you see that they have 3 different tiers. We have the 1st floor for where the major living space is."

" Yeah."

" And then, you have this lovely curved deck and balcony that's coming from 2 bedrooms. This is the master suite over here, and one of the children's bedroom over here. And then the final, up on the widow's walk and how nicely they reflect each other."

" Yes."

" Then the symmetry is continued with the balcony on the left, off of the master suite and another over the kitchen----"

" Yeah."

" to the right."

" Now it's a wonderful design and it looks to be beautifully crafted. Thanks for the tour Kate."

" Thank you, Bob."