Ipe tare-off and re-install

[PRM2003]

Looking for some input with this project.
My farther in law is installing a four season room and in the process is having his contractor remove about 900 sq ft of ipe deck board that was installed about 2 years ago. He is going to be giving me the ipe wood to resurface my pressure treated deck (approx 800 sq ft). I consider myself very handy and am going to be reinstalling ipe myself. After spending some time online I think I will be going w/ the Ipe Clip system and sealing the ends that I have to cut w/ anchor sealer. Some of the questions I have now well planing this are:
1) I have about 6 inches of ground clearance (soil) on my deck...will this create an issue w/ the Ipe?
2) I want to do this on the cheap...can the contractor removing the ipe save the clips for me to reuse?
3) We have a simple bench on our current deck layout that I want to redo w/ the Ipe....can the Ipe be used for a structural member for the bench?

I know that I will have level the deck some due to some setting since the people that built it did a poor job...not sure what shape the framing is in until I open it up.

Again I want to do this on the cheap but do it correctly so please share any tips or recommendations.
Thanks in advance!

Paul

[pushkins]

6" of ground clearance is not a lot but it should be enough for moisture issues.
Ipe is a great exterior wood, but remember it will still need maintenance just like any exterior placed product.
Yes if the contractor is careful you should be able to reuse the existing clips, some might become collateral damage but most should be reusable.
Yes you can use Ipe as "some" structural members (naturally depending on your term of "structural"), obviously you cannot use it for supports or load bearing pieces like bearers or joists but if your referring to the sitting surface ....your good to go.

If the deck is attached to the house when you tear off the existing decking material make sure the ground slopes away from the property 1/4" in 1'.
While it's open add bolts to bearer connections to posts.
Make sure when installing your new decking that you leave at least 1/4" gap between decking material and house siding.
If the deck has a ledger board attached to the house make sure it is attached correctly, add ledger locks if needed.
Any material on the exterior make sure it's all treated material, I see many decks with one or two pieces of std. pine where a home owner ran out of treated and substituted pine.

[PRM2003]

Thanks Pushkins! Great reply and answered many of my questions.
I am planning on redoing some the structure when I pull up the deck...right now the joist are running parallel to the house and I am going to try to put the board switch them to run perpendicular to the house....I know this will mean moving all the joist but I have several spots that have settled and I figure while I am fixing that I mind as well make it they way I want!
As far as the ledged board....how do I know if it is properly fasted (besides visual signs of weakness)?
I am kind of thinking about installing the boards on a 90 angle from he house....I have read that the boards would need to be on 12'' centers instead of 16''....is that all that would be required? Would i be crazy to try to do this? I think it would look really good!
Thanks,
Paul
BTW- my family is heading to OBX...in a few weeks...we love NC!

[pushkins]

The ledger board should be attached to the house with either "ledger locks" or concrete anchor bolts (if attached to a masonry wall). It should not be screwed or nailed through vinyl siding etc... ( see that a lot). If the joists currently run parallel to the house then I doubt you have a ledger board as you would use it in a parallel situation. The ledger board is what the joists sit on as a form of bearer.
Do your joists currently sit on any beams/bearers or are they sitting directly on the ground ?

As far as spacing of joists go standard is 16" and for almost all decks this is an acceptable practice. When you install many decking materials on a diagonal to joists then 12" is by far the better option.


The OBX is a pretty nice place, great for a vacation.

[PRM2003]

I check and there is ledger board w/ 2-3 supports coming off it that the parallel (to the ledger) joists run b/w. I looks like have a few beams that are tied to 4x4 on poor concrete footers. I have yet to remove the existing decking but once i do I have a strong feeling that I am going to spend a lot of time redo the structure.
How deep do I need to install the footers? I am thinking about digging and installing sono (spelling?) tubes....any thoughts?
Thanks again puskins

[pushkins]

Any new footing (and all old ones) should be to below the frost line of your area.
Generally speaking the only way you could have a true ledger board now is if your decking boards are running parallel with the house. A ledger board would be attached to the house the joists would either sit on it or attach to its face (nailed/joist hangers...etc) and therefore the decking boards would have to be parallel to the home. You mentioned in a previous post you wanted to "turn the decking boards" to run parallel and "right now the joists are parallel to the house" this would make the board your referring to simply a joist attached to the house......VERY big difference to a ledger board.
A joist holds decking board weight and object weight it doesn't hold the physical "deck" weight, a ledger board is holding all the weight from the deck weight = dead load AND the object weights = live loads (live loads typically include things like people, furniture, BBQ's etc...)
A ledger board should be appropriately fastened to the home with anchor bolts (if masonry) ledger locks (if other) spaced no more than 16" apart and staggered so as not to form a straight line across the ledger.
There are other methods to attach a ledger board but these are situational and much more detailed, in your situation (deck 6" off the ground) either above method would work well.

[PRM2003]

thanks puskins....once I get the deck remove I will have a better idea of what I am dealing with. I will post pictures of before and after and might be back on for more advice once I get this project going (about 3 weeks from now).
Thanks,
Paul