A $150,000 Deck

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed)
Jun 2nd 2006 at 3:03PM

It's too bad that the Mercury News didn't run a whole set of photos on this spectacular deck, but since it was featured on the show Designing Spaces, perhaps they didn't feel that it was necessary. The deck was an addition to a San Francisco Bay Area Home that the homeowners, Jeffrey and Toneh Thompson, added to make better use of their wooded, hillside lot. They liked the natural beauty of the property, but wanted some space for playing and dining out. The multi-level, 1,300-sq. foot deck certainly fulfills their needs and its price of about $150,000 meant that they added the size of another house to their existing home, without shelling out for a big move.

It is made out of a Brazilian hardwood called ipe, which has one of the highest durability ratings of any wood and the same fire rating of materials like steel and concrete. Ipe is the perfect decking material because not only is it strong and long lasting, requiring minimal upkeep, but it is resistant to warping, decay and termites. The highest level of the deck is 25-feet above the ground, designed to provide views along with a dining area and a spa.

The final cost did include landscaping and work on the retaining wall, but the bulk of it went into the deck itself.

[Image Mercury News]

Tags: deck, decking, hardwood, ipe, outdoors, yard