Client's goals
The deck over the garage had reached the end of its life. The surface was failing and water was getting into the structure below. The owners wanted it rebuilt properly and waterproof, with new railings, stairs, and a pergola with a privacy screen.
A deck that keeps water out of the garage below for good
Structure that is sound, with the rot found and fixed rather than covered
New wood railings, cedar stairs, and a pergola with a privacy screen
The house's siding and trim tied back in so the rebuild reads as original
Overview
Roka Projects rebuilt a deck over the garage of a Burnaby home after the original had failed. Opening it up showed why. The crew took the old deck out to the joists, replaced and reinforced the framing, and planed it flat before sheathing it for a new vinyl waterproof membrane. New cedar stairs and wood railings went on, with a wood pergola and privacy screen above, and the framing over the garage door was rebuilt while the deck was open. About five weeks from demolition to finished siding.
Scope of work
Two layers of old deck removed: fibreglass membrane, plywood, and the original deck beneath it, plus the old stairs and railings
Rotten outer rim joist and joists at the post penetrations cut out and replaced; rim joist doubled
Joists sistered, cross-blocked, and tied with A35 framing brackets; remaining old wood treated with preservative
Framing planed flat and re-sheathed as a base for the membrane
New vinyl waterproof deck membrane installed
New cedar stairs on new stringers, with treads stained
New wood railings, pergola, and privacy screen built on the deck
Framing over the garage door rebuilt in pressure-treated lumber with structural screws after rot was found; garage door removed and reinstalled by the door company
New combed fascia, flashings, and building paper; original siding labelled, removed, and reinstalled to tie the deck back into the house
CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS
A deck hiding underneath the deck
Challenge: the first cut for a scope check found a second, older deck beneath the one the owners were walking on. Someone had built the new surface straight over the old one, fibreglass membrane over plywood over the original decking, double-nailed and tucked under the house framing.
Solution: Both layers came out, down to the joists. The strip that ran under the house framing had to be cut free piece by piece rather than pried, and the original layer had twice the nails of a normal deck, so demolition took longer than a single deck would have. Nothing was left to trap water between layers again.
Rot where the water had been going
Challenge: with the old decking gone, the outer rim joist and the joists around the old railing post penetrations were rotten, and the joist run had never been cross-blocked.
Solution: The rotten joists and rim were cut out and replaced, the rim doubled, the weak joists sistered, and the whole run cross-blocked and tied with framing brackets. The sound old wood that stayed was treated with preservative. Then the frame was planed flat so the new sheathing and membrane would sit on one true plane instead of following the old sag.
Rot over the garage door
Challenge: the same water had been running down into the framing above the garage door, which was supporting the door track.
Solution: Rather than patch around the door, we booked the garage door company to remove it, rebuilt the framing over the opening in pressure-treated lumber with structural screws, sheathed and flashed it properly under the fascia, and had the door reinstalled a week later. The owners emptied the garage for the week and we boarded the opening in between.
Making a rebuilt deck look like it was always there
Challenge: the deck sits against the house siding, and a membrane deck needs a clean, flashed transition to the wall.
Solution: The siding around the deck was labelled as it came off, so every piece went back where it belonged after the membrane and flashings were in. New combed fascia was set level to the siding lines, and the building paper and flashings were run so the wall sheds onto the membrane, not behind it.
Result
The deck is dry, flat, and sound. The garage below is protected by a proper membrane instead of a second deck laid over a failed one, the rot is out of the structure rather than hidden under a second layer, and the framing over the garage door will not be the next thing to fail. Above it, new railings, cedar stairs, and a pergola with a privacy screen turn what was a failing landing into an outdoor room the owners can use.
BEFORE photos
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