In process of replacing my rotten cedar post deck railing.
Last edited Mon Oct 21, 2024, 10:00 PM - Edit history (4)
Thing about cedar, you need to paint it just about every year if it's exposed directly to the weather. It went 10 years without maintenance...thus replacement.
So, the current state of before pics, side 1 and side 2.
Side (2) before
Side (1) before
Side (1) after
My 55+ year buddy came up Friday and we got the railing done on Saturday. He's on DU as 'birdfeeder". Hates Trump. Needless to say, we didn't spend a lot of time talking about the project. We just put it together. Everything was pre-cut/pre-drilled to create the 33" x 8' PT boxes. (some scarfing was required). There are 6 - 1/2" x 8' lengths of horizontal rebar that meet 4" code per section. A 2x4 stiffener mid point. All holes drilled from the same template. Hand drilled the 5/8" holes...not nearly square, Yet the rebar was easy to put in. A Maul type persuader helps, As they rust, they will blend into the house stain. Actually, it is pretty hard to see now that there a 6 bars per section.
Working on side 2 now....weather has been great and I find joy in building stuff.
On edit, the boxes will be painted green to match the trim. Then I'll put a 5/4 x 8"w PT plate on the entire rail system. Something that can hold a beer. 1'll be buying 10 LED lights to fit the 4x4 posts to give lighting around the entire deck.
PT Wood, rebar and expendable tools - around $800.00 to complete both side 1 and 2. Had to be done.
Simple design, because I am a 50 year long simple construction guy. Will share plans if anyone is interested.
On yet another edit....
Semi-pro tip: I precut and painted 40 - 4" blocks. They were spacers to set the height consistently for each box.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Their outside deck had this design. I kinda stole it. 
Couldn't have done it without you. Maybe I could, but it wouldn't have been so much fun. 
Looks great! And will last longer with less maintenance. Gives the place a sharper look, a little more well kept. The wood railing looks great until it doesn't and then it becomes an ordeal, as I'm sure you know.
Well done! Good planning to finish off the back where it will still be sunny during most of the afternoon.
A former State Senator (R). Wants to hunt on my land. Never gets a deer. He brought me another bottle of pink Moscato that I don't drink. He just sold his house 1/2 mile behind me,. No views or property area,,,,$350,000! I was very happy for him. 
You can cook with that stuff if you don't drink it! That's what I do, since I don't do alcohol.
Those deer on your spread are spoiled and probably kind of fat. I have deer that roam the neighborhood, munching on gardens and shrubs. I went to my neighbors the other night and had to dodge a doe and her twins, they were right there in my way. They just let me walk past them, three or four feet away, and then the neighbor's cat walked between their legs as she was trying to keep up with me. The deer were unfazed. I could have touched them if I reached out. Pretty habituated.
In the 70s and spectacular sunsets. Tonight, a doe came out at 6:30 , ate some grass, and hung around for 10 minutes. The Skippa was on the deck, but had no clue.
With a quick 36 - 48 hr spells of chill and rain, snow up high. Still have snow from last week at about 7000ft and up, makes a pretty backdrop with the golden aspen, willows and cottonwoods.
I'll have to take a couple pictures after tomorrow when it will be cold and rainy, maybe some snow flurries only to see a high in the 60s and 70s in the next few days after. But we're supposed to be having a snowy winter, hope so, we haven't had a good snow winter in about five years. The big, week-ling ski festival in West Yellowstone was cancelled for the first and second times, ever in 40+ years, in the last three winters.
I would like to have a snowy winter too, means less chance of wild fires later.
We're all making the best use of the nice weather, kind of silly not to.
Say hi to Skippa for me.