Building a Deck

My wife and I successfully built a deck using this book 2 years ago. Planned, submitted plans to village got building permit and final inspection. It felt good to accomplish such a large task with only 2 people who are not carpenters and haven't built a deck before. The deck is around 300 sq. ft. so it is not small. The book has all the information you need to build a solid deck. It also includes information on problems you could run into and ideas for customizing the deck. We are now building a smaller 100 sq. ft. deck for the front of our house. Believe me, we could not have done this without this great book.

I am a firm believer in the KISS method of doing things. (Keep It Simple Stupid") Every step is covered in this book so that anyone can learn from it. The "Build Like A Pro" series of books are all laid out like this one. The "Expert Tips" are great. They show you short cuts to help you do the jobs right, but in less time. This is stuff you only learn by doing the job everyday. They are trade secrets.

After doing my own research, I ended up purchasing this book. I agree completely with the other reviews - its the best book, its the only book you need, and I congratulate the author on making this a flexible yet thorough resource that guides you pictorally through every step of the process. Just plain awesome, and I just finished my deck and I love it - it exceeds my expectations and its due to the advice in these pages.

I am planning to design and build a large (40x15) deck, and I bought several books to learn about the process. This is far and away the best of the lot. Plenty of detail for each part of the deck. Great diagrams and pictures. Lots of great "tricks of the trade." Very readable. Highly recommended.

I've been researching decks and screen porches for the last few months, with the intention of building a 16'X 34' elevated deck and screen porch on my home in Southern CT. I've done many home construction project big and small; however, I'm not in the construction business. Scott Schuttner's Build Like a Pro book on decks, is by far the best book on decks, period. It is clearly superior to the other books I've read on the subject (and I've purchase over four of them and flipped through a lot more). This one was really the only one I need to buy; unfortunately, I came across it after studying the other books and still not feeling that I had a full understanding on deck construction and design options. Schuttner's book lives up to its opening dedication: "...to all those who desire to do the best they can."I though this book was significantly superior to other books in the following ways: 1) Excellent descriptive text and photo detail. 2) The "Pro Tips" were enlightening. 3) The comments made about the style and appearance of deck were very helpful. It discusses what aspect of the deck are the better place to spend your money. For example, is it better to spend more to install a unique floor pattern or on the railing detail? The book is loaded with insightful design and construction stuff. For example, the different choices of railing design and appearance. Other books had one or two railing designs the Build Like A Pro book had several. These somewhat subjective but important insights weren't touched upon in the other books. 4) The scope of this book was much broader than other books, while also being more detailed and insightful. From the planning / drawing, the footing, framing, decking, on through to the finishing, this book does it all in presentation and language that even a non construction person can follow.The other books I've read were Ok for an easy low frills deck. Those books could also help a homeowner talk to a contract about having a basic deck built. However, this book was much better in those areas, plus provided a great deal more insight for the person actually designing and constructing (workin' da tools), a higher value added / better looking deck. If I could change things, I would have purchased only this book. It's no more expensive than the others and a lot better.In summary, I believe this is a FIVE STAR book and a must have for those planning and building a deck. My only regret is that the author, Scott Schuttner, obviously a very experienced builder, didn't write additional chapters or another book simply devoted to screen porches. But heck, lets be fair, this book is all about decks from A to Z. OUTSTANDING BOOK!!... Thanks