Custom Azek Deck Newel Post; Crafted for style & Longevity

Project Brief.

When we were contacted for this project the excitement came right away.  The project was for a deck in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and the client was in need of replacing their posts and rails.  The existing deck and rails were constructed from cedar, a good exterior wood.  Although they had been good about maintenance areas of the rails were starting to deteriorate.

Existing Deck Conditions

The existing design was had custom newel posts build with raised panels and paired with tuned balusters.  The newel posts were nice, built by someone with some skill, but they were a bit out of scale.  The homeowners had enjoyed the rail and the style but they were ready for a change and wanted less maintenance.   We proposed fabricating the newel posts with Azek, a PVC trim material that will not rot, it is impervious to water and insects.  It also takes paint exceptionally well and painting would be needed.  Then for keeping with the extremely low maintenance and meeting (exceeding) the structural requirements went with Azek Rail,  reserve style.   This rail is not a good fit for every home due to scale (size), yet was for this Bergen County home.

Custom Craftmanship

The custom Newel posts is where we got our excitement, a truly custom element.  Any opportunity to use our skill set as craftsmen to create something unique, we appreciate.  With this custom build they wanted a slightly simpler post, a shaker style.  We suggested that we should reduce the size of the posts bringing them to a appropriate scale.  Chris also mentioned we could add a simple chamfer to the corners, a simple but noticeable detail.  Our client liked the recommendations of product and subtle design changes.

Observation and advise

While assessing the deck Chris noticed the stairs were not in very good shape.  The treads were narrow and the riser height inconsistent and they too were starting to fail.   Knowing  now was the most efficient time to correct them with the rails being replaced, Chris advised our client,  they agreed and requested it be added to the work order.  The existing stairs had not come down to a proper landing, merely a board on the ground.  To correct this when constructing the new staircase we laied out the stringer to accommodate a wider tread, this bringing them out far enough to land on the existing paver walkway yet no so far it looked out of place.  It looked as though it should have always been that way.

We had fun and the client loved the project we delivered, we call that success.  If you would like to have a beautiful deck, crafted for generations of outdoor enjoyment, relaxing and entertaining, contact Kehoe Kustom today!