One of the projects we are working on is a roof deck in South Boston. Yesterday was a stunning view of the city skyline; sometimes I have such envy for the beauty that we get to work with every day. This project is going to be really exciting when it is finished, however while we are constructing it I thought I would share a preview.

I wish I had this view!

For this project, we are creating a roof deck for the client, and renovating the existing staircase that reaches up to the roof. The staircase had to be relocated from the original footprint, which was awkwardly set slightly away from the wall. Additionally, the rail and finishes did not match the rest of the home’s existing staircases and the client wished to create a more contiguous look. We moved the staircase to be flush with the adjacent wall, and expanded the route to the roof so that as you go up to the roof you don’t have to crouch down. We have been hard at work creating this roof deck around the new stair and existing skylight. All of the deck framing actually had to be lifted over the house in a crane because we could not fit the long wood up the staircases in the interior of the home.

Construction dust has also been an issue, so we’ve spent a lot of time dust-proofing the interior of the client’s home in order to protect their space. Making our clients happy is our highest priority.

Now that the framing is in place around the skylight, we’re starting to actually put the deck and railings together. Our carpenter Frank is working on assembling the railing right now, and you can see some of the composite decking that we specified, which is a product called Trex.

The railing being assembled

Composite decking is actually pretty awesome for a variety of reasons. Hardwood is gorgeous, however it has a few drawbacks for exterior decking like the fact that it warps, can grow mold, fades or changes color, and has quite a bit of necessary upkeep. Composite decking has a superior fade, mold and scratch resistance in the harsher elements, is very low maintenance, and beautiful. Perhaps my favorite perk is the fact that you can’t get a splinter from it, as I remember many a splinter stuck in my toes growing up.

Everything is starting to come together now, and I am very excited to have the privilege to make a return visit in the future.

Quick look around the South End Roof Deck!

I took two short videos on the deck itself, and the view from the deck. We have a pretty excellent soundtrack from the radio playing in the background! Please be forgiving about my video skills, as they are somewhat lacking. I promise to do a lot of practicing at slowing down and actually narrating the clips that I share with you from here on out.