BP Consulting and Design LLC

11/10/2018

Stacked 1
Here are 3 examples of stacked jobs....We built quite a few projects that had two to three levels of usable space..... Stacking and transferring loads from the top level supports back down through the lower level structures and back down to the footings were not that difficult to do.... but did require certain precautions and structural aspects to be done..... Started with enlarged footings beyond the standard ones....often we placed 6x6s side by side on the lower level.... and often had 4-5 joist on the beam where the upper columns loaded on the floor system...... it’s interesting just how much weight you can be dealing with when you calculate the live load square footage of two levels of decks and what’s transferring back down through the columns and on a footing

04/28/2018

Porch Floor vs Deck & Patio Levels

One of the basics for me when it comes to screen porch building is to separate the porch floor level from the deck or patio 1.5”-3”. It’s the same approach as an entry door to the house. It’s raised. And because there’s a door it’s no t a trip hazard anymore than an entry door. “ Open Air” Porches are a different story and should be level with the outer level or with a full level change similar to a stair tread. The slight level change keeps the door sweep from ever dragging on the outer deck and minimizes rain splatter.

We often built the porch floor itself right up to the threshold as it’s not likely to be a water problem like an exterior deck would be. To drop it pushes your actual exterior deck attachment even lower and depending on what you’re attaching to can complicate things.

04/21/2018

Raised Pads under Watertight Structures

The typical approach to pouring concrete pads, stamped concrete, , or is to finish it out even or close to even with the ground.....which is how it should be done. Based on what I saw with existing pads in our market most seemed to go well beyond the 1/8” or even 1/4” fall per foot.

When installing any type of hardscape patio under our or we made sure to put the minimum slope and intentionally raised the edges 4-6” around the perimeter when possible. Minimal slope allowed furniture to sit level and the raised edge helped control rain splatter and allowed w**d whacking / edging to be done without unnecessarily dirtying up the surface.

The exception would be when we incorporated an existing pad into the project and we were doing an extension where we used rebar to peg and extend. The amount of slope was set in stone 😊at that point.

04/14/2018

Versatex Roadshow Starts This Week. Please join us if you can

Roadshow Starts This Week

This week we will be in North and South Carolina and move into a Florida the following week

Tuesday, April 17th
7:00 AM Hedgecock Lumber; Walnut Cove, NC;
12:00 PM Fitch Lumber; Carborro, NC


Wednesday, April 18th
7:00 AM Dawson Lumber; Georgetown, SC
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Visit Remodelers.

Thursday, April 19th
9:00 AM SouthEnd Exteriors; N. Charleston, SC
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM Visit Contractor and Mill Shop
4:00 PM Espy Lumber

04/02/2018

This is a deck, porch, and patio project from a few years ago that turned out pretty nice.

04/01/2018

Transcends Deck & Porch

This project included 3 board deep bench steps and a screened in porch. The photos were taken before the screens and low voltage lights were installed. Lots of pvc trim was used throughout the project

03/31/2018

Here’s a shed porch from several years ago

03/30/2018

Porch With Horizontal Balusters

This steep pitched screened in porch included a fireplace with a firewood closet. We also ran square aluminum balusters horizontally for the knee-wall. Transcends decking was used inside and out on the entry stoop...as well as the 3 board bench steps. PVC trim was used in multiple locations. You can see how the roof was tied in and the fascia and gutters track. Quite a bit of overhang cut out was required. I regret not getting a good before shot on this one

02/26/2018

Watertight Deck Finishes Two

This is a follow up from the previous WT Decks post with another 60 seconds of compiled projects

02/26/2018

Watertight Deck Finishes Video One

This is the first of 3 Watertight Deck Finishes that I put together for ...they have to me 60 seconds long there...but it allows me to show several of the jobs I have shots of...Some have elevation followed or preceded by an underside finishes photo

01/28/2018

https://youtu.be/XgGP6C55bhc

This is a collection of elevation shots of some the larger projects thru the years

01/24/2018

https://youtu.be/0yYxvtLiVgk

Collection of Arbors www.bpconsultinganddesign.com Bobby Parks