I'm having my deck rebuilt by what I thought was a professional, but
we're on day 2 and I'm having my doubts on his competence. I've
already had to make him fix 3 rather large errors, so I'm about an
inch away from firing him and just doing it myself.

Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:

http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif

How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.

My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail
that wouldn't come apart without a hammer, so I thought that might be
the more appropriate solution.

What's the correct way to attach them? Any help would be very much
appreciated! TIA,

Jason

"Jason Carlton" wrote in message
...

Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:

http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif

How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.

My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail

The post suggests neither party has yet thought of fastening
the two by driving screws up through the 2x4 into the rail, so that
the screw heads will be both invisible and sheltered from rain.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Sep 7, 8:30*pm, "Don Phillipson" wrote:
"Jason Carlton" wrote in message

...

Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:

http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif

How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.

My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail

The post suggests neither party has yet thought of fastening
the two by driving screws up through the 2x4 into the rail, so that
the screw heads will be both invisible and sheltered from rain.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)


You're correct, we haven't. Do you mean to drill a 3" hole up into the
2x4, vertically, and then run a screw through the remaining 1" and
into the rail?

This is definitely an option, but with the aluminum balusters 4"
apart, it makes it a little more difficult. I know that the contractor
isn't going to do this, so I would have to have him install the
brackets for the balusters, and then I would have to drill the holes
for him overnight.

Jason Carlton wrote:
I'm having my deck rebuilt by what I thought was a professional, but
we're on day 2 and I'm having my doubts on his competence. I've
already had to make him fix 3 rather large errors, so I'm about an
inch away from firing him and just doing it myself.

Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:

http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif

How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.

My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail
that wouldn't come apart without a hammer, so I thought that might be
the more appropriate solution.

What's the correct way to attach them? Any help would be very much
appreciated! TIA,

Jason

Without seeing the exact parts, it is hard to say. Is the bottom of the
cap rail recessed to catch the 2x4? Is the recess deep enough to add a
few countersunk finish nails through the side? Failing that, is the 2x4
drilled to receive the top of the spindle posts? Long screws up through
the bottom would work. You don't need to pin the 2 rails together real
hard- once every couple of feet is plenty. (assuming they are both
firmly attached to the vertical posts at the end, of course.)

Yeah, sounds like your 'pro' is a bubba, used to building decks out of
PT dimensional lumber. (not that there is anything wrong with that- my
new deck will be done on the cheap.) But for a pretty shaped and
prefinished cap rail like that, screw holes on the top is just dumb.
Along with being ugly, they will let water in (no matter how well
puttied), and turn that fancy expen$ive rail to crap in a couple of years.

--
aem sends...

On Sep 7, 9:14*pm, aemeijers wrote:
Jason Carlton wrote:
I'm having my deck rebuilt by what I thought was a professional, but
we're on day 2 and I'm having my doubts on his competence. I've
already had to make him fix 3 rather large errors, so I'm about an
inch away from firing him and just doing it myself.

Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:

http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif

How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.

My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail
that wouldn't come apart without a hammer, so I thought that might be
the more appropriate solution.

What's the correct way to attach them? Any help would be very much
appreciated! TIA,

Jason

Without seeing the exact parts, it is hard to say. Is the bottom of the
cap rail recessed to catch the 2x4? Is the recess deep enough to add a
few countersunk finish nails through the side? Failing that, is the 2x4
drilled to receive the top of the spindle posts? Long screws up through
the bottom would work. You don't need to pin the 2 rails together real
hard- once every couple of feet is plenty. (assuming they are both
firmly attached to the vertical posts at the end, of course.)

Yeah, sounds like your 'pro' is a bubba, used to building decks out of
PT dimensional lumber. (not that there is anything wrong with that- my
new deck will be done on the cheap.) But for a pretty shaped and
prefinished cap rail like that, screw holes on the top is just dumb.
Along with being ugly, they will let water in (no matter how well
puttied), and turn that fancy expen$ive rail to crap in a couple of years..

--
aem sends...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That's an extremely accurate description of the guy building the deck.
He was not happy about the brackets I bought to connect the 2x4s to
the 4x4s, either; he just wanted to nail through the corners of the
2x4s. Like you said, that's all good, but if I'm spending $8500 on a
deck, I want it to look the way I want it to look!

I couldn't find the rail on Lowes.com, but they have the slowest site
in the world so I gave up after 30 minutes of searching. Instead, I
just took a photo of the end of it, so you can see the type I'm
talking about. You can see it he

http://www.gowilkes.com/Handrail.jpg (68kb)

The 2x4s that go underneath are just regular 2x4s; they're not drilled
or anything to fit into the rail. There's really not a place on the
rail for a screw or anything, which is why I thought that maybe Liquid
Nail was the approved method.

"Jason Carlton" wrote in message
...
I'm having my deck rebuilt by what I thought was a professional, but
we're on day 2 and I'm having my doubts on his competence. I've
already had to make him fix 3 rather large errors, so I'm about an
inch away from firing him and just doing it myself.

Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:

http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif

How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.

My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail
that wouldn't come apart without a hammer, so I thought that might be
the more appropriate solution.

What's the correct way to attach them? Any help would be very much
appreciated! TIA,

Jason

Filets & exterior glue, such as Probond. You don't need much glue, the
filets hold the side to side. Filets will more than likely have to be
fabricated on site with table saw etc. I would glue the filets using no
fasteners, unless you use SS brads or similar just to tack into place.
Still glue the filets.

Jason Carlton wrote:
On Sep 7, 9:14 pm, aemeijers wrote:
Jason Carlton wrote:
I'm having my deck rebuilt by what I thought was a professional, but
we're on day 2 and I'm having my doubts on his competence. I've
already had to make him fix 3 rather large errors, so I'm about an
inch away from firing him and just doing it myself.
Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:
http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif
How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.
My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail
that wouldn't come apart without a hammer, so I thought that might be
the more appropriate solution.
What's the correct way to attach them? Any help would be very much
appreciated! TIA,
Jason
Without seeing the exact parts, it is hard to say. Is the bottom of the
cap rail recessed to catch the 2x4? Is the recess deep enough to add a
few countersunk finish nails through the side? Failing that, is the 2x4
drilled to receive the top of the spindle posts? Long screws up through
the bottom would work. You don't need to pin the 2 rails together real
hard- once every couple of feet is plenty. (assuming they are both
firmly attached to the vertical posts at the end, of course.)

Yeah, sounds like your 'pro' is a bubba, used to building decks out of
PT dimensional lumber. (not that there is anything wrong with that- my
new deck will be done on the cheap.) But for a pretty shaped and
prefinished cap rail like that, screw holes on the top is just dumb.
Along with being ugly, they will let water in (no matter how well
puttied), and turn that fancy expen$ive rail to crap in a couple of years.

--
aem sends...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That's an extremely accurate description of the guy building the deck.
He was not happy about the brackets I bought to connect the 2x4s to
the 4x4s, either; he just wanted to nail through the corners of the
2x4s. Like you said, that's all good, but if I'm spending $8500 on a
deck, I want it to look the way I want it to look!

I couldn't find the rail on Lowes.com, but they have the slowest site
in the world so I gave up after 30 minutes of searching. Instead, I
just took a photo of the end of it, so you can see the type I'm
talking about. You can see it he

http://www.gowilkes.com/Handrail.jpg (68kb)

The 2x4s that go underneath are just regular 2x4s; they're not drilled
or anything to fit into the rail. There's really not a place on the
rail for a screw or anything, which is why I thought that maybe Liquid
Nail was the approved method.

Point your browser to http://www.crsales.com/handrail_with_nails.htm and
take a look. What would be wrong with simply using stainless steel
finish nails as indicated in the somewhat crude image that I made. You
can even get the nails online at
http://www.stainless-fasteners.com/finishnails.htm if you can't find
them locally.

Don

On Mon, 7 Sep 2009 17:16:14 -0700 (PDT), Jason Carlton
wrote:

I'm having my deck rebuilt by what I thought was a professional, but
we're on day 2 and I'm having my doubts on his competence. I've
already had to make him fix 3 rather large errors, so I'm about an
inch away from firing him and just doing it myself.

Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:

http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif

How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.

My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail
that wouldn't come apart without a hammer, so I thought that might be
the more appropriate solution.

What's the correct way to attach them? Any help would be very much
appreciated! TIA,

Jason


Can you run the screws up from underneath? I would not trust Liquid
Nails without some kind of mechanical fastener with it.

On Sep 7, 10:30*pm, "Larry S" wrote:
"Jason Carlton" wrote in message

...





I'm having my deck rebuilt by what I thought was a professional, but
we're on day 2 and I'm having my doubts on his competence. I've
already had to make him fix 3 rather large errors, so I'm about an
inch away from firing him and just doing it myself.

Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:

http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif

How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.

My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail
that wouldn't come apart without a hammer, so I thought that might be
the more appropriate solution.

What's the correct way to attach them? Any help would be very much
appreciated! TIA,

Jason

Filets & exterior glue, such as Probond. You don't need much glue, the
filets hold the side to side. Filets will more than likely have to be
fabricated on site with table saw etc. I would glue the filets using no
fasteners, unless you use SS brads or similar just to tack into place.
Still glue the filets.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Larry, can you be more specific with what you mean by "fillets"? I
looked up pictures to make sure that I understood the term correctly,
but I'm not sure how you mean that they should be used here.

On Sep 7, 10:40*pm, IGot2P wrote:
Jason Carlton wrote:
On Sep 7, 9:14 pm, aemeijers wrote:
Jason Carlton wrote:
I'm having my deck rebuilt by what I thought was a professional, but
we're on day 2 and I'm having my doubts on his competence. I've
already had to make him fix 3 rather large errors, so I'm about an
inch away from firing him and just doing it myself.
Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:
http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif
How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.
My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail
that wouldn't come apart without a hammer, so I thought that might be
the more appropriate solution.
What's the correct way to attach them? Any help would be very much
appreciated! TIA,
Jason
Without seeing the exact parts, it is hard to say. Is the bottom of the
cap rail recessed to catch the 2x4? Is the recess deep enough to add a
few countersunk finish nails through the side? Failing that, is the 2x4
drilled to receive the top of the spindle posts? Long screws up through
the bottom would work. You don't need to pin the 2 rails together real
hard- once every couple of feet is plenty. (assuming they are both
firmly attached to the vertical posts at the end, of course.)

Yeah, sounds like your 'pro' is a bubba, used to building decks out of
PT dimensional lumber. (not that there is anything wrong with that- my
new deck will be done on the cheap.) But for a pretty shaped and
prefinished cap rail like that, screw holes on the top is just dumb.
Along with being ugly, they will let water in (no matter how well
puttied), and turn that fancy expen$ive rail to crap in a couple of years.

--
aem sends...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That's an extremely accurate description of the guy building the deck.
He was not happy about the brackets I bought to connect the 2x4s to
the 4x4s, either; he just wanted to nail through the corners of the
2x4s. Like you said, that's all good, but if I'm spending $8500 on a
deck, I want it to look the way I want it to look!

I couldn't find the rail on Lowes.com, but they have the slowest site
in the world so I gave up after 30 minutes of searching. Instead, I
just took a photo of the end of it, so you can see the type I'm
talking about. You can see it he

http://www.gowilkes.com/Handrail.jpg(68kb)

The 2x4s that go underneath are just regular 2x4s; they're not drilled
or anything to fit into the rail. There's really not a place on the
rail for a screw or anything, which is why I thought that maybe Liquid
Nail was the approved method.

Point your browser tohttp://www.crsales.com/handrail_with_nails.htmand
take a look. What would be wrong with simply using stainless steel
finish nails as indicated in the somewhat crude image that I made. You
can even get the nails online athttp://www.stainless-fasteners.com/finishnails.htmif you can't find
them locally.

Don- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Don, aemeijers expressed my exact concern on using nails earlier. I
worry that even a small hole will let water get into the wood, and of
course during the winter, that water becomes ice. So over time, I
worry that the trapped water will warp and split the rail.

"Jason" wrote in message
...
On Sep 7, 10:30 pm, "Larry S" wrote:
"Jason Carlton" wrote in message

...





I'm having my deck rebuilt by what I thought was a professional, but
we're on day 2 and I'm having my doubts on his competence. I've
already had to make him fix 3 rather large errors, so I'm about an
inch away from firing him and just doing it myself.

Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:

http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif

How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.

My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail
that wouldn't come apart without a hammer, so I thought that might be
the more appropriate solution.

What's the correct way to attach them? Any help would be very much
appreciated! TIA,

Jason

Filets & exterior glue, such as Probond. You don't need much glue, the
filets hold the side to side. Filets will more than likely have to be
fabricated on site with table saw etc. I would glue the filets using no
fasteners, unless you use SS brads or similar just to tack into place.
Still glue the filets.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Larry, can you be more specific with what you mean by "fillets"? I
looked up pictures to make sure that I understood the term correctly,
but I'm not sure how you mean that they should be used here.

Maybe I'm not on the same page as you're wanting to do. But, from the looks
of the handrail (plow) you're using, it is configured to use filets,
between the spindles. I'm assuming, which is a bad thing to do, is your 2x4
are going to set into the plow of the handrail.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...a%3DN%26um%3D1

or http://tinyurl.com/m8fxo2

Larry S wrote:
"Jason" wrote in message
...
On Sep 7, 10:30 pm, "Larry S" wrote:
"Jason Carlton" wrote in message

...





I'm having my deck rebuilt by what I thought was a professional, but
we're on day 2 and I'm having my doubts on his competence. I've
already had to make him fix 3 rather large errors, so I'm about an
inch away from firing him and just doing it myself.
Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:
http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif
How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.
My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail
that wouldn't come apart without a hammer, so I thought that might be
the more appropriate solution.
What's the correct way to attach them? Any help would be very much
appreciated! TIA,
Jason
Filets & exterior glue, such as Probond. You don't need much glue, the
filets hold the side to side. Filets will more than likely have to be
fabricated on site with table saw etc. I would glue the filets using no
fasteners, unless you use SS brads or similar just to tack into place.
Still glue the filets.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Larry, can you be more specific with what you mean by "fillets"? I
looked up pictures to make sure that I understood the term correctly,
but I'm not sure how you mean that they should be used here.

Maybe I'm not on the same page as you're wanting to do. But, from the looks
of the handrail (plow) you're using, it is configured to use filets,
between the spindles. I'm assuming, which is a bad thing to do, is your 2x4
are going to set into the plow of the handrail.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...a%3DN%26um%3D1

or http://tinyurl.com/m8fxo2



Nope, OP's rail is basically a T section, with the fancy cap over a
vertical 2x4. (the cap rail looks like it is designed for multiple
applications.) That is why I assumed that the vertical 2x4 would be
drilled to accept the top of the spindles. His later reply implies
pre-made panel sections, with the top and bottom rails and spindles
pre-made in a factory. With those materials, I'd still try screwing up
from the bottom, with long skinny stainless screws and a countersink. I
know I could do it, and I'm no artist with a drill.

--
aem sends...

On Sep 7, 11:38*pm, aemeijers wrote:
Larry S wrote:
"Jason" wrote in message
....
On Sep 7, 10:30 pm, "Larry S" wrote:
"Jason Carlton" wrote in message

....

I'm having my deck rebuilt by what I thought was a professional, but
we're on day 2 and I'm having my doubts on his competence. I've
already had to make him fix 3 rather large errors, so I'm about an
inch away from firing him and just doing it myself.
Anyway, my question is about the top railing. I bought the type of
railing from Lowes that's basically a 2x4 that has been shaped and
somewhat finished, and you attach a 2x4 underneath to create the top
rail. Sort of like this, but not exactly:
http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ebuild/20...Untitled-1.gif
How is he supposed to attach the shaped railing to the 2x4? He wants
to run screws through the rail into the 2x4s, but that seems like an
extremely bad idea when the rail is already shaped and finished.
My thoughts were that Lowes might have a bracket that's supposed to
connect them. Or failing that, I've attached wood with Liquid Nail
that wouldn't come apart without a hammer, so I thought that might be
the more appropriate solution.
What's the correct way to attach them? Any help would be very much
appreciated! TIA,
Jason
Filets & exterior glue, such as Probond. You don't need much glue, the
filets hold the side to side. Filets will more than likely have to be
fabricated on site with table saw etc. I would glue the filets using no
fasteners, unless you use SS brads or similar just to tack into place.
Still glue the filets.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Larry, can you be more specific with what you mean by "fillets"? I
looked up pictures to make sure that I understood the term correctly,
but I'm not sure how you mean that they should be used here.

Maybe I'm not on the same page as you're wanting to do. But, from the looks
of the handrail (plow) you're using, it is configured to use filets,
between the spindles. I'm assuming, which is a bad thing to do, is your 2x4
are going to set into the plow of the handrail.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...partsusa.com/v....

orhttp://tinyurl.com/m8fxo2

Nope, OP's rail is basically a T section, with the fancy cap over a
vertical 2x4. (the cap rail looks like it is designed for multiple
applications.) *That is why I assumed that the vertical 2x4 would be
drilled to accept the top of the spindles. His later reply implies
pre-made panel sections, with the top and bottom rails and spindles
pre-made in a factory. With those materials, I'd still try screwing up
from the bottom, with long skinny stainless screws and a countersink. I
know I could do it, and I'm no artist with a drill.

--
aem sends...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Aem is exactly right. There will be a vertical 2x4 on the bottom,
another vertical 2x4 on the top, and then black aluminum balusters
between; like this:

http://stiles123.com/deckInstallationBalusters.html

But instead of what appears to be a horizontal 2x4 in the picture,
mine will have the aforementioned top rail.

I shouldn't have any problem screwing these in from below, if that's
the best method to use. Thanks, all,

Jason

"Jason Carlton" wrote in message
...

. . . I'm spending $8500 on a
deck, I want it to look the way I want it to look!

$8500 is a significant price. In your place, after so many
disagrements, I would fire this chap and look elsewhere.
With careful thought and preplanning, you can build a
better deck yourself with one unskilled helper, cheaper too.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)