Complete Alvarado, TX

Keith's Covered Deck in Alvarado, TX

Keith reached out about turning an empty stretch of backyard into a shaded outdoor living space his family could actually use through a Texas summer. The plan: a solid pressure-treated frame, composite decking, and a full timber-framed pavilion overhead tied cleanly into the back of the house.

Keith's backyard in Alvarado before deck construction began — Day one — bare yard along the back of the house.

Materials staged in the backyard before framing — Materials staged and the layout squared off.

Step 1 — Framing it right

Everything starts underneath. We set the posts in concrete, ran prime pressure-treated beams, and kept joists tight on center so the deck feels solid underfoot — no bounce, no squeaks. Keith's deck also got the optional joist butyl tape to keep water off the framing at every fastener.

Pressure treated deck framing laid out in Keith's backyard — Beams and joists going down over set posts.

Completed deck substructure framing before decking is installed — Substructure squared, leveled, and ready for decking.

Step 2 — Decking and the pavilion

Composite decking went down next, followed by the timber posts, beams, and bracing for the covered pavilion. The gable end and metal roof were framed to match the pitch of the home's roofline so the whole thing reads like it was always part of the house.

Crew installing composite decking under the new timber pavilion — Decking in, pavilion framed and roofed.

Finished covered composite deck with timber gable pavilion in Alvarado, TX — Pavilion complete and decking finished.

Step 3 — Railings in and finished

With the black aluminum railings and cocktail rail caps installed, Keith's covered deck is officially complete — a shaded outdoor living space that looks like it was part of the house from day one.

Completed covered composite deck with timber pavilion in Alvarado, TX — Finished deck and timber pavilion from the yard.

Finished timber pavilion with metal roof over composite deck — Metal roof and stained timber posts wrapped up.

View from the finished deck stairs out to the backyard — Stairs and railing looking out over the yard.

Composite deck boards with black aluminum railing and post caps — Composite boards, black railing, and post caps.

Grilling area on the finished covered composite deck — Ready to use — grill area under the cover.

Project details

Location: Alvarado, TX
Status: Complete
Decking: Composite
Cover: Timber pavilion with metal roof
Framing: Prime ground-contact pressure treated
Add-on: Joist butyl tape

Complete Grandview, TX

Greg's Build in Grandview, TX

Tearout and prep work has begun on Greg's project in Grandview. The crew is pulling the old ledger and trim off the back of the house, clearing the existing patio area, and getting the wall prepped so the new ledger board can be flashed and fastened correctly. Framing comes next — we'll keep posting photos here as each stage wraps up.

Crew removing old ledger and trim during tearout at Greg's Grandview, TX home — Tearout underway — old ledger and trim coming off.

Back of the house prepped for new deck framing in Grandview, TX — Wall prepped and patio area cleared for framing.

Framing underway — beams, posts, and layout

With the wall prepped, the crew moved straight into framing. Posts were set and braced, the ledger fastened and flashed to the house, and the carrying beams run level across the back elevation. Every beam-to-post connection is tied together with heavy galvanized hardware and structural fasteners, so the frame carries load the way it's supposed to before a single deck board goes down.

Wide view of Greg's Grandview, TX home with new deck framing going up under the oak trees — Framing takes shape across the back of the house.

Deck beams and posts installed along the back wall of the house in Grandview, TX — Posts set, beams run level, layout squared to the house.

Crew member setting deck joists on top of the beam framing — Joists being laid out across the beams.

Installer driving structural fasteners into deck framing with galvanized hardware — Structural fasteners and galvanized hardware at every connection — joist hangers will be added next.

Joists, stairs, and rail posts — almost ready for composite

The frame is buttoned up. Joists are hung and blocked on tight spacing, the rail posts are set and plumb, and the stair stringers are cut and landed so the deck ties cleanly down to grade. Next up is butyl joist tape over the framing, then the Fiberon Good Life Cabin composite boards go down — we're one step away from decking on this one.

Deck joists and rail posts installed along the back of Greg's Grandview, TX home, ready for composite decking — Joists hung, rail posts set — ready for composite boards.

Stair stringers and treads framed off the new deck in Grandview, TX — Stairs framed and landed so the deck ties down to grade.

Fiberon decking going down

Decking day. The Fiberon Good Life Cabin boards are being cut and fastened across the taped joists, with picture-frame border boards notched tight around every rail post for a clean, finished edge. Fascia wraps the stair boxes so the composite carries all the way down the steps — no exposed framing anywhere you walk.

Installer cutting Fiberon Good Life Cabin composite deck boards in place on Greg's Grandview, TX deck — Fiberon Good Life Cabin boards cut and fastened across the joists.

Benchmark Decks crew member cutting composite decking on a miter saw below the deck frame — Every board measured and cut on site.

Composite deck board notched around a stained rail post with cable railing hardware — Boards notched tight around each rail post.

Composite stair tread and fascia wrapping the stair box on Greg's Grandview, TX deck — Composite treads wrapping the stair boxes.

Cable railing is installed

The cable railing is in. Stained posts, top and bottom rails, and stainless cable runs tensioned level across every section — strong, code-height railing that keeps the tree line and the view wide open.

Stainless cable railing runs tensioned between stained wood posts on Greg's Grandview, TX deck — Cable runs tensioned level across each section.

Close-up of stainless cable railing tensioners fastened to a stained deck post — Stainless hardware set and tensioned post by post.

Benchmark Decks crew member installing cable railing on an elevated deck in Grandview, TX — Final rail sections going in from the deck edge.

Composite stair treads with cable railing looking down into the tree line — Cable railing carried down the stairs to grade.

The finished build

Here it is complete — an elevated Fiberon Good Life composite deck in Cabin, wrapped in stained pressure-treated framing and fascia, with stainless cable railing and a full stair run down to grade. Wide open views of the oaks and a covered patio space underneath.

Completed elevated composite deck with cable railing on a two-story home in Grandview, TX — The completed deck from the back yard.

Wide view of the finished elevated deck and stairs in Grandview, TX — Full-length deck wrapping the back of the house.

Finished Fiberon Good Life composite decking in Cabin with cable railing — Fiberon Good Life composite decking in Cabin.

Composite deck surface and cable railing overlooking the tree line — Room to spread out with the tree line wide open.

Stained wood stair run with cable railing leading down to grade — Stair run down to grade with cable railing.

Underside of the elevated deck creating a covered patio in Grandview, TX — Covered patio space created underneath.

Close-up of a stained post cap and cable railing corner detail — Post cap and corner detail.

Cable railing tensioners on a stained stair post next to composite treads — Clean tensioner layout on the stair posts.

Composite stair landing with cable railing at the bottom of the run — Composite landing at the base of the stairs.

Cable railing tied into the existing covered patio columns — Cable railing tied into the existing patio columns.

Project details

Location: Grandview, TX
Status: Complete
Decking: Fiberon Good Life composite — Cabin
Railing: Cable railing
Framing: Prime pressure treated with joist hangers
Add-on: Butyl joist tape

Coming Soon Joshua, TXTeardown & Rebuild

Violet's Teardown & Rebuild in Joshua, TX

Violet's old deck has reached the end of its life, so this one starts with a full teardown. We'll haul off the existing structure, inspect and reset the footings, then rebuild from the ground up — new framing, new decking, and fresh finish details. Before-and-after photos will be posted here as the crew works through each stage.

Photos and the full build story are on the way. Check back soon.

Build Blog

Keith's Covered Deck in Alvarado, TX

Step 1 — Framing it right

Step 2 — Decking and the pavilion

Step 3 — Railings in and finished

Project details

Greg's Build in Grandview, TX

Framing underway — beams, posts, and layout

Joists, stairs, and rail posts — almost ready for composite

Fiberon decking going down

Cable railing is installed

The finished build

Project details

Violet's Teardown & Rebuild in Joshua, TX

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