The Complete Guide to Decks : A Step-by-Step Manual for Building Decks (Black & Decker Complete Guide) (Black & Decker Complete Guide)

List Price: $24.95 Discount Price: $13.74

Customer Reviews:

very informative [Posted on 2008-04-01]
A great book for deck building. My only complaint is there was a bit too much info on the exotic style decks that can be built. More regular first time info would have been helpful. Overall though a great book for the price.

A brief comment [Posted on 2008-06-20]
The last time I did much carpentry was 30 years ago, so not being much of a carpenter, I'm having a deck built for me, but I still wanted to get some information on how its done, so I'd have some idea of what to look for in a well designed and built deck, and how to maintain it. This book was fine for that. It covers all the basics, the different parts of the deck, siting the deck, materials to choose from, design ideas, important things to consider, plus of course how to actually go about building a deck. I learned that many decks these days are actually more of a particle board or composite material, which is low maintenance, which lasts longer and is easier to maintain. I had always liked the idea of a cedar or redwood deck but decided that the other material was the way to go. It doesn't have the nice grain of natural wood, but better resists stains, water, and the elements. Overall, a helpful book, especially for a beginner with not much previous knowledge and expertise. I also liked the book: Building a Deck: Expert Advice from Start to Finish. These two books were the best of the many that I looked at.

Decking review [Posted on 2008-09-08]
Excellent book for the home DIY person. If you thinking of hiring contractors to put in a deck, forget it, buy this book and DIY.

Very Good Book [Posted on 2008-10-15]
I have purchased several books from Black & Decker, from plumbing to electrical. They are very good. What I like about the Black & Decker books is their ability to place a lot of pictures into their books. You know the old saying "A picture says a thousand words." There were clear and concise directions for simple and complex deck projects. I will say that if you don't have some basic building skills, you could become frustrated in the middle of your project. Remember, many of these 'How To" books go on the premise that the builder is working with perfectly straight lumber. A case in point; as I was building my deck, I had to make small notches along many of my floor joists that rested on the support beam in order to keep the top layers level for the boards that would be placed on top. Why? Because the 4 X 6 support beam had a slight crown, as well as the 2 X 8 joists. If you are inexperienced, buy the book, read the section you are going to use throughly, ask questions, and take it real slow-You can do it.

The Complete Guide to Decks [Posted on 2008-10-26]
This book was a great help to me and my husband. We used the step-by-step instructions to build a low profile desk in our backyard. We had never built anything like that before and it looks great! The book is easy to follow and has great diagrams and pictures.

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