I’m going to be building a deck at my cabin next spring and want to start planning now. It’s in the mountains so high snow loads are possible (up to 15’ depth). The deck is about 6’ off the ground. The deck will be about 25’x 12’. My questions are: 1. Does anyone have experience with how the composite decking materials holds up both aesthetically and structurally with a lot of snow and shoveling all winter? 2. Does anyone see a problem with hanging the beams on the posts ? I plan on hanging 4” x ??” beams between 6”x 6” posts around the perimeter and resting the beams on the posts in the center of the deck. I’m doing this so I can continue the posts up for the railing. 3. Does anyone see a problem with hanging the joists between the beams instead of resting them on top? My basement access is under the deck and if I place the joists on top of the beams that would only leave me about a 4 ½ foot door. I hope that this makes sense. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I just had a 500 sq foot PT deck built and now I need to stain it. I live in North Carolina and I get a mix of shade and sun on my deck. I want a stain that will last, look good (show some of the wood grain) and not be too difficult to apply. I am trying to decide what to use .... TWP200 or Cabot 1400 series: TWP200 - recommended by two deck contractors including the one I used. Only available via one supplier in the area. Not reviewed by Consumer Reports or anyone else. (that I can find) Their spec sheet on their web site says that their stain is "not recommended" for high traffic areas but the contractors still recommend it. Oil based product ?? Cabot 1400 Series -- rated best deck stain by Consumer Reports for the last couple of years. Local Ace Hardware carries the product. I was told that the Cabot was harder to apply than the TWP200 product. Acrylic based product. Also, any comments on staining after 30 days if it stays dry and hot ? Thanks !!