Hello guys you have been very helpful in the past. Here's the latest challenge. I have updated my upper deck to all composite deck boards and rails. I now want to replace the deck boards that my gazebo is sitting on with composite. I am confident the pressure treated joists are fine. The gazebo is about 5 feet off the ground on cedar planks. The ends of the planks outside of the gazebo are rotting. There are 8 gazebo posts sitting on top of the planks I want to replace. The posts are essentially 4x4's. The railing between the posts is not really structurally strong, just screwed into the posts with some short deck screws. In pretty much all situations, there are 2 gazebo posts sitting on a single deck board! How can I get these deck boards out from under the posts, replace the deck board with a composite board, and lower the posts back onto the new deck board? Also somewhat compounding the problem is the fact that the current deck boards are 2x6's and the new deck boards are basically 1x6. Attached are some photos that I hope will help. All input is appreciated!

Hi, I am hoping for another opinion on this. I’m rebuilding my deck and after taking out the old one, I realized it had a ledger board screwed on the exterior brick veneer. I can’t install a new ledger board there because it is against code and a bad idea. So I was looking for some help on how to install a beam there. Due to the height limitation, the beam would have to be flush with the joists. The slab below has sunk in different areas. I thought about digging holes as close to the house wall as possible for concrete piers in order to install a beam that would mimic a ledger board. Another thought is to change the orientation of the beams to be 90 degrees from the house. Any ideas? The house wall is 18ft and the deck would extend for another 12 to the left. Thanks, Nick