"I was first introduced to Clayton Woodworks by my gardener. They were one of the service providers I considered to build a new deck and stairs on the side of my house. Their detailed CAD drawings helped me visualize what I wanted my deck to look like, and made them stand out from the other deck people I was interviewing. Once they were hired they did an amazing job. Their work is precise, the fasteners are all nicely countersunk and evenly spaced. Their aesthetic choices are informed. They are a pleasure to work with (very clean and courteous.) They helped me with several challenges, coming up with great solutions for design conundrums. They installed a counter-weighted trap door in my deck to hide the stairs to the garage below. And they even fixed some rotten framing that they found in my house. I couldn't be happier. The view out my kitchen window has gone from yuk to amazing! Since the deck is done, I have also hired them to replace the treads and risers on my front steps with ipe. Once again they have been a great asset, helping me to explore the options for amending a problem with the stair height on the existing stairway, and coming up with a creative and simple way to update the poorly-built, funky looking staircase. The steps are finished and they look great! Major curb appeal update. When Clayton does work for me, I feel like I am getting a very high quality of craftsmanship. I also trust them to advise me correctly. While decking may sound simple, the quality of their work is something closer to custom cabinetry (which they do as well.) I'd trust them to do almost anything, and I will continue to use their services when needed."
We were referred to this job by Peter Forrest Kline, the landscaper. peterforrestkline.com He is renovating the back yard.
The lower set of stairs lead to the garage. They are seldom used, and take up a large amount of the potential deck area just outside the back door. We had the thought of creating a trap door in the new deck to utilize the entire available space. The old planter in the photo below was to be eliminated.
The upper staircase would now extend to the fence, and the fence would be faced with rough-sawn redwood, oriented horizontally, with some grooves added for a little detail.
Two of Carl's sketches representing the proposed work:
Once the demolition of the old deck was done we discovered some rotten framing in the walls and floor of the house that needed replacing. We removed a few pieces of siding and installed pressure-treated lumber in place of the old rot.
Here's a test fit of the upper stair stringer.
The four stringers installed, with temporary treads up the middle.
The new fencing going up.
New treads and risers, new decking installed.
There's a little landing at the top, with which the new landscaping will merge.
In this photo everything is done but the trap door . That is being shop-built out of the same decking (1"x 6" Ipe) on an aluminum frame, and will swing on a 6' long continuous (piano) hinge. The net weight of the door will be about 140 lbs, so it will be counter-balanced to make it easy to lift and lower.
Peter is going to give the back yard a complete make-over. For our part we are putting in two retaining walls and a redwood trellis.
These retaining walls will be faced and capped with ipe to match the deck after the major landscaping is completed.
The trap door in closed position...
And open... It worked out nicely that the trap door becomes a safety rail for the stairwell when open.
The counter balance is suspended from the two outermost aluminum frame members. It is made from a 7 foot long piece of 6 inch diameter cast iron pipe, swinging on clevis pins run through the frame. The pipe contains some steel bar stock for additional weight - about 160 lbs total. We were fortunate to have adequate space beneath the deck for all this to operate within.
The door is easy to lift, whether operating it from above or below.
Below are a few shots of the completed landscaping.
