The deck is officially finished — cue the celebratory noise. I wrapped up the last work on Friday and spent the weekend nervously waiting for the county inspection. I didn’t want to celebrate until I knew it met code. The inspection happened yesterday afternoon, and we passed. After ten weeks of work, relief washed over me like the sweat I shed building this thing (note to self: build decks in spring or fall).
This new deck is a huge upgrade from the tiny rotting balcony we started with. We hoped to have it ready for Sherry’s mom’s visit from New York, so I pushed hard during the final stretch. It turned into a bigger marathon than expected. We originally thought the job would take three to four weeks of intermittent work, but hot weather, thunderstorms, equipment rentals, material delays, inspections, travel and the fact that I was largely a one-person crew stretched it out to ten weeks. Still, the result is incredibly satisfying.
Working on the deck became a surprisingly peaceful escape. During Clara’s naps or on Saturday mornings I could shut out emails and chores and just focus on building. My dad’s help with the auger when digging post holes was invaluable — there’s something special about father/son projects that makes all the hard work worthwhile.
If you’re planning a similar build: an experienced crew could likely finish a deck of this size in about a week, though inspections may require pauses. If you’re a first-timer doing most of the work yourself and can only commit evenings and occasional weekends, plan for a month or two depending on weather and inspection timing. But there’s no denying the payoff when you sink that last screw.
Here’s a concise overview of how I completed the stairs and railing. After laying all the decking, I cut and attached the remaining posts. Installing the railing posts early helped me plan the stair stringers — the diagonal boards supporting the treads.
You can buy pre-cut stringers, but I cut my own to use the lumber from our delivery and save money. Calculating the rise and run felt intimidating at first, but once the numbers were set I used a framing square and a clamped straight edge to mark accurate cuts on the 2 x 12 boards. I cut with a circular saw and finished the inner corners with a reciprocating saw when the circular blade couldn’t reach.
I cut three stringers for the 48″ wide staircase, testing each in place. One board had a knot that caused a small step tip to break, so I patched it with a short piece screwed on — after confirming it still met code. I attached the stringers to the deck using angled hangers and checked level frequently to avoid uneven treads.
I added blocking between stringers to keep the step widths consistent. They won’t be visible once the treads are installed, but they prevent the steps from gradually changing width down the run. For the posts that support the staircase, I set post anchors into wet concrete — carefully aligning them to match the steps — and let the concrete cure before setting and fastening the posts.
While the concrete set, I cut the wood for the treads. To match the decking, each tread used two 2 x 6 boards for the top and a 2 x 8 at the back to form a small overhang. Attaching all the boards took more screws and time than I expected, but the result was solid and uniform.
Next came the guardrail. I started with the 2 x 4 rail boards running between posts at the top and bottom. Local code required a maximum 4″ gap between the deck and the rail, so I used a 4 x 4 post as a convenient spacer to ensure consistent height. Attaching the railing along the stair slope required careful measurement to meet code for the gap under the rail and its height above the tread nosing. Cutting the angles and holding pieces in place while screwing them together was fiddly but doable.
The posts attached to the deck ended up taller than original because I had to replace the first set — I’d cut them too short to meet required railing height on the stairs. That setback was frustrating, but it taught me to leave posts a bit long and trim them to final length after confirming everything meets code.
For the balusters (the vertical pickets), we chose a traditional look to match the patio side of the house. This choice kept the railings visually consistent from the living room and was straightforward to install. I temporarily removed the rail cap on the stair railing, screwed the balusters in with excess length, then cut them flush with a reciprocating saw so the cap would sit neatly on top.
The top rail cap is a 5/4 x 6″ decking board that provides a finished ledge. Cutting the notches and angles to fit around posts took patience, but the cap ties the whole railing together. I also installed a handrail for the stairs as required and added decorative wood post caps at the top and bottom for a finished look.
With the balusters and cap in place and the posts trimmed to code height, the railing and stairs were complete. The county-approved deck is now ready for final sealing and furniture. We’ll pick a sealant after a bit of research and share a full budget breakdown once that step is done.
For now, I’m spending time out on the finished deck with a cold drink, enjoying the view and the sense of accomplishment. Building this deck ranks high among my project achievements — only demoing and rebuilding a full bathroom from the studs edges it out as tougher — but this one is a very close second. If you’ve recently finished a long project, you know exactly how satisfying that final moment feels.