A New Deck Rises Above the Trees in Dresher, PA

This Dresher project called for a brand-new elevated deck off the second floor, built out over the existing lower patio with cantilevered sections extending past the house wall on both sides. We set the structure on helical piers, which let the crew get the foundation in without disturbing the patio and landscaping below, and framed the deck to carry the full footprint the client wanted.

For the decking surface, the client chose Deckorators Voyage composite in Sedona, finished with a double-board picture frame border in the same color for a cleaner, wider edge around the whole perimeter than a standard single board gives. The fascia is Voyage as well, so the decking, frame, and fascia all read as one continuous material and color from above and from below.

Along the perimeter, we installed a Deckorators horizontal cable railing system with 2.5-inch black aluminum posts and a Sedona-color composite cocktail-top rail cap, wide enough to set a drink on without losing the open sightline the cable design is meant to preserve. The support columns and beam underneath are stained to match Sedona as well, so the finished look carries all the way down to grade instead of stopping at the decking edge.

With the structure complete, the deck now holds a full outdoor living setup — a sectional and lounge chairs on one end, a dining table under a market umbrella on the other, and a covered grill tucked along the house wall. The cable railing keeps the view of the trees behind the property open from every seat on the deck. If your own backyard could use a second-floor deck built to take advantage of a view like this, we'd be glad to walk the property with you and talk through what's possible.

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