.svg){kind=icon}
From Bare Concrete to Backyard Retreat — A New Deck in North Brunswick, NJ
See how we built a brand-new deck in North Brunswick Township, NJ with Deckorators Summit Boulder decking, a black aluminum Rapid Rail railing, and a 12x20 black aluminum louvered pergola.
A brand-new 24x30 deck built on helical piers, finished with Deckorators Summit Boulder composite decking, a black aluminum Rapid Rail railing, and a 12x20 louvered pergola.
This North Brunswick Township backyard used to be just that — a yard. A small concrete pad sat against the back of the house with a worn wood stoop and a few steps down to the grass, and that was the extent of any outdoor living space. There was nowhere to sit, nowhere to grill, nowhere to gather. The plan was to change that completely with a ground-up 24x30 single-level deck.
We built the new deck on helical piers, demoing the old concrete pad except for the section under the AC unit, and framed the whole structure from scratch. The decking is Deckorators Summit composite in Boulder, finished with a single-board picture frame border in the same color, matching Summit fascia wrapping the band boards, and Summit stair treads down to grade. It's a clean, consistent gray-brown tone across the whole structure, top to bottom.
Around the perimeter, we installed a black aluminum Rapid Rail railing system with 2.5-inch aluminum posts — a clean modern line that reads well against the Boulder decking without any of the upkeep a painted or stained rail would need. Underneath, the deck is closed in with composite Tier 2 vertical skirting in Boulder, with a gravel weed barrier laid beneath the whole footprint to keep the crawlspace clean and low-maintenance for years to come.
We also wired in a full LED lighting package — a dedicated transformer, riser lights built into the stair treads, and wedge lights along the railing posts — so the stairs and perimeter stay lit after the sun goes down. And at the center of it all sits a 12x20 black aluminum louvered pergola, manually operated with a simple pull-cord mechanism, giving this home shade and shelter over a full outdoor dining table and a sectional lounge with a fire table.
The landscaping crew tied it all together with a rock-garden bed running along the base of the new skirting and a stepping-stone path connecting the stairs to a separate paver patio, where a small fire pit and a set of Adirondack chairs give this home a second gathering spot just off the deck.
What used to be an empty stretch of concrete and grass is now a full outdoor living space — a place to cook, eat, sit under the pergola on a hot afternoon, or gather around the fire pit at night. If your own backyard is still just a yard, we'd be glad to talk through what a build like this could look like at your home.
## Image: story-section/upgryd-pergola-pull-cord-lounge-view-north-brunswick-nj-06.jpg
## Caption: The pergola's manual pull-cord and lounge seating, viewed from underneath the roof.
## Image: story-section/upgryd-pergola-structure-side-angle-north-brunswick-nj-07.jpg
## Caption: A side angle of the black aluminum louvered pergola structure over the new deck.
Explore Premium Materials for Your Perfect Deck
From decking and railings to lighting and accessories, discover the high-quality materials that make every Upgryd deck stylish, durable, and uniquely yours.
