Ryan,

Thanks for the info!. I appreciate your work to dig up prices and give detailed explanations.

The price of that lumber makes me want to find "alternative" materials. Maybe I can find some big cypress trees and saw my own or something. ;\)

You mentioned crowning the deck boards. I know cupping is a problem, even if you keep the crown up, sometimes the boards shrink and you still end up with a bit of a cup. One technique to help this is to use a screw on each side of the board, and none in the center. That way when it rains, the center of the board can crown up a little and shed water.

Another mistake I have seen is jamming the deck boards too close or even touching. They need at least 1/8" spacing, and 3/16" is even better for boards that get wet often.

Thanks again!

Shrimp