Trex Enhance Basics Composite Deck — Cambridge, MD

Project overview

A new composite deck built in Cambridge, Maryland. Scope covered layout and design, footings, pressure-treated framing, Trex Enhance Basics decking, composite railing with aluminium balusters, stairs, and the fastening and flashing details where the deck meets the house.

The design brief was straightforward: more usable outdoor space, and a surface the homeowner would not have to sand, stain or seal every couple of seasons.

Why the homeowner chose Trex Enhance Basics

Enhance Basics is Trex's entry-level composite line. It gives the practical benefit people want from composite — no staining, no sealing, resistance to fading, staining and mould — at a price closer to premium wood than to the top composite tiers.

On the Eastern Shore that trade-off makes sense. Wood decking here is exposed to humidity most of the year, and the maintenance cycle is the part homeowners get tired of, not the initial cost.

Materials and specifications

Trex Enhance Basics composite deck boards. Pressure-treated framing with joist spacing set for composite decking rather than the wider spacing used for wood — composite spans less, and getting this wrong is the most common cause of a bouncy composite deck. Concrete footings below frost depth. Composite railing with aluminium balusters. Hidden fasteners on the field boards for a clean surface.

Ledger connection and flashing at the house wall were detailed to keep water out of the rim joist, which is where deck-to-house failures usually begin.

Our process, step by step

Design and layout with the homeowner, working around door locations, sight lines and how the space will actually be used. Permitting. Footings and framing inspected before decking goes down. Decking, railing and stairs. Final cleanup and a walkthrough covering care and the manufacturer's cleaning guidance.

Every deck we build is framed to meet local code. Connections — ledger, posts, stair stringers — get the most attention, because most deck failures are connection failures rather than surface failures.

Eastern Shore considerations

Humidity is the constant here. It is what rots untreated wood, feeds mould on shaded boards, and corrodes the wrong fasteners. Composite decking removes most of that maintenance from the surface, but the framing underneath is still wood and still needs proper flashing, ventilation beneath the boards, and hardware suited to treated lumber.

Near the water, fastener and connector selection matters even more; we specify hardware appropriate to the exposure rather than using the same box on every job.

Warranty

Trex publishes its own limited warranty terms for Enhance Basics, covering the decking product against defects and, for the applicable period, fade and stain. Those terms come from Trex and are provided to the homeowner in writing. Our workmanship on the framing and installation is covered separately by our own labour warranty, stated on the contract.