Building a new deck

Personally I see no reason to drop the ledger board if it is properly flashed. The key phrase there is "properly flashed." Flashing should go up under the siding, be bent at a 90* angle over the top of the ledger board and then bent at a 90* again down the face of the ledger board at least an inch. The door should have been flashed when it was installed but don't count on it. Where the ledger board is positioned now, it is lined up with the rear house band joist. It should be through bolted every 24". Stager the carraige bolts, one high, one low. Don't go any closer than 2" to the top of bottom of the ledger board. Use 1/2" diameter galvanized carraige bolts and shoot silicone around the bolt holes to help seal them.

Don't sweat the expansion/contraction. All materials will do that including wood. Use whatever you like best. Even if you area doesn't require it, a second post and beam system within 2' of the house makes the deck much stronger and safer. Deck collapses are almost always a result of pulling away from the house.

To answer your question, yes there are definitely opinions out there. Here are mine:

1) Definitely lower the ledger board 6". No matter how well the threshold is sealed under the door, water will get in. The adjacent flashing is not the issue. It's the fact that melting snow and ice will drain to the low point which at times will be your threshold, and at times may even be the door bottom.

2) Check and see how the ledger is fastened. Lag bolts are only 'ok'. It should be carriage bolted to your bond, and your bond should be well secured from subfloor nailing, plate nails, and some toenails. If your floor joists run perpendicular to the bond they should have some toenails in them, not just end nails.

3) Use a 'drop girder' of triple 2 x 10s with 8' spacing on your posts, and holding it back 2' from the overall width of your deck, and flush with the bottom of your joists.

4) If you have access to #1 treated lumber, it's a much better product than some of what's out there and costs about the same. Use it for your structure.

5) Crown your header and all your joists with the crown up. If you do go with Trex or another composite, set your joists on 12" centers, and make sure similar crowns go together. Otherwise your deck won't be flat, it'll snake all over the place.

6) Check into 'Ipe' for your decking, it's about the same as Cedar in pricing but a superior decking material.

7) If that's vinyl siding, remove enough courses to get up at 18" or so, then ice shield the wall, and lap it down onto your ledger board.

8) Staple strips of tarpaper to the top edges of your framing. It'll help to seal out water which lays there for days after rain, and stays between the underside of your deck board and the top of the joist, leading to premature failure.

9) There are several products you can use to 'blind fasten' the decking. It's a lot of extra work, but give it some thought. 'Deckmaster' is a good product.

10) Plan out your posts and railing ahead of time. It'll be a lot easier to set your posts prior to running all the decking than waiting 'til after the entire deck is down.

11) Use three stringers for your stairs, and seal the cuts on the stringers before installing the treads. Use one 2 x 6 along with one 2 x 8 for each tread, and a 1" overhang over your plumb cut, and keep your rise under 8 1/2". It will make a much more comfortable stair than two, 2 x 6s for treads, and tall rises, which are more common. You don't need risers. Everything will drain better without them.

Bolts over lag screws...
Use pipe to create 1" gap if possible between house and deck...
Decomposing stuff can cause that failure of deck to house...

Can i chime in? the deck we built last fall is 46ft by 18ft i thru bolted ledger board with 6 by 6 colums and 12 on center. I am only 18 inches off the ground, i used treated decking boards glued and screwed. Now all i need is railing alot of work Good luck with your project I think what ever you use it will be a relaxing place to be. I found some good deals on ebay on cedar decking, they just didn't have enough.