Fit the site
Combine bays, adjust dimensions, add clipped corners and bump-outs, and work with stairs, landings, and house context.
The tools behind the plan set
A deck tool that works
the way you build.
From the first framing decision to the plans you hand over. Explore the control behind your design, the checks that guide it, and the ways you can present it.
Explore the capabilities ↓Used by 50+ deck professionals.
See how bays and stairs become plans →
01 / Framing & checks
Your construction methods.
Room to make them work.
Adapt the deck to the job with control over geometry, materials, member sizes, support placement, connections, and foundations. Built-in span checks help you see where a change needs attention.
Down to how you block it
Ladder blocking or flat 2×4 / 2×6 support between joists for picture-frame and feature boards. Drop or upset beams. Notched, bolted, or post-cap connections. These are construction choices you control, with your usual methods saved as installer defaults.
Keep the guardrails
Compare actual and allowable spans, review footing capacity, and see conditions needing correction under your selected design profile.
Layout & geometry
Deck shape
- Connected rectangular deck bays
- Magnetic edge snapping and bay locking
- Exact feet-and-inches width and depth entry
- Resize, move, connect, and disconnect sections
- Clipped front corners
- Grill bump-out preset
Automatic drawing work
- Automatic overall and bay dimensions
- Live dimensions while geometry changes
- Framing-direction rotation by bay
- Ledger and exterior-edge orientation
- Text notes, rectangles, lines, circles, and polygons
House & access conditions
- House walls, bump-outs, and returns
- Windows, doors, and sliders
- Stairs and stair landings
- Connected deck landings
- Ramps and access geometry
Wood & steel framing
Traditional wood
- Southern Pine joist tables
- Douglas Fir-Larch, Hem-Fir, and Spruce-Pine-Fir tables
- 2x6, 2x8, 2x10, and 2x12 joists
- 12, 16, and 24 inches on center
- Double and triple built-up beams
- Advanced, engineered, glulam, and custom beam choices where supported
- 4x4, 4x6, 6x6, and 8x8 support posts
New Castle Steel
- 1 5/8-inch, 18-gauge joists
- 2-inch, 14-gauge joists
- Single, every-other doubled, and all-doubled assemblies
- NCS box beams in single and double configurations
- NCS 6x6 steel support posts
- 12- and 16-inch joist spacing
- Manufacturer tables for 50, 75, and 100 psf loads
Fortress Evolution
- Evolution 2x6 joists in 16- and 18-gauge
- Evolution 2x11 single and double beams
- Evolution 3.5 x 3.5 steel support posts
- Manufacturer tables for 50, 70, 75, and 100 psf loads
- System-aware steel framing and stair controls
Support conditions
- Feature-board and picture-frame support: ladder blocking, joist + flat 2x4 + joist, or joist + flat 2x6 + joist
- Feature-board blocking method saved in installer defaults
- Drop and upset beams
- Front, rear, and intermediate beams
- Automatic beam-span placement
- Joist and beam cantilevers and overhangs
- Notched, bolted, and Simpson post-cap connections
- Tension ties, lateral bracing, and under-deck bracing
- Existing-framing conditions
Span tables & plan advisors
Built-in span profiles
- IRC 2021: 40 psf live load
- IRC 2021: 50 psf ground snow
- IRC 2021: 60 psf ground snow
- IRC 2021: 70 psf ground snow
- IRC 2024: 40 psf live load
- IRC 2024: 50 psf ground snow
- IRC 2024: 60 psf ground snow
- IRC 2024: 70 psf ground snow
- AWC DCA 6: 2018 IRC format, 40 psf live load
- AWC DCA 6: 2015 IRC, 40 psf live load
- AWC DCA 6: 2012 IRC, 40 psf live load
Compliance Advisor
- Joist-span checks
- Joist-cantilever checks
- Beam-span checks
- Beam-overhang checks
- Footing-capacity checks
- Actual and allowable values shown together
- Resolving actions tied to the affected component
Design Advisor
- Optional member-sizing ideas
- Support-layout suggestions
- Spacing alternatives
- Material-use opportunities
- Clearly separated from conditions requiring attention
Foundations & calculations
Concrete footings
- Uniform-minimum, per-beam, and per-footing sizing modes
- 1,500, 2,000, and 3,000+ psf soil-bearing inputs
- Main and ancillary footing defaults
- Tributary-area calculations and labels
- Per-footing size and depth overrides
- House-adjacent deep-footing review
Helical piles
- Pile model and minimum installation depth
- Helix and shaft diameter
- Rated pile capacity
- Simple-detail or load-schedule reporting
- Dead-load, torque Kt, and safety-factor inputs
- Required and installation torque by pier
- Capacity and utilization reporting
Other foundation systems
- American Ground Screw models and flange inserts
- Ground-screw diameter, soil class, and capacity
- Frost-depth and maximum-installation-torque checks
- Diamond Pier support selection
- Foundation-plan symbols, schedules, and details
Foundation calculations and reports are planning aids. Verify the selected system, site conditions, manufacturer requirements, and engineering needs for the project.
Company & project setup
Project setup
- Customer, address, jurisdiction, and project information
- Design-load and span-profile selection
- Company framing and footing defaults
- Installer construction and product defaults
- Saved job reopening and revision workflow
Company workflow
- Company branding on plan output
- Shared company jobs
- Additional team-user access
- In-workspace AI Help for supported tools and workflows
- Context from the current view and selected item for workflow guidance
- Supported drawing edits through chat, with normal Undo
- Organization platform for lumberyards and drafting teams in development
Checks support your judgment. Site conditions, local requirements, and projects needing engineering still require the appropriate review.
02 / Decking & railing
Work through the details
your customer will see.
Develop the finished deck on the same model. Explore board layouts, borders, railing styles, and material choices alongside the structure beneath them.
Board-by-board decisions
Set direction by region, straight or diagonal layouts, picture-frame borders, and seam boards. Assign materials separately to field boards, borders, fascia, and risers.
Railings that suit the design
Place rails by edge and explore picket, cable, or glass infill. Coordinate stairs, skirting, and finish choices with the rest of the deck.
See the whole project
Move between plan, elevations, and interactive 3D to review proportions and materials before presenting the design.
Decking, rails & views
Decking layout
- Field-board direction by region
- Straight and diagonal layout controls
- Picture-frame border boards
- Seam and feature boards
- 12-, 16-, and 20-foot stock-length snapping
- Board-span and over-20-foot review
- Role-specific field, border, seam, fascia, and riser materials
Rails & finish
- Rail placement by deck edge
- Picket, vertical cable, horizontal cable, and glass infill
- Fascia and riser finish controls
- Skirting and enclosure choices
- Manufacturer colors and material previews where available
Review views
- Front, left, and right elevations
- Interactive 3D review
- House-wall and roof context
- Framing, railing, and material controls in 3D
- Customer-facing preview images
- Optional AI concept mockups (beta)
03 / Covered decks & porches
Show them the space
they’ll want to spend time in.
Bring the roof, ceiling, lighting, and fireplace into the conversation. Covered-deck tools help you develop the design and show the experience of the space in 3D.
Design the cover
Explore roof configurations, supporting posts, gable details, and finishes in the context of the deck and house.
Make it feel complete
Bring ceiling finishes, lighting, fans, and fireplace options into the model so customers can understand the space.
Keep expanding the idea
Covered-deck capabilities are actively expanding. The current tools support design and visualization; roof structural requirements need project-specific review.
04 / Presentation & output
One project.
More ways to move it forward.
Help a customer picture it, prepare an HOA or permit submission, and review the materials. Carry the work from design into the documents and visuals the next conversation needs.
From the model to the presentation
Start with the project’s 3D view, then use AI rendering to explore a more finished presentation for your customer.
AI rendering is a concept tool in beta. Generated details can vary from the model; use the drawings for dimensions and construction information.
Permit & HOA packages
Combine framing, foundations, decking, elevations, details, and project notes into a branded PDF. Include your logo and company, customer, and project information.
Site context
Show where the proposed deck sits using plot-plan context. The example uses a fictional property base; use appropriate site information for your project.
Material planning
Review framing, decking, railing, and foundation quantities together. Confirm quantities and product selections before ordering.
Takeoff, details & output
Material takeoff (beta)
- Framing-lumber quantities and stock lengths
- Decking-board quantities
- Railing quantities
- Concrete and footing quantities
- Model-based category summaries
- Review and part-number workflow before purchasing
Construction details
- Footing and foundation details
- Post-to-beam connections
- Joist-to-beam connections
- Ledger-to-house details
- Lateral-load details
- Rail-post details
- System-aware wood or steel detail selection
Plan package
- Framing and foundation views
- Decking plan and elevations
- Details and project notes
- Plot-plan context
- Drawing annotations
- Company, customer, and project information
- Branded multi-sheet PDF export
05 / AI Help & support
Help that stays
with your drawing.
Ask in plain language while you work. The assistant uses the current view and selected item to explain supported workflows, point you to the right controls, and make supported drawing changes. Direct support is here when you need a person.
An answer about the bay you selected.
Ask about a flush beam and the assistant identifies the current beam mount, then points you to the controls for changing it.
Actual AI Help conversations on a fictional sample project. Review answers and drawing changes against your project requirements.
Need a person? Talk with us →
Put it to work on your next deck
Your methods. Your presentation.
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