This second story deck was engineered with the specific goal of not having cross bracing in the middle of the deck. The customer was planning on installing a patio area there and it was an access route to a side apartment, so bracing would have been in the way. The customer liked the cost and look of the Fiberon Pro-tec series decking in the color of Chestnut so we used that product. We installed the decking with hidden fasteners and used cedar for the railing to save on the cost. One of the good things about the Fiberon Pro-tec series is that it is a plastic capped product, it has dark color streaks in it to make it look more realistic, and it is low cost. This deck just added a few hundred square feet of area where they can enjoy the out doors!