Leader Home Centers - Free Deck Design Software

Leader Home Centers offers several different types of in-stock decking materials.

Trex Transcend® composite

Trex Select® composite

Cedar

Pressure-treated southern yellow pine

Now you can design your own deck with the Trex Deck Design Tool. It's easy and it's free! ( Be sure to read Important Notes below. )

The Deck Design software allows you to customize the size & shape of the deck, including adding curves and multiple levels. Change the color and style of the decking, railing and support structure. Even add walls, complete with windows and doors.

At the end, you will receive a complete Deck Design Report.

Including:

Deck layout

Parts identification

Glossary of terms

Basic installation tips

Tools required

Materials list

www.trex.com

Important Notes -

The Trex Deck Design program is a Java® application. You must have a copy of the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) on your system to run Java applications.

That being said, the Department of Homeland Security urges computer users to disable Java when surfing the internet.

March 05, 2013 - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reiterated advice for computer users to disable Oracle Corp.'s widely used Java software for surfing the Web, saying it contains multiple vulnerabilities which are being actively exploited.

"Unless it is absolutely necessary to run Java in web browsers, disable it as described below, even after updating to version 7u17. This will help mitigate other Java vulnerabilities that may be discovered in the future."

While the Trex website and the Trex Deck Design program are safe, you may want to enable Java only for certain websites.

Important Notes -

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Before running the deck designer, please be sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements:

Operating System: Currently, only the Windows operating system is supported.
Screen Resolution: 1024x768 minimum resolution.
Graphics Card: requires a 3D-capable graphics card with a minimum of 64MB of memory.
Java: The deck designer requires Java 6 Update 10 or higher. If a suitable version is not already installed on your computer,launching the designer will install it for you.
Cookies: Must be enabled. ("How do I do this?")
JavaScript: Must be enabled. ("How do I do this?")
Mouse: A two-button mouse is required. We HIGHLY recommend the mouse have a scroll wheel as well.
ActiveX Control: If prompted, you must allow the ActiveX component to run.
Certificate acceptance: When prompted, "The application's digital signature has been verified. Do you want to run the application?", published by DIY Technologies, you must accept by clicking "Run".
Adobe Reader: Adobe Reader 5.0 or higher is required to be able to open and view the finished design. The latest version of Adobe Reader can be downloaded here.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. The tool is not responding. For example, when I click on Process Design or if I select the "Octagon" shaped deck, nothing happens. Is there a way to fix this?

If you are having issues with the 3D Deck Designer becoming non-responsive while using it, it could be that you are creating a complicated deck design and Java requires more memory than usual. This can be easily corrected on systems running Windows XP or Windows Vista by doing the following:

Open the design tool and begin a new deck design
When prompted, "The application's digital signature has been verified. Do you want to run the application?", published by DIY Technologies, you must accept by clicking "Run".
Right-click on the Java icon that should now appear in the taskbar and select Open Control Panel.
In the Java Control Panel, click the Java tab to open it.
In the top section, labeled "Java Applet Runtime Settings" click View.
Double-click in the "Java Runtime Parameters" field next to the JRE you are running (if there is more than one JRE listed, choose the one with the higher version number), and add the following text:
-Xmx128m –Xms128m
Click OK.
Click Apply.
Click OK.
Close and restart all browser windows, and try the tool again.

2. I see a project in my project list that doesn't have a triangle to the left of it. When I try to access it by clicking on it, nothing happens (or the page says the project is "In Use")...

There are several possible reasons for this to occur:

The Deck Designer was exited prior to completing the project.
The project was completed and the reports viewed on the screen, but the “Print and Save Report” button was not selected and so the design was not processed and saved.
There was an error in processing your design and the project was not saved.

Unfortunately, this project can no longer be accessed. It is safe to delete it, and begin a new project.