I have a 12' square wood deck that is attached to and extends outward from the house. It consists of 2x8 joists (12' long) spaced 2' apart that run from the house out to the yard. The ends of the joists are about 16 inches from the ground to their tops. The ends of the joists are in poor shape, so I will sandwich each joist between new 2"x8"x2' long boards. Then I will place a concrete pier under each joist. Each pier has a cutout to install a 4x4 or a 2" board. This fix should last a few years until I can replace the entire deck (it's about 35 years old). Should I: 1. line up all the piers, place one 2"x8"x12' board into the 2" "slot" in the piers and rest the reinforced joists on top of that board? This was doesn't offer much stability for the 2" board in the pier. Or, 2. place each pier underneath a reinforced joist, then cut a piece off a 4x4 post, place it into the pier, and slide the pier/4x4 under each reinforced joist. This way appears to offer much more flexibility in their placement and they wouldn't have to be exactly aligned with each other. Which of these methods would be best?

Hi all, I am building a 12'x16' pergola. I was planning on using 6"x6" posts to give the whole thing a beefier look and feel. It's very windy where I live, as well, and I want this structure to be able to withstand the elements. Would four posts be sufficient? Or should I plan on 6 posts, with three along the 16' side? I was planning on using 2"x6" beams connected to these posts. I'm not planning on covering the pergola, so any snow or rain won't be accumulating on the top of it. Sincere thanks for any insights, C.J.