Thanks everyone for the quick responses! By overwhelming popularity, i'll most definately keep the strips parallel to the sheer rather than angling in a dozen different directions. Also, i'll use the other suggested woods rather than pine for the accent lines. I understand what has been said about overhanging and keeping flush, but i'm lost as to the appropriate time for either. I haven't so much thought of how i'll build yet, only what i'd like to build. I'm going to think about simplifying, i'm well aware of the 'less is more' motto (i'm an architect by trade), but it's always tempting to go overboard (like i said, an architect, haha). I most likely won't get to stripping the deck until christmas time so there's plenty of time for more designs. I like alot of what i see on various forums and sites around the web, but i want to do more than just copy what somebody else has already done. Keep the comments coming if there's any more thoughts!

Thanks again,
Damian