Because the roof would have to be cleaned and inspected regularly, the decks were built in large sections that could be easily taken up and removed.  Additionally, the decking was also not made out of heart pine as it most likely would have been in Madison's time.  Instead, to help the deck better survive exposure to the elements, rot resistant mahogany wood was used.  While the Restoration Team would have never made a similar subtitution on the interior, the fact that the deck was painted and open to the weather meant that using a similar, but longer-lasting, material was justified.