well, since you're starting from square one, do it right, and have fun with it. Having also built my fair share of decks, I would recommend looking at a brazilian wood called Ipe (pronounced ee-pay). It's a brazilian rosewood, and around the same price as the synthetic decking products, but looks amazing. It's ten times as dense as pine, and has the same fire rating as concrete and steel. It won't warp, won't cup, and looks really great. I've done a couple decks with Ipe and I've barried the screws in the wood and used zebra wood plugs. I'd also think about doing some sort of pattern, maybe laying the boards in an opposing diagonal pattern or something to provide interest. I'll try to get some pictures of the Ipe decks I've done if you'd be interested. Keep us posted and have fun with it!