Here's the issue. In my area, if a deck is under 30" high, no permit is required. My deck will be 41" at the highest point. That's an expensive eleven inches I'm afraid. I also have a crawlspace access door that is 3 feet from the ground to it's top. To top it all off, the lower end of the deck is only 24". We also are required to have 18" clearance under the deck, so that will be tricky.
It didn't really occur to me that I wouldn't be stacking my joists across my beams when I started this project. It seemed like that's how everyone does it, unless they were building a deck right on the ground. However, it does increase clearance in any deck. In my case, I have 11" between the top of the crawlspace access door and the deck surface.
Here is a simple visual of the problem:
After decking, we're already 15". That's with a modest 8" beam, and 6" joist. I'd like bigger support members to allow wider post spacing, so I'm looking at 10" beams and 8" joists right now.
I also think that flush design could add significant strength to a free-standing deck. Simply put, a beam that wants to twist, has to force all the joists to twist with it, and force them out of their joist hangers. Now, obviously bracing provides most of the stability, but I like redundancy, and I think flush joists will provide some.
So, for me, it looks like I'll be going for the straight flush. Too many deck of card references. Ok, got it.