In
This Article:
Digging post holes, layout of
4 deck posts, and installation of joists. |
Related Articles:
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Skill Level:
2 (Basic) |
Time Taken:
12 Man-Hours (2 People, 6 hours) |
By
Bruce W. Maki,
Editor
Start By Building A Solid Deck Foundation:
The first step in our deck construction was to determine the
location. We centered the 6' x 6' deck relative to the front door of
the house.
The local building department told us that no permits were needed
because the deck was not attached to the house and was less than 30
inches above ground. (This may not be the case in your community...
call your building department.)
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We dug holes in the soil for the 4x4 treated deck posts.
The soil here is so sandy that the building department did
not specify a footing depth. We dug the hole until we struck
the footing of the concrete foundation, about 30 inches
below grade.
After packing down the soil with a board, we placed an
8"x8" concrete paving stone in the hole to spread out the
weight of the post. |
Normally, all footings are required to be deeper than the
expected maximum frost depth. Here in Northern Michigan, frost can
be expected to penetrate up to 48" deep. However, much of this
region has soil that is completely sand, soil so well drained that
there is almost no risk that ice will form below the footings and
heave the structure. Indeed, the garage on this property, built in
July 1999, needed only a slab-on-grade foundation.
We dug a second hole about 6 feet away, and also installed
a concrete paver.
We placed posts in each hole and made a mark on them that
was the same level as the bottom of the vinyl siding. We had
easy no way of being sure that both holes were the exact
same depth. |
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We built an "H" shaped section with two 4x4 posts and a 72"
2x6. The horizontal board will be a beam that supports the
joists.
The "H" section was placed in the holes and checked for
plumb and level. The holes were filled in part way. |
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The height of this horizontal 2x6 was determined by the final
height of the deck surface. We wanted the deck about 7" below the
door sill. (A normal step height.) The decking is 1" thick and the
2x6 joists are 5.5" deep. These numbers gave us a dimension to
locate the beam relative to the bottom of the siding.
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A second 2x6 was added, sandwiching the posts.
A third hole was dug and a post put in place. We attached a
joist to hold the third post at the desired distance
from the first pair. |
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Important Step: Getting the correct position of the posts
is crucial to making the deck turn out right. With the joist
attached but the hole not yet filled in, we measured off a 3-4-5
triangle to make sure the third post was exactly perpendicular
to the first pair of posts. Then we filled in the hole.
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We dug the fourth hole.
With the fourth post in the hole we clamped a joist in
place and made it level. We also dug a hole for a fifth post
that will hold the hand rail in place. |
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After making sure the joist was level, we secured it with
3" deck screws.
We attached the fifth post to the joist. |
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We partially filled in the last two holes...
...while making sure that the fourth and fifth posts were
plumb
and square with the first three posts. |
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Positioning the last posts: With the post holes halfway
filled with loose soil we were able to adjust the posts side-to-side
to make the final "leg" perfectly parallel with the other side. (The
side we made square with the 3-4-5 triangle.)
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Then we attached the rim joist and part of the 2x6 beam
that will support the joists.
Another view. |
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The second 2x6 was added beneath the joists to complete
the beam.
We laid out the joist locations on the beam. |
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We positioned the joists, spaced 16" on center.
At the outer end we drove 3" deck screws through the rim
joist into the ends of the regular joists. |
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Near the house, we drilled pilot holes so the deck screws
would go where intended.
A long bit extension helps when driving screws in tight
places. |
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The screws were placed a little off center, to prevent
colliding with screws driven into the other side.
At each joist we drove two screws into the beam, one on
each side of the joist. |
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This completes the framing of the deck.
Tools
Used:
- Shovel, Post Hole Digger
- Cordless Drill/Drivers
- Small Level
- Circular Saw
- Power Miter Saw
- "Quick-Grip" Clamps
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Materials Used:
- Pressure-Treated Lumber:
- 4x4 Posts
- 2x6 Joists
- 5/4x6 Deck Boards
- 3" Deck Screws
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