Like most of the other jobs that you do around the house, planning and building a deck is one of the jobs that requires quite a bit of preparation. Putting a deck in the wrong spot can cause it to shift if the ground stays too moist all year long, and not putting it together the right way can actually present a series of safety hazards. Still, the idea behind a deck is basically a simple one—they are basically wooden structures held up by posts. Still, there are a number of parts that must be in place for the structure to stay in place.
The first of these is the footings. These form the base for the deck to hold up the posts. Often they are made from concrete poured into holes that are dug into the ground and because they must be dug below the frost line, the depth that they need to be varies from area to area. In areas where the ground is not susceptible to frost heaving, these posts are often replaced by full concrete slabs. Recently, there have been other developments as well, such as concrete platforms that the posts rest in. These move with the frost but generally not enough that the structure would be compromised. Regardless of the method you use, the idea for these concrete fixtures is to keep the wood used in the deck from touching the ground.
The next part of the deck that you need to consider is equally important and that’s the posts. These are generally wooden and set on top of the footings before being fastened in place. There are a few different procedures that you need to go through before you get them in exactly the right spot and leveling them to ensure that the platform for the deck is proper is one of the stages that takes great precision. As well, you need to consider what kind of header or ledger to use. This is generally the long board that attaches the deck to the house by using lag screws to affix it to the wall or other structure of the home.
Next, you need to think about the beams that will be laid across the posts to support the structure above. These beams can be set directly on top of the posts or set into their sides. After the beams comes a layer of joists that are usually attached to the house by attaching them to the header board.
The last stage is the one that everyone sees and generally comments on. The decking is the finished surface of the work and is usually made of good quality decking boards that are nailed to the joists.
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