Haddow Press Experiment

Deck Construction: Part 2

Archived in Construction, Do-it-Yourself |

The best advice I can offer on the building of your new deck structure is PLAN. And, whatever you do, wherever you start, whoever you manage to have help you, do not underestimate the power of:

(A) Spying on the Neighbors

It might sound a little too James Bond (or Peeping Tom) but I’m willing to bet there are a few dozen examples of well built decks within walking distance of your house. Take the dog for a walk and peek over some fences. If you’re in any sort of area with other houses then chances are good that someone — everyone — has an example of a well put-together, functional deck. Don’t be afraid to ask your neighbor to have a good look. Chat with them: is it sound, is it strong, is is big enough, and what kind of maintenance have they done.

(B) Chatting with the Hardware Guy

Most people don’t realize that not only do most hardware or lumber stores want to sell you a deck, but that they also want to sell you a GOOD deck. Sketch out your idea and bring it in. Most places will stand there for as long as it takes to make sure you are not only building it right, but that you have all the pieces that you need and the intructions required to fabricate it.

The rest of this is based on my experience:

BUILDING THE BEAM(S)

A solid support beam is vital. This is the heavy duty, double (or even triple) ply of lumber that spans between your piles. It should be glued and fastened with screws to form a solid, permanent, straight support structure for the rest of your deck.

SQUARING THE JOISTS

Hanging from the ledger board at the back of the house (attached decks only) and resting on the beam(s), the joists should be spaced 16 to 18 inches on centre — wide enough to be a reasonable weight and cost, and narrow enough to support the decking without allowing the wood to bow at all. Make sure it is square by measuring diagonally both ways: equal lengths means a perfectly squared deck. Secure the face board, and tack the joists to the beam: a nail gun works great for this purpose.

BLOCKING THE FRAME

Your plans will probably explain this in more detail, but one thing that surpised me was the blocking. Sure, maybe I’ll seem a little green admitting that, but one of the joist boards gets cut into chunks that get staggered between the set joists at about the mid-point. Awesome idea, and it keeps everything square. A nail gun is handy here, too.

DECKING

With three or four people to work on the decking, not only will you have a lot less work and make things move a lot faster, but you’ll have a few more hands to make sure things are straight and even as you put on the top deck boards. This is finishing work, after all, so make sure it’s done right. A few extra minutes and some gentle nudging as you tack the board in place with some weatherproof screws will make a LOT Of difference to how the top looks later. Space things as per directions, but usually a nail-width is a good place to start.

I’ll cover stairs and railings in Part 3.

Please remember: I’m just a guy who has done this work for myself, once. This is just my experience, so do more research before you start. I welcome any comments or updates that anyone with more experience might provide. Cheers!

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