As a new subscriber here I first want to say “WOW, Thanks for all the help and advice. I’m very impressed by your knowledge and experience.”
Now, two questions about a deck that I’m planning:
First, however, some basic design info. The deck will be 12 feet wide butting into the house, and extended out 14 feet. I’m planning an intermediate beam at 6 feet out (because the old deck had one, and the new wider stairs will tie in at this location) and the exterior beam at 12 feet out leaving a 2 foot cantilever. I realize this beam spacing and using 2×10 joists above the beams is probably overkill considering what the span charts specify (just call me paranoid) but our local building inspector is well known to be very picky with specs (a good thing) with a very, very grumpy personality (not a good thing). Anyway…
(1) I will be installing Simpson DTT2Z brackets through the ledger board and attaching them to the house floor joist to provide for the lateral load. In my searches I haven’t yet found an answer for my question of What do I do if the deck and house joists aren’t in line with each other? Is it ok to add a spacer(s) so the threaded rod remains straight? Should I first drill from inside the house rim before installing the ledger and the hardware so I avoid problems with the layout for the deck joist hangers? (Fortunately I do have easy access from inside the unfinished basement of the house.)
(2) I am planning on using 16 foot long 6×6’s which will serve as both the support between the footers and the deck beam, AND continue through the deck floor to support a pergola above. I’ll be using a double 2×10 as a beam below the joists. My question involves how to notch the 6×6 for the beam so it can continue upward for the pergola. Is the notch required to be 3 inches deep on one side of the post, or is it permissible to notch 1 1/2 on each side which creates a “separated” beam but which I would fill with a 2 inch spacer of what? (I could, but didn’t yet, add a sketch of these two notch ideas, but hopefully you can already picture what I’m trying to say.)
Thanks, Guys. I’m sure someone here has probably run across these two situations before, and I’m confident I will continue to receive good advice as all of you have done so previously.
Replies
Definitely overkill on the joists, but we love overkill. The DTT2s don't have to align perfectly. Check with Simpson's website for the real specs.
A seperated beam is technically problematic because it can act more like two individual members than as a beam. That might be okay with a light load such as a pergola, though, depending in large part on your local snow loads. I'd run the idea past the building inspector.Is your goal to make it look like a wider beam?
Thanks for your reply Andy
I appreciate your reply, Andy. Here in southeast Georgia I'm not nearly as concerned with the snow loads as I am with the gators.
As far as the beam, I had not even thought to create the look of a wider beam. Rather my question was whether a 3 inch notch on a single side of the 6x6 or two 1 1/2 notches of opposite sides might have any effect of the distribution of the vertical load - leaving 2 1/2 inches of the 6x either on one side or in the middle of the post. In after-thought, it might be a moot point actually, because by filling the notch with solid 2x10s I have regained the original 5 1/2 inches. As such then, it makes more sense to go with the double 2x beam in a single notch and avoid any potential problems of the two members acting individually as you cautioned.
Again, thank you Andy.
Alligators. I'll take snow, thank you!
"I'm not nearly as concerned
"I'm not nearly as concerned with the snow loads as I am with the gators."
My god man, how many gators are on your deck?
how many gators are on your deck?
Well, it's not that I have that many gators, but I do have more gators than I have snow. And my deck and yard is a "gated community" to keep the little boogers out - and the dogs in. (Not to be rude or crude, but most of us here figured out the answer to this problem out way before Disney-Florida did - and my sympathies are certainly extended to that Nebraska family.)
On a much lighter note - gators do taste like chicken... if your eyes are closed and imagining you're sitting in a KFC.
I tried gator once at the state fair. Once was enough. It's a little like chicken, but realy slimy.
"with" & "without"
It's not so slimy if you ask them to hold the swamp sludge
Doesn't that make it a bit dry and tough?
Okra
I ate an alligator once at a Cajun joint in Paducah. It wasn't slimy. Must be okra that makes it that way. Once in the Okefenokee an alligator tried to eat my cousin. But he had about 200 lbs on it.
Notching the posts
It's not necessary to provide full depth notches in the columns for the beams. A half depth notch of 3/4" would be plenty to make this connection work effectively.
Also, you should consider providing solid spacers periodically between the double beams to help in making them work together and to limit twisting when they are loaded. A beam that is thin and tall tend to deform sideways when loaded...by tying the two together, it will eliminate this from happening and helps both beams work together.
Notching the posts
When originally thinking of the "separated" beam, I had similar thoughts about the need for a spacer as you mentioned, much along the lines of a spacer in door and window headers. But no ideas of an easy 2 1/2 inch spacer popped into my mind other than coming up with something customized to satisfy Mr. Grumpy the inspector. I'm probably going back to the doubled 2x10 since I've convinced myself that once placed in the notch the full 5 1/2 inch bearing surface has been functionally restored and eliminates both the potential of individually twisting as well as the need for a spacer.
Your suggestion of a half depth notch (3/4 on each side) for the separated members would increase the necessary spacer to 4 inches, still requiring some kind of customization. And while the spacer functions to make the separated beams to work together to eliminate twisting, my rookie thought is the spacer itself doesn't provide any appreciable load bearing support... or does it? Additionally, (again, my rookie brain) wouldn't the half of the two 2x10s that are not supported by the half-notch then fail to adequately transfer that part of the load through to the lower part of the post?
Understand, please, I'm not trying to be critical of your advice - I do appreciate your help - but I'm just looking for a bit of clarification. Thanks.
Notch depth
Notch 1" on each side for 3 1/2 between and use a 4x spacer. (in reality use the actual dimensions of the 6x posts and 4x spacer to determine the depth.)