A homeowner has asked me to cover his existing 13’X14′ concrete slab with a wood deck. The 14′ side butts up to the basement walkout 6′ patio door. the 13′ side butts up to concrete basement wall. The homeowner wants a maximum of one step from the patio door to the deck platform. My initial plan was to bolt a 2×8 ledger to the concrete wall and run 2×8 joists to a double 2×8 beam (rim joist) resting on 8′ piers. I’ve heard that If I make it a free standing deck I can set the joists on concrete piers set in a gravel footing. Will this work? Any ideas? The guy at this point in time doesn’t want any railings, just a platform. Thanks…Keedman P.S. anyone know why I have to post my message twice for them to “take”?
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I'm just going to "bump" this--no answer, but it pushes your post back up near the top of the stack so others can respond.
In the jurisdiction I work in (Ontario Canada) , if the deck is not attatched to the house we can use "Deck Blocks". I have found that if they are used in well draining soil they work great. We get long cold winters. Also if the deck is less than 2 feet up from finished grade, hand railings are not required. I bet about 95 % of decks are done without permits and not built very well. I like to use 45degree cut bracing underneath to stiffen up the deck.
Have a good day
Cliffy
u say the deck is to be on a slab, but then u mentioned resting the beam/joists on 8' concrete piers? why are they 8'?
the deck is to be built over the existing slab, not attached to it. The concrete slab already has cracks and if I attached the deck to it I'm afraid the deck would suffer and I'd get a call. keedman
sorry, I just realized that I gave you the wrong reply to your question. Do you think 8" piers are overkill, or......keedman
8" piers...u had originally said 8' piers, so i was a little confused..u say the slab already has cracks...is the slab's integrity is in question, then i'd probably float the deck over the slab, and attach the ledger to the house like u said...8" piers sound good enough...if your area gets frost then u should definitely pour piers, below the frost line...even it is is a little overkill u never wanna have to go back...if frost isn't an issue, and the ground is flat, i think u could get away with using deck blocks set on a small, level bed of gravel, and then use 4x4s to support the beam, resting on the blocks...
just git er done lol
man I need to read my stuff a little better! I didn't catch the 8 foot piers! I live in kc, mo. and it does get cold here. I think I read somewhere, that if a deck is free standing one can set the deck on pre-cast piers over crushed gravel footings. I was hoping someone had used this system in a frost area and could tell me if it really worked. I think using that system would actually be more work for me because I would have to jackhammer more of the existing slab to place the multiple piers required to support the deck. Thanks for the feedback..joe aka, keedman