I’m planning a new deck for a new home. The deck will not be attached to the ledger and I am concerned about the amount of fill dirt around the property and how deep the holes for our posts need to be. Typically we would go down 36 inches in this area to be below the frost line but we are concerned about the posts sinking as the fill dirt settles. Any suggestions
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Replies
How long has the fill been in?
The fill around the foundation has been in place about 4-5 months.
I'd be inclined to go down to virgin ground. If you don't, at the very least, I'd dig em down 4', then use something plastic for a form, ( sewer pipe or the like ) and flood the heck out of it before ya pour.
Or, you can sit a screw jack on top and adjust as needed. :)
Bing
That should be enough time for the soil to have settled.
I would dig to just below the bottom of the fill dirt.
Unless your fill has been compacted correctly (not as easy as one may think) any other attempts are testing fate.
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA