I’ve been in construction for 13+ years now but have only helped build 2 decks so my knowledge is limited. I was think of building one out the back of my house and had one question and if anyone can contribute any good techniques they would be greatly appreciated. The question would be do I have to bolt it to the house or can it be freestanding? It is going to be about 20 x 12. My thought is the less holes in my house the better and if it is anchored to footers w/ Simpson’s all around it shouldn’t move, much. I could be off my rocker but throw it at me.
Or should I put pavers down and forget the deck?
Replies
There's absolutely nothing wrong with a freestanding deck, but it needs to be well braced. Obviously, bolting it to a relatively immobile structure (the house) reduces the need for a lot of braces.
But I've seen quite a few (bolted to the house) that had a disturbing amount of sway at the far edge. Diagonal post bracing works well here, or diagonals nailed across the bottoms of the joists, as does laying the deck boards diagonally.
A big problem with a freestanding deck on newer construction is differential settlement, where the footing close to the house are placed on uncompacted fill (the foundation overdig). If this might be an issue, make sure your concrete footings go down into undisturbed soil. If this requires a soils engineer, so be it, it seems like every year this weekend I see a story on the news about a collapsed deck sending a dozen people to the hospital.
Build it strong and safe.
You're right on target. Build it freestanding and brace it properly.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
How high off the ground would the deck be?
I don't know about pavers but I'd opt for some form of a concrete deck.
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07