Building a deck this summer...

[slivers86]

So, I will be adding a deck onto the back of my new house this summer. Thought ahead and had the deck nailer put on during the build.

Going with about 10 or 12 ft x 16-18.

Here's the question. We wanted to do stampede concrete, but realise spending a TON of time outside, we'd spend more time avoiding the heat of the surface with the sun, rather than enjoying it (thoughts/comments)

Kind of between treated deck wood (seemed to warp easily when I worked in the lumber industry 9 years ago), synthetic 25yr warranty ($$$$) and the paver idea, or concrete still.

My deck would be on the south side of the home, and approximately 12-18" from soil. Should I be worried about moisture and rotting?

Thanks in advance for feedback.

[WayneChristie]

I wouldnt worry about the sun, you live in Calgary Id go with cedar, always done my decks with it and loved it. even smells good when it rains

[ishootbambi]

yes, worry about that stuff. and get a permit, its so much easier to do it right the first time than to have to fix it later.

id go bigger myself, and likely wood myself, but the vinyl stuff is pretty nice too though. i have a giant two tiered deck facing southwest. most summer days its too hot out there to really enjoy it.

[slivers86]

whats the life span of the cedar?

[WayneChristie]

til you chop it down

[slivers86]

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

yes, worry about that stuff. and get a permit, its so much easier to do it right the first time than to have to fix it later.

id go bigger myself, and likely wood myself, but the vinyl stuff is pretty nice too though. i have a giant two tiered deck facing southwest. most summer days its too hot out there to really enjoy it.

isb, i am limited to about 25ft from my house to the garage as I oversized to a 22x22 for my lot (largest I could go).

I might be able to do 20ft wide (across the house) and 13 or 14ft towards the garage.

[riden]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

I wouldnt worry about the sun, you live in Calgary Id go with cedar, always done my decks with it and loved it. even smells good when it rains

I have used cedar a lot, but it is 2.5 times the price of pressure treated.

Don't worry about pressure treated warping. It is often very wet when you get it, so if you don't deal with it properly, you can have trouble leaving it lying around. But it won't warp after you have built with it.

[slivers86]

Originally Posted by riden

I have used cedar a lot, but it is 2.5 times the price of pressure treated.

Don't worry about pressure treated warping. It is often very wet when you get it, so if you don't deal with it properly, you can have trouble leaving it lying around. But it won't warp after you have built with it.

hmmmm... so build it entirely of cedar, or just the deck boards???

[riden]

Originally Posted by slivers86

whats the life span of the cedar?

Cedar is naturally moisure resistent, lasts a long time.

BUT, you have to treat it yearly, or it will turn gray. Personally, I don't like gray cedar, some do though.

[simmered]

Cedar is naturally treated. Slightly more expensive then treated lumber but well worth the money. Looks great and lasts longer than treated wood. I still seal mine with a clear water sealer, cedar has nice colour already. What I did was build the frame from treated lumber and then deck and trim it out in cedar. Saved some money there.
Good luck.

[slivers86]

good to know, so every spring or whatnot??? or do it in the fall prior to freeze up? is the treatment expensive???

[riden]

Foundation of the deck in pressure treated (posts, joists, beams). Decking and rail would be cedar. DO NOT underestimate the amount of wood you will use on your rail.

[slivers86]

well, fence will for sure be coming first. once that's out of the way (early june I'd expect) I will begin the full on planning for the deck.

[riden]

Originally Posted by slivers86

good to know, so every spring or whatnot??? or do it in the fall prior to freeze up? is the treatment expensive???

Spring is always best, then you have a clean deck for summer.

$40/gallon, doing the rail is always a lot of work.

I trimmed my house in cedar, shutters, posts, and a very large front cedar step. I am disagreeing with the little more estimate. I remember $29 for decking boards. I just bought some treated boards yesterday for another project, $9.49.

[slivers86]

some may disagree, but I will more than likely shop in montana for my cedar. Much cheaper, and worth paying the duty on to bring it across the line.

[just_dave]

Just make sure you're within building limits to your property line. Because that would be a bummer if you later found you're too close.

[WCTHEMI]

We used DuraDex on our deck we built last summer. Its an outdoor lino, made it through the winter and shovelling fine. I didn't want to have to do any maintenance on the deck once built and want to use the underneath for storage for my mower etc...

[HunterDave]

I've built about 150 decks in the past 5 years all with ACQ treated wood and no one was ever had a problem with the wood that I used. I am very particular that I am delivered the best quality though. Anything that's been sitting in the compound for awhile and is starting to split or warp goes right back. Cedar is nice but it still needs to be maintained every year just like regular treated wood so I don't think that there's any advantage to using it except for the looks.

I use 2"x6" lumber for the joists and 5/4"x6" radius edged deck boards and use screws for everything. Make sure that you use ACQ screws on the new ACQ treated lumber. If you use regular zinc ones they will get eaten away in just a few years and your deck will fall apart. 3" screws for the joists with galv joist hangers attached with 3/4" screws, and 2" screws for the decking (5/4"x6").

You are supposed to purchase a building permit however if you don't just make sure that it is built to code so you don't have any problems when it comes time to sell your home.

I would go with 12' wide as opposed to 10' wide as the deck can get real small once patio furniture and people are on it.

There's a right way and a wrong way to screw together lumber. Research what the "Crown" of the grain at the ends of the lumber looks like and how it should be attached to the deck.

If your deck is low to the ground, 2' from the top to the lowest spot on the ground, you don't need a railing.

You'll find that it is recommended to put 1/8" space between deck boards for expansion and contraction of the lumber. I put them right up against each other and when the wood dries and shrinks the 1/8" spacing will occur naturally. If you put in 1/8" spacing you'll end up with 1/4" gap.

That's about all that I can think of that you might not find on the internet. GL!

[ishootbambi]

Originally Posted by slivers86

isb, i am limited to about 25ft from my house to the garage as I oversized to a 22x22 for my lot (largest I could go).

I might be able to do 20ft wide (across the house) and 13 or 14ft towards the garage.

yeah, i follow. had the same issue here.

Originally Posted by HunterDave

You are supposed to purchase a building permit however if you don't just make sure that it is built to code so you don't have any problems when it comes time to sell your home.

!

dont try it without. you can build it to code today, but when you sell the house it has to meet the code at that time....whatever new stuff they come up with. building ispectors tend to be a lot less forgiving when they see that situation. ask me how i know.

[Skybuster]

Two items caught me by surprise in building my latest deck. I have done two previously, but when I went to do the latest one the code had changed. Now you have to use 6x6 posts, and triple 2x8 beams. (I'm not sure if triple 2x6 is acceptable, but I ended up with 2x8's) The 6x6 posts were a real pain, cutting them is awkward as none of my tools can cut it. Ended up using a chain saw.

Good Luck with the deck.

[pophouseman]

Originally Posted by Skybuster

The 6x6 posts were a real pain, cutting them is awkward as none of my tools can cut it. Ended up using a chain saw.

The best way to deal with this problem is to laminate 3 - 2x6's

[slivers86]

Lots of good advice, sounding like the treated wood would by the best idea, unless I can get a good deal on cedar or the synthetic stuff.
Thanks guys! Keep the ideas coming.

[riden]

I have noticed a lot of guys when they build their deck, forget to plan out their railing until after the deck is done, and then end up winging a lot of the railing as they go.

Nothing worse than a wobbly rail.

I notched my posts when I built mine, but I don't live in the city and I didn't get a permit. I don't think notching the posts meets code.

Am I right on that?

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

I've built about 150 decks in the past 5 years all with ACQ treated wood and no one was ever had a problem with the wood that I used. I am very particular that I am delivered the best quality though. Anything that's been sitting in the compound for awhile and is starting to split or warp goes right back. Cedar is nice but it still needs to be maintained every year just like regular treated wood so I don't think that there's any advantage to using it except for the looks.

I use 2"x6" lumber for the joists and 5/4"x6" radius edged deck boards and use screws for everything. Make sure that you use ACQ screws on the new ACQ treated lumber. If you use regular zinc ones they will get eaten away in just a few years and your deck will fall apart. 3" screws for the joists with galv joist hangers attached with 3/4" screws, and 2" screws for the decking (5/4"x6").

You are supposed to purchase a building permit however if you don't just make sure that it is built to code so you don't have any problems when it comes time to sell your home.

I would go with 12' wide as opposed to 10' wide as the deck can get real small once patio furniture and people are on it.

There's a right way and a wrong way to screw together lumber. Research what the "Crown" of the grain at the ends of the lumber looks like and how it should be attached to the deck.

If your deck is low to the ground, 2' from the top to the lowest spot on the ground, you don't need a railing.

You'll find that it is recommended to put 1/8" space between deck boards for expansion and contraction of the lumber. I put them right up against each other and when the wood dries and shrinks the 1/8" spacing will occur naturally. If you put in 1/8" spacing you'll end up with 1/4" gap.

That's about all that I can think of that you might not find on the internet. GL!

5/4 deck boars Suck. Most of the problems I've seen with decks involve them. Better to go with radius edged 2x6. Also, consult the building code, before you decide what size and spacing of joist you decide to go with.

Grizz

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by riden

I notched my posts when I built mine, but I don't live in the city and I didn't get a permit. I don't think notching the posts meets code.

Am I right on that?

Notching the posts for the railing is not the answer to a strong railing IMO. What I do is cut and attach a 2"x4" that is 6" longer that the post and screw the 2x4 to the outside deck joist. In the corners I have two 2x4's screwed to the side of the post. Four screws through the 2x4 (8 in corners) into the outside joist and a couple toe nailed on the inside post is pretty solid.

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

5/4 deck boars Suck. Most of the problems I've seen with decks involve them.

What kind of problems? The only issues that I've seen with them were due to improper installation of them (ie warping/cupping, splitting at the ends).

[donabb]

Originally Posted by slivers86

Lots of good advice, sounding like the treated wood would by the best idea, unless I can get a good deal on cedar or the synthetic stuff.
Thanks guys! Keep the ideas coming.

I used Presure Treated lumber on the framing and Cedar on the deck.
With the southern exposure it requires maintenance every two years.
It's a 12x14 off the Master we added a water fall and an awning for the real hot days we use it all summer long.
Hope we have a summer this year

[riden]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Notching the posts for the railing is not the answer to a strong railing IMO. What I do is cut and attach a 2"x4" that is 6" longer that the post and screw the 2x4 to the outside deck joist. In the corners I have two 2x4's screwed to the side of the post. Four screws through the 2x4 (8 in corners) into the outside joist and a couple toe nailed on the inside post is pretty solid.

You are right, won't argue. But I was after a look that I like. I was pretty happy in the end.

[Fisherpeak]

Originally Posted by riden

You are right, won't argue. But I was after a look that I like. I was pretty happy in the end.

Aw man that thing SUCKS!!!!Just kidding,it looks great!

And Hunter Dave was right,don`t gap the damn boards otherwise you will have car keys, coins and you wifes high heels falling through the gap.They will gap themselves in a very short time.Tight is good.As in most things .

[Redfrog]

I've built plenty of decks. Some cedar, on the coast it is readily available at reasonable prices, or PT 5/4 radius boards. Both need a bit of maintenance with the cedar needing more., but it makes for a nicer lookIMHO.

With all the tools , skills, labor and material available to choose from, I built my own deck out of PT lumber and plywood. Covered it with Vinyl mat like Duradeck. Low/no maintenance and if you pay attention when shoveling snow, no issues with durability. steel rail that need paint every 3-4 years.