How to Construct a Deck in a Weekend

Building a deck doesn’t have to be difficult, even for a novice woodworker, if you have good instructions and blueprints to follow.

This article explains installing a deck at any height from 350 mm to 1.8 m above grade.

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Putting up wooden stakes

1. Make a paper sketch of your deck layout. (If you’re at a loss for what to build, the internet is rife with sites offering deck blueprints.) Your deck’s pillars, purlins, and joists need precise measurements before you can begin drawing your deck’s layout.

Second, use a string or a line to outline the outside of your deck. Be cautious to double-check your diagonal measurements before beginning construction on a square deck.

Use a chalk or ink pen to indicate where your posts will go. The ideal distance between your posts is 1.5 to 1.8 meters.

The holes for the posts should be dug to a depth of 400 mm (4). Ensure the bracing keeps the seats in place while the concrete cures, then drop them into the holes. No matter how far the posts emerge from the earth, they will be trimmed down afterward.

5. Check that the vertical alignment of your posts is plumb.

Six, fill the holes up to the brim with ready-mixed concrete.

Wait 48 hours after pouring the concrete to remove the timber bracing and clean the posts.

In the Purlins

The decking planks on your deck are supported by purlins, horizontal beams that run the length of your deck. The purlins have stakes running their distances for stability.

The direction of the purlin construction will match that of the completed deck boards, which are often parallel to the house or patio doors.

Determine the height at which you want the completed deck to sit, and then back-calculate the measurements of your posts to get there.

Level an expansive deck using a laser level that adjusts its height on a tripod. If you’re using a laser level, check whether it was calibrated within the past six months.

Stagger the joists so you don’t end up with two joints on the same post, and bolt 6″ x 2″ planks on the edge to either side of the posts. (Instead of bolts, you may use timber locks; they’re just as secure and take considerably less time to set up. The 6″ x 2″ wood should be pre-drilled, then at least two bolts or wooden locks should be inserted.

Add a 4″ x 2″ dwarf leg between the 6″ x 2″ and the concrete footing, and secure it to the post with screws or timber locks for added stability. This will guarantee that your foundation will hold up for at least two decades. This will help disperse the weight across the ground.

Surface Drainage

Ensure your decking has a modest incline to allow water to run off. Our target incline will be roughly 1%. We’ll use the builder’s line to set our levels for this. A slope of 1 in 100 can be achieved with 50mm over 4.8m.

The purlins can be strengthened by using dwarf legs. The framework is finished once the purlins are in place and bolted or timber-locked.

Soffit Staging

The joists can now be easily laid out (but the 4″ x 2″ (or 5 6″ x 2″) joists must be regularized (that is, that the posts are genuinely of equal proportions), or else the deck may be uneven.

Joists should be placed at right angles to the purlins, or 90 degrees, on top of the purlins. The minimum recommended distance between posts is 250mm (10″). For attachment to the purlins, you can use either 80mm stainless steel screws or 3″ galvanized nails for the joists. Thanks to these measures, your decking should be sufficiently sturdy and long-lasting to withstand twenty years of regular use.

The final step in reinforcing the joist structure is to install bridging pieces between them. Cut your materials to lengths of 10 inches (250 millimeters).

The joists should be reinforced by inserting 250mm (10″) bridging sections between them.

Visit [http://www.deckingmaster.com] for detailed video guidance on every stage of the deck-building process. Decking Master has video guides for constructing decks of various sizes and heights.

linda