Building a western red cedar deck storage box is a one-day project that will provide convenient storage and an extra place to sit. Western red cedar was chosen for this project because of its beauty and natural abilities to stand up to harsh weather and insects for many years. In Part Two of the project, the box itself will be built. Download PDF Plans View Part One
Here are some basic things to remember when building your own deck. Attach the joist hangers 16 inches apart on center to the side rails. Assemble all floor joists and side rails before nailing. Then, nail all at once, using galvanizd nails. Overhang the first floor board by half an inch using galvanized finish nails. If you have an enclosed deck or a screened porch you can use tongue and groove flooring.
If you're building a backyard deck, you want to be sure it's secure on its foundation. Set a threaded bolt into your concrete footing. Then attach a post anchor base. Adjust it to receive your deck post. Use a washer and nut to secure the base. Finally, cover with a base plate. This will protect the porch post from rot.
Take extra care when nailing your deck. Instead of driving the nails completely in with a hammer. Use a nail set to finish off the job and avoid damaging the wood. Also, use 16 penny common nails as spacers and pull the boards tight to correct any natural curve they might have.
Don Humphrey is spraying a cement and polymer mix from Innovative Concrete Technology called Texture-Krete 2000 onto the pool edge and deck in Punta Gorda, Florida. He moves in a circular motion to splat the cement mix onto the deck. As the gloss begins to leave the spots, a crewmember follows behind to knock it down with a trowel. This removes the pointy tops but leaves a 1/16-inch stucco pattern to the pool deck to make it easy to walk on. The deck is cleaned and scratched to remove any rough points before Humphrey and his crew apply an acrylic paint to the textured deck surface. The key to a well-sealed surface is to roll the paint firmly into all the nooks and dips in the surface. Bob talks about the embedded deck drain set in the concrete that is pitched slightly away from the pool. Excess water and dirty deck water drains away from the pool and is carried off to the sides of the pool deck by the deck drain. Humphrey applies two coats of paint and a topcoat for protection. The deck can be maintained with gentle soap-and-water washing to prevent any white spots from drying chlorine on the painted surface. Humphrey says the paint should last three to five years before it is redone. One key to maintaining the surface is to avoid abrasive cleaners or power washing. Should any mold or mildew attack the surface, Humphrey suggests using a mild bleach-and-water solution to kill the mold. The oyster color the homeowners have selected should wear well and stay cool in the hot Florida sun. Editor�s Note: The deck surface product with cooling properties used in this application was not Kool Deck from Mortex.
Tim Berky and his crew are removing existing cladding from the Queen Anne Victorian to fit the ledger board for the deck tight into the house with an ice and water barrier to protect it against water penetration. A pressure-treated 2-by-10 will be fitted up against the house and hung with joist hangers. An ice and water barrier will actually protect the metal from the corrosive effects of the chemicals used to treat the lumber. Berky and the crew build the first beam by nailing three boards together that are pitched to shed water off the deck and away from the house. The rim joist for the deck rests on the six-by-six posts that serve as deck supports coming up from the concrete piers. Two-by-fours are used as temporary supports as the doublers are built and set to level on the new pressure-treated columns.
Bob comes out the back door of the new addition to the back yard that is currently four feet down from the entry. The new deck will be quite extensive, with various sections that read into one another and onto the sloping back and side yards. Bob reviews the plans that show an extensive deck section at one level, with long stairs cut into the grade in one direction and deck sections that step down to the side yard in the other direction. Tim Berky, the general contractor, is on site to dig the holes for The Footing Tube PVC forms that create the deck footing and pier in one concrete pour. Each costs about $40 and provides a flared design that combats frost heaving when set below the frost line. Berky will pour the concrete to grade so that no concrete will show above it. He will use structural lumber above the grade and face it to hide the lumber. The Footing Tube forms are capped to prevent accidents until the footings are ready to pour. Once they areset in place and backfilled, the concrete is transported to the deck area and shoveled into the forms to set the deck footings and piers.
Bob and Chris Vila meet with David and Jed Walentas from Two Trees Development, the developers of the waterfront warehouse rehab, on the top of a nearby building to get some ideas for the project building's roof deck. In this example, the roof below the deck is a double-ply rubber membrane. Portions of the deck are made with pressure treated timbers and a renewable hardwood decking called ipe, although the majority of the surface area is concrete pavers. New York City building codes will be a major consideration in the construction of the Pepper Factory's roof configuration. Jed Walentas highlights some of the major factors, including the height of the safety railing and the percentage of combustible materials that can be used in rooftop construction.
Bob joins Wes Lohr of Lohr Construction as they install the deck framing and deck on one of the Mashpee, Massachusetts houses. The footings are poured and the deck posts are set in place with high-density plastic feet to repel moisture. The frame is being built with pressure-treated lumber, which no longer poses health risks as it once did. They look at the ledger board that is spaced 3/4 to one inch away from the house to allow for drainage and to avoid snow buildup. Lohr installs the ledger board with a six-inch lag bolt that will go through the board and into the sill plate of the house. The joist hangers are already in place on the ledger board, and the frame is completed with a base board that is mitered at the corners and fastened all the way around the deck. The first piece of composite decking is notched to go around the deck posts. They have chosen a grain pattern for this WeatherBest composite decking, which gives a wood-look appearance to the deck. The decking boards are spaced one 16-penny spike apart for proper drainage and are pre-drilled to receive the colored screws that match the decking. The base of the deck will be painted in a year, once it has dried sufficiently.
