Ground Level Decking or Raised Decking??

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Hi
Can someone give me some clues.
I need to build a deck about 7inches in height from a level(ish) half concrete (right hand side) half MOT type 2 (left hand side).
It is to extend about 3ft and 1ft is a concrete step.
I cant put the decking boards directly onto the step bit because it is too low.
Heres what i am thinking.
Place some 1/2 thick timber along the step and secure this into place by drilling it. This will give me my level for the deck on the step side.
On the raised bit (the 7 inches) i dont know whether to go through the pain of posts because it is such a small height. Is there an alternative like bricks for example or cementing some slabs/bricks etc?
I dont mind doing the post bit but not too sure if it is that necessary.
Lee
 
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Hi Lee there is nothing wrong in what you are doing, my only concern would be the 1/2 inch timber on the step, I trust the step is in good condition so this will be ok for supporting the deck, but 1/2 inch timber will rot a lot quicker than thicker timbers, so provided that you keep this well maintained every year then it should be ok!

On the raised bit if you are using 6 x 2 joists then you will only have to come up an inch, so I would use 4 x 4 posts, cut obviously to give you the right level and bolted to the joists, you could then skirt this with 7 x 1 tanalised boarding to hide the gap between the ground and joists.

If you do use bricks, which you can do of course, make sure that they are engineering bricks and are frost proof!
 
I have been thinking about this a little more and want to run this past you.
I think that this might be the way i do this.
1. Build the frame for the decking on the ground.
2. Offer up the deck boards to the frame and put in the noggins in the correct place but not screwing them (the boards) in place
3. Lift frame to desired height which would be flush with the concret step and place on bricks at the step end and paving slabs at the other
4. Use frame fixing or something stronger on the step side to secure
5. Secure some good timber to the entire framework 1/2 inch AND the top of the concrete step to ensure everthing is at the same height
6. Screw in the boards

How does that sound?
 
No need to place the deck boards on the frame until you have finished leveling up the frame work and making sure it is all square. also put the noggins in as you build the frame, if you cut all your noggins to 350mm and place them in two at a time at each end of the joists this will ensure that all your joists are 400mm apart, make sure you get the first few joists square and then all the others should follow.

Once you have made up your frame build up your brick and slab area to the correct height and then offer up the frame, once you are happy everything is in position and square then you can place your deck boards on top and screw them down as you go!
 
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Nice one. Thanks for that, I hope to get on with it this weekend weather permitting of course.
Are there any recommendations for screws for decking ie the best make or just anything called decking screw?
I love this site.
 
Hi Lee, yes use decking screws or stainless steel screws, these will not corrode like the normal screws! you can usually buy decking screws in bulk from a local timber merchant or from one of the DIY sheds, B&Q sell them in 500's or a 1000 bulk buy tubs, or you can use screwfix etc
 
Hi,

I'm half way through my decking project. It's a 6m x 3.6m area.
I did a lot of reading on the web and various sites about the best options for most senario's.

I think Woodster has already provided some valuable information for you, I can only add what I have learnt form my own experience during my project.

If I had to strees anything enough it would be to get everything level to the correct heights before you even start building the frame. If this means building up the step an inch and setting your posts in place or your pad of engineering blocks. This little bit of preperation will save you so much time trying to level everything out after you have built the frame and will save you a lot of time in the long run.

If you do go down the post route which is the better option, then you need to treat any cuts you make with preserver as most of the pretreated timber will have only sunk in an inch or so from the surface and you will find that once you make a cut you will have fresh wood again.

The posts or should be bolted to deck bearers with M12 rust proof bolts.
The deck bearers will then support the frame itself. (if you go down this route).

As already mentioned your frame joists should all run in the same direction at 400mm from the centers, depending on the size of your decking area will depend on how many noggins you will need. The noggins again will sit at 400mm centers. Again this depends on the size of your deck.


Things to remember, and I'm not too sure how stricts these are but there are building regulations when it comes to decking.

Decking must site at least 150mm below the damproof layer of the outside of the house. It must also site at least 10mm away from the wall itself (Stainless steel spacers can be use to generate the gap between the wall and the wall plate or ledger).
I personally couldn't abide to the 150mm below the damp proof as I only had 100mm space before 2' of solid concrete, so I installed a drain system that ran along the whole length of the back of the house, the decking would then butt up to this leaving a 5mm gap for expansion.

Good luck with the project, take some before and after pictures for us to see and post them up in the sticky garden picture section. I'll add mine up when I've finished.
 
Been thinking some more on this one. I want to build a frame out of the wood that i have (4 x 2) i think. The snag is that the 'long' sides ( x2) would be 25ft long and the timber i have isnt that long. Is there a tried and tested method to create a peice of timber this long from 2 bits? OR should i build 2 frames? I was thinking of using a bracket or something to secure the two bits together but knowing me this is asking for trouble :)
 
Lee, do not use 4 x 2, this is not strong enough for the frame, believe me, it will be too springy and if you have furniture and people on the deck that is a lot of weight to bare on 4 x 2 and it will probably collapse....at a scrimp you can use 5 x 2 but I personaly would only use 6 x 2 minimum for any deck construction!

You can build two frames and bolt these together and would be a prefered method if you have a large span.

Pinnacle there are no such regualtions about the DPC, yes it is advisable where ever possible to go 150mm below the DPC but you can place a wall plate on, above, or upto the DPC provided you leave a 10 - 12 mm gap between the face plate and the wall.

The only regulations for decking where you would need planning permission or building regulations come into play are:

If the deck is raised 600mm or more from ground level
If the deck is going to be at first floor level or above i.e as in a balcony
If the deck is going to be in a conservation area
If the deck is going to be an addition to a Listed building
If the deck is situated within 20 metres of a highway.
If the structure would affect the amenity value or privacy of neighbouring properties.


Also yes it is advisable to coat or soak your cut ends, but the tanalising process is such that it draws the fluid through the wood, What happens is the wood is placed in a very large vacuum tank, the air is sucked out and then the tanalising fluid is drawn in through the grain of the wood thus replacing any air with tanalising fluid.

Again though I do soak cut ends in a preservative just to make sure!
 
The reason (well reasons) why I was going to use the 4x2 is because in essence all the decking is doing is extending an existing concrete step so there will be very little traffic on it ever. Just stepping up into the shed and probably sitting on it maybe.

The step is about 1ftin length and i am extending it probably 3ft max (maybe even less), still unsure as to how it is going to plan out to be honest as the wife wants the boards to go longways as opposed to the shorter way in keeping with the line of the boards on the shed.
 

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