Decking posts.

Dackers · 24 Apr 2006

Hi all. I'm planning to deck over an existing patio (although I use the phrase in the loosest possible sense as it's only a few slabs on mud). As the patio doesn't seem to be stable enough - from what I've read - to lay onto I was going to dig holes and fill them with concrete and put the support posts onto those.

My question is this: If I'm fixing the decking to the house using ledger board etc, will I need support posts as well along that side of the decking or just along the opposite side and edges?

Thanks in advance.

pitbull · 24 Apr 2006

It will depend on the fixing's you use to attach to the wall and their spacing,the more you use the less likelihood you'de need post's,however having said that I'm more inclined to use post's as well,can't hurt can it.
When you dig out for your concrete put a piece of slab or brick in the bottom to rest your post on then fill with concrete/slope the concrete away from the post to stop water gathering.Good luck mate and let us know how it goes.

Dackers · 24 Apr 2006

Cheers for that Pitbull. The things I've been reading suggest filling the hold with concrete and then fixing metal post sockets on top of that with expansion bolts and posts in there. You'd recommend putting the posts directly in the ground with the cement would you?

megawatt · 25 Apr 2006

A couple of things ...

If you do it right the ledger is the only support you'll need at the house end with joists hanging between it (hung in joist hangers) and sitting on the beam at the opposite end which is supported on piers ... This is the standard way of doing it ... Though, not the only way

In terms of the posts you can do it either way but I prefer to keep anything which rots out of the ground and would opt for post supports set in the concrete piers and dip the base end of the posts in bitumen prior to setting them in the sockets (or in the concrete if you must) ... Farmers have been doing this with their fence posts since the dawn of time (well, the dawn of bitumen at least

Tom JE · 26 Apr 2006

Good pictures, i like what you have done there! I'm hoping to do similar in my garden!

megawatt · 26 Apr 2006

Building the deck (once the piers were concreted) from start to finish (excluding the balustrade sections) took me 2 full weeks working on my own and the balastrades a further 2 weekends.

The beams were set into mortices in the posts and bolted with 2x13mm galvanised coach bolts (water runoff of 1/2" in 6'). The joists were toenailed to the beams with 3" galvanised nails using a compressed air framing nailer and 2700 stainless steel screws were used to hold down the deck boards (2 at each joist intersection). Pretty much every joint/nail/bolt out of sight was covered in cold paint on bitumen (wear gloves ... It gets everywhere!)

I was lucky and had the best 2 weeks of last summer ... No rain for a fortnight and red hot

If you are going to do something like this on your own though invest in a couple of these (get the 36" or ideally the 50" versions) ...

http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/scripts/products.php?cat=Clamps Quick-Grip

They will happily hold both ends of a heavy 4.8m 8x2" beam while you drill and attach, will pull in warped boards etc ... Pound for pound the best tools I have ever bought ... Used them everywhere and much better than a labourer ... Less cheek (don't make the tea though)!

I've seen a couple of sites which quite nicely outline the process like ...
http://www.easy2diy.com/cm/easy/diy_ht_index.asp?page_id=35720111

It's important to remember though that no 2 deck's are the same and, whilst these sites are great for getting the process clear in the mind, there is no substitute for lots of planning beforehand ... A bit like the MFI kitchen installation manual in no way prepares you for the nightmare which is fitting a kitchen

Good luck with the project ... Let us know how you get on

Dackers · 26 Apr 2006

Top notch - thanks. making a star this weekend so I'll let you know how it goes!

toasty · 26 Apr 2006

Megawatt, that is a really nice job.

Good man, and well done.

megawatt · 26 Apr 2006

Thanks, I'm pleased with the end result

toasty · 27 Apr 2006

No really, it's nice to see a bit of pride in someone's work, so often people cut corners either time or moneywise.

Looking at your pics you've done neither.

It's a good advert for the arguement that sometimes a diy job can be better than a pro's efforts. When time isn't money and you can spend as long as you want on something, with the correct skills the outcome can be top notch.

megawatt · 27 Apr 2006

I agree entirely DIY decks (assuming the DIY'er has the necessary tools/skills) can be built to much better standards because a % of the significant cost savings of doing it yourself can be invested in the deck itself ... After all, It's often only the DIY'ers time and effort we are talking about. I'm not sure I'd enjoy doing it for a living and having to cut corners to make a decent profit

Thermo · 27 Apr 2006

Just because its done professionally doesnt mean corners have to be cut to make a living. I put up a lot of decks, and i can save the time because im familiar with constructing them, i know which materials work well, and i have the tools to do the job quickly and accuratley so it saves the time.

megawatt · 28 Apr 2006

Thermo: I wasn't having a pop at the professional I was just stating the obvious that Pro's cannot compete with competent and tooled-up DIY'ers who have no labour costs (often being the most significant cost of the project) ... Whilst you may be able to cut costs by experience you cannot erect a deck with no labour costs whatsover

DIY'ers either save money per-se or do as I did and invest the labour savings in a better deck.

Apologies if you got the wrong idea.

Thermo · 28 Apr 2006

apology accepted, enjoy youre deck!

megawatt · 29 Apr 2006

Enjoying it at the moment as it happens ... BBQ smoking, patio heater burning the top of my head, bottle of bud going down nicely, watching Ronnie O'Sullivan getting beaten

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Decking posts.

toasty

toasty

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