Tag: Deck

Building a Deck by Myself (6)

( previous blog， first blog of the series ）

6. Decking

After the framing was done, I ordered EverGrain deck boards and railing systems at the shop where I purchased lumber. The first 40 pieces of 20-foot-long deck boards in two colors, Cedar and Cherry Wood, arrived. This time, I did not let the truck drive to our backyard (they did so previously and tore up the ground). Instead the boards were unloaded on our driveway.
boards
Continue reading Building a Deck by Myself (6)

Building a Deck by Myself (5)

( previous blog， first blog of the series ）

5. Framing

The last day of September was sunny. I went to a local building material shop to purchase pressure-treated lumber. The shop delivered the lumber the same day. Because of the recent rain the ground of our backyard was soft, and the delivering truck made many deep ruts in the backyard. That night it rained again, and our backyard looked like that the next morning. Pity!lawn Continue reading Building a Deck by Myself (5)

Building a Deck by Myself (4)

( previous blog， first blog of the series ）

4. Footing

The surface of the house next to the deck location is brick veneer. The Details prohibits ledger board attachment to brick veneer, so the new deck had to be free-standing, requiring footings to be dug next to the wall. There would be twelve 16 in. square footings, and two 12 in. round footings. Size of footings were clearly defined in the Details.

Continue reading Building a Deck by Myself (4)

Building a Deck by Myself (3)

( previous blog， first blog of the series ）

3. Design and Drawing

The next step was to design the deck. My friend, who proposed me to do-it-myself, told me it cost him about $2,500 to hire someone to make five drawings. He asked me if I planned to hire someone to draw the plans; he also told me when he went to the county to get his permit he saw many people had drawn theirs by hand on paper without even using a ruler, and that the clerks were very patient helping people modify their plans. I told him I was going to draw my own plans and he sent me his over the Internet to use as a reference. I also reviewed the drawings in the deck-building books, and the requirements in the Details, then got the ideas how to make my drawings. Continue reading Building a Deck by Myself (3)

Building a Deck by Myself (2)

( first blog of the series )

2. Preparation

Having made up my mind I started the process. The first thing to do was choose the materials. Fairfax County Typical Deck Details  (hereinafter referred as the Details) require the weight-bearing structure to be pressure-treated lumber. As for the deck boards, both wood and composite are allowed. In order to reduce future maintenance, we decided to go with composite. Continue reading Building a Deck by Myself (2)