So my brother and I have been tasked with ripping out an old deck and building a simple 8'x15' floating deck in its place. I haven't been to the house yet to see the old old deck, but the pictures make it look pretty shit.Anyway, the point I'm driving at is that I'm retarded and I've never built a deck. I do woodworking, but construction stuff is pretty foreign to me. Are there any major things I should be worried about? The owners aren't the type to be concerned with building codes, so it's not like I have to do everything perfect. I just want to know what I should prepare for, and anything I should REALLY be on the lookout for, and what should I use for everything? Concrete footers? Piers? Shit like that...
It's a piece of shit. The owners are going to buy all the lumber and hardware necessary, so I just need to figure out how to do it...
>>3007381If you want it to look nice, get a board bender to close up the gaps between planks.
>>3007379yeah you should tell your friend to get someone who knows what they're doing to build it. you don't even know how to build a normal deck pet alone a "floating" one.
1. What are the expectations as far as quality?Is this a paid job, or more like a favor for a family member? How fussy are they?2. Do you get cold winters? Are you concerned about frost heaving?3. Do you get tornados are other such windy weather? If the deck isn't tied to the earth or the building, is there any reason to be concerned that high winds might throw it?I'm going to make some guesses based on the photos, and give this advice:Build it on concrete piers. Use 2x6 regular stick-framing style on 4x4 posts to the piers. Dig a little if you have to. It'll shift over the years -- but someone can adjust the piers as needed by digging or whatever in order to keep it somewhat level.If you and your brother are both completely new to building a deck, you really need to find someone knowledgeable to help you. If you're reasonably intelligent, you could maybe inspect thoroughly other decks and copy how they've done it.Watch some of the popular builders on youtube for construction basics. Essential Craftsman has some decent videos in this regard.
>>30073941. It's for a family member. They don't care if it's not exactly right. 2. It's in Sherwood, OR so freezing temps do happen, but not crazy often. 3. No disastrous weather, but it's wet all the damn time.Thank you for the advice, we're going out early next week to assess everything, demo it, level the ground, and throw down some gravel.I wasn't sure if it's worth it, but are those top planks worth salvaging? We're trying to keep costs down for the family, but is it worth it to try and save any wood? My thought was to save whatever isn't totally ruined, and give the planks a small pass or two through my planer to give them a fresh look, and remove all that old, white paint. Is this a good idea, or am I retarded?
>>3007379Follow these guidelines and you'll be fine.https://assets.montgomerycountymd.gov/files/2026-04/MCResidentialDeckDetails.pdf
