All Decked Out For Summer
(Page 2 of 10)
June/July 1992
by John Vivian
Plan to spend $3.50 to $5.00 per square foot. In these tight-pursed times, bank financing may be a problem for a do-it-yourself deck. However, many building supply outlets will finance up to $1,500 worth of materials. Lumber and fittings for few home-builder-scale decks will cost more; a discount lumber yard near me sells lumber and fittings for a 6'x8' entry deck for $170, and a 16'x24' model (railings included) for $1,300.
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A Trial Layout
Next, make a string-and-stick mockup. Set stout boards or poles at the corners and every few feet around the deck's outline, run taught cord around them, clear and roughlevel the land and try living in the space for a while. Be sure you have easy access from the house. An existing door may suffice, or you may need to cut a door in the kitchen or family room wall.
For a clear view of the deck, windows may need enlarging or relocating; a sliding glass door may solve both window and door problems.
Experiment with different deck sizes and shapes. The building code and common sense require that any deck much over a foot off the ground must have a railing and stairs; try different locations and sizes. Fronting the door from the house is most convenient, and an outdoor stair should be at least 4' wide. Perhaps a pair of stairways will be better.
Before drawing the construction plan, select the materials. The deck must support 10 lbs./sq.ft. of its own weight and a total "live" load (including people and furnishings) of 40 lbs./sq. ft. Different types of lumber have different carrying capacities.
Lumber
In time, boring insects and soil-borne molds will destroy any wood they can get to, and airborne mildew will gradually eat it to pulp. For longest life, lumber must be weather-resistant and kept out of contact with the soil.
Surprising perhaps, but your worst lumber choice would be hardwood such as maple, birch, or most oaks. Not much longer-lived are common building lumbers such as spruce, fir, or pine. Most elegant are straight-grained softwoods containing natural resins which repel bugs and molds. California redwood, eastern red or western white cedar, and southern bald cypress will last 25 years or longer with proper care. However, they're expensive. Inch-thick Western red cedar decking costs over a half-dollar a running foot (and is rising). You'll pay almost twice that for redwood. White cedar costs less, but is hard to come by—it is only really available primarily from fencing contractors.
From your woodlot or local sawmills, you may be able to obtain non-commercial species having a measure of natural rot-resistance: locust, mulberry, catalpa, and, in the Midwest, Osage orange. Wild cherry, white oak, and red cedar make okay deck woods but are better used for furniture. (Be sure that having the wood hauled, cut to size and milled smooth doesn't cost more than buying finished lumber.)
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