All Decked Out For Summer
(Page 7 of 10)
June/July 1992
by John Vivian
Cut your ledger 4" wider than the deck (the extra 2" at each end to hold side-beam hangers) and bolt or lagscrew it to the house frame members—not to the thin sheathing! Nails in sheathing will reveal locations of frame members.
RELATED CONTENT
Building a deck that will withstand any climate or condition, including: posts, butt joints, dry ro...
What I'd discovered, of course, was something that occurs all the time--a poorly planned deck insta...
BUILD A DECK... WITHGROCERY BAGS June/July 2000
Recycled plastic finds
n...
An in-depth look at types of hollies, when to plant and how to harvest....
Avoid the most common mistake of both pro and amateur deck-builders: Don't fail to insert water-shedding aluminum flashing in overlapping strips up under siding and then carry it down over the ledger.
Let flashing overrun the ledger at the sides by enough that you can tuck the ends under cut edges of siding. Plug every hole and seal every crack with long-life acrylic caulking and your deck won't admit water to rot the house frame.
Tack (temporarily nail) vertical support posts to foundation fittings—setting them plumb with the level and keeping them that way with four boards hammered into the ground at an angle and tacked to each side of each post. Snap a level chalk line from ledger bottom to post tops and remove posts to trim. Tack column-cap beam holders to top of posts and tack-nail them back on the footings.
Measure beams to length on the work, cut and and install them on joist-hangers on ledger and with column-caps of truss braces on piers. Make sure all are level before final-fastening posts and beams; you may have to shim (use thin ends of cedar shingles) or trim the posts a bit more to compensation for fitting thickness.
Joists are next. Mark locations of all joist-hangers before tack-nailing them on. Make sure all are level and square with their opposite numbers before final-fastening. Measure and cut each joist to fit on the work and lay in place. Keep them level. Especially if the lumber is wet, make them snug but not so tight they will bow the beams. Shim here and there if needed and once you are sure all joists are level and even with one another, final-fasten.You may need a building inspection before proceeding. If you aren't code-restricted and have exceeded recommended dimensions, its best to put scrap 5/4x4 PT cross-braces on edge at mid-span between overly long or wide-spaced joists.
Decking
Don't give in to the urge to get the barbecue fired up, and begin slapping on floor boards. Layout every plank before setting the first nail.
Experiment with edge finishes. The outer sides and ends of boards can jut beyond the frame as much as an inch, giving a finished, table look. If your frame is of paired beams fastened to post sides, you can center square edged 5/4 x 4 planking along the outer beams, angling joints at 45°, then nail deck plank ends to the inner beam.
A deck also looks good with the three exposed sides framed with skirt boards. Set the skirt board under outjutting plank ends and edges.
Page:
<< Previous 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 | 7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
Next >>
