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At Bristol Decking Solutions we receive many inquiries from customers seeking advice or corrective work on an array of DIY efforts. While building your own deck is eminently achievable, it’s generally best left to those with a portfolio of home improvement projects rather than ardent newbies. The following guest-post will briefly summarize the steps you can take to build your own deck.
Have you wanted to learn how you can build a deck? What are the basic fundamentals involved in doing so? Creating your own deck needn’t be difficult if follow these basic tips, so read on to learn more.
The first step is to figure out what your decking materials will be made of. Wood is generally the go-to material DIY’ers have in mind as a great material to use. Nowadays however, there are an array composite decking options that offer you more flexibility too.
You need to learn your layout options. After you figure out where you’re going to put your deck, you need to use the 3-4-5 rule to help you survey the area. Basically you’ll want to stake a line that’s 4′ long and parallel to your home’s wall. One end of this is stake A and the other is B. A second line connects to A and runs perpendicularly from a point 3′ away where you will then attach a line for your C stake. The corner is then square when your B and C distances are 5′.
Posts are set next. You want the holes for your posts to be 3′ deep, and 12″ wide. You may need to have deeper holes to deal with frosting if you have a lot of that happening in your area due to cold weather.
Beams and joists are put into place next. Deck beams are generally nailed together between 12-16″ and have intervals with 3″ nails that are galvanized. You will want to attach your beams to the posts with 3″ framing angels or other connecting hardware if you have special conditions.
Joists are going to need to be installed on 16″ centers. You want the end beams to be marked for joist placements so make sure you mark them properly. You want to them attach these to the beams with toe nailing using your galvanized nails or framing connectors made of metal along with nails or screws that are galvanized.
Installing the decking is the final part, and you want to make sure that you pick the proper facing to show off. Always pre-drill your nail holes so that you don’t have to deal with as much splitting. Deck screws are recommended if you want to have a professional looking deck.
Once you have gone over these tips to learn how to build a deck, it’s easy to get your project underway. Proceed cautiously, you want to plan carefully and be sure that these pieces of advice are put to good use. Then you can be proud of the job you do when it’s finished and looking great. Remember, if in doubt, contact the experts.