Decking Advice

phil p · 9 Aug 2016

Hi,

I'm after some advice regarding a deck build.

Ive took the challenge of building this deck for a friend of mine, it's roughly 3 x 3 metres and I'm not too sure how to tackle the base.

There's currently a patio there at the moment consisting of a 3 foot concrete path off the house wall and the centre part of the patio is paving stones, however they have sunk slightly towards the centre therefore when it rains the water pools to about a depth of around 2 inches in the middle, but this does quite quickly drain away.

What would be the best way forward with this?

Should I lift these stones and relay them flat before starting the deck? however I want to try and avoid this if I can.

Is there any type of PVC or galvanized adjustable bracket I could buy to keep the rafter out of the water as timber would rot?

It's also going to be a very low deck as the finished height has to be 7 inches from ground height to finish height so the finished deck board would sit under the sill of the patio door, and there's also air bricks above the 7 inches therefore I was just going to use 4 x 2 battens for the frame, which I realise isn't the greatest for strength however I would use plenty noggins and it would be well shored up underneath and the deck would only have very light use anyway.

I'm also restricted by this 7 inch height.

Any suggestions on how to pack or shore up the frame these few inches off the ground?

Also what would be the best timber for the framework, would it be kiln dried or pressure treated?, however I think I am working to a limited budget but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Phil

AJB Temple · 9 Aug 2016

For ease:

Leave the paving where it is, but drill some drainage holes through.
Use pressure tanalised 4 by 2 for framing and bed level on concrete pads or shims.
Allow slight fall on the decking - timber deckig tends to get horribly slippery when wet

No skills · 9 Aug 2016

Your will need a fair bit of support under that to stop it feeling bouncy. Plenty of posts and steel brackets down to the path/patio fixed with concrete screws or similar. I'd be tempted to sink in dense concrete blocks in any grassy areas and atach the decking to it with galvanised brackets.
I paint any timber posts in constant ground contact with extra preservatives and a thick coat of bitumen paint.
Yes you should be using pressure treated timber if possible.

Homers double · 9 Aug 2016

http://www.wallbarn.com/products/roof-a ... r-decking/

Hello Phil
This link shows a plastic foot system for decking, fully adjustable, I've used a similar type of product when I had to build a temporary deck for a garden show,we built straight on top of grass with them and the finished deck was solid.
You may be able to remove a few paving slabs put a concrete base a bit lower down and fit these in a few places to eliminate bounce

Edit - I've just seen they do a mini one its on link on the right hand side of the page

whiskywill · 9 Aug 2016

These start at 17mm high. http://www.alcomet.net/grp-pedestal-support-system.html

Bm101 · 9 Aug 2016

Haven't used Homer's pads but I've heard they are good and could be ideal in your situation especially in the centre of the deck. For longevity I'd sink padstones to the right height for your frame. Ideally all over. (Ie: my own house

) But in the real world maybe a combination of both.
Might help to make the frame in parts Phil then join in situ. Makes life a lot easier. Get some endseal and stand your cuts in it ideally or paint it on with a minimum of gay abandon.

If costs become prohibitive I'd suggest a smaller area than cutting back on inhibiting water into the (pressure treated) timber.
Having said all that I've seen scaffolding boards used to good effect if you treat them yourself and don't mind some clean up work you can pick them up quite cheap. I prefer decking groove down anyway visually.