Last summer I designed and built my own deck in my backyard, and my father who was visiting me at that time played a significant part in the building process.
Here is a series of pictures taken throughout the building process:
1. Preparing the site. The area that will be covered by the deck is marked out using wooden stakes and the grass in the area is cleared.
2. Beam structure. The beam structure is built with 4X6 pressure-treated wood supported on 19 pieces of cement pier blocks. The brackets connecting the beam to the pier blocks are height-adjustable so that the deck can be leveled easily. The joints in the beam structure are held together by 8-inch wood screws and L brackets.
3. Hanging joists. The joists are 2X6 pressure-treated wood that are hung between the beams using special brackets called "joist hangers". They run parallel to the back wall of the house and are spaced at 12-inch intervals.
4. Ground treatment. After all the joist are installed, a special fabric is laid on the ground surface that is under the deck. The fabric is water permeable and its purpose is to prevent weeds or grass to grow under the deck.
Here is a series of pictures taken throughout the building process:
1. Preparing the site. The area that will be covered by the deck is marked out using wooden stakes and the grass in the area is cleared.
2. Beam structure. The beam structure is built with 4X6 pressure-treated wood supported on 19 pieces of cement pier blocks. The brackets connecting the beam to the pier blocks are height-adjustable so that the deck can be leveled easily. The joints in the beam structure are held together by 8-inch wood screws and L brackets.
3. Hanging joists. The joists are 2X6 pressure-treated wood that are hung between the beams using special brackets called "joist hangers". They run parallel to the back wall of the house and are spaced at 12-inch intervals.
4. Ground treatment. After all the joist are installed, a special fabric is laid on the ground surface that is under the deck. The fabric is water permeable and its purpose is to prevent weeds or grass to grow under the deck.