Building a new deck

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

I used these on a deck thats just about 2 feet above ground: http://www.deckplans.com/

They are concrete blocks that you slot 4x4's into to create the supports for the deck. The idea is that you don't worry about frost lines and heave, because the deck floats on the surface. You don't worry about the deck sinking, because you use enough of the blocks that the weight distribution is very low.

After two years, there is no discernable change in the gap between the deck and the house, and the deck hasn't settled or shifted at all.

Awesome product, imho.

-Scott

Thats a pretty cool idea, kinda what I was looking for but not sure I can use them. With my current deck, the deck is pretty much sitting on the ground at the end closest to the house, the end of the deck farthest away from the house is about half a foot off the ground, can I still use those footings? Is there any hardware that you can use to adjust the height or are they used assuming that you are pretty lvl as is?

[Old Yeller]

Originally Posted by ken0042

However, I would not do that deck that way unless you want to rebuild it/ fix it/ pay out lawsuits every other year. There's a reason building code says piles 4 feet down; and not because they are "in" with the concrete industry.

Yeah that's just me being lazy, I've finally figured out the math and with my deck depth only being 10 ft and a width of 18 ft (with one whole side connected to the house) I only need to dig 3 posts... maybe 4.

I dug 13 by hand when I built my fence a couple of years ago and swore I'd never do it again, but hey 3 or 4 won't kill me.

Plus I just read a few horror stories about the spikes.

Oh and ken, 24th street is closed again.

[onetwo_threefour]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Very close. It's piles 4 feet deep for a deck higher than 2 feet off the ground. 3 feet is the frost line in Calgary, so the extra foot is for good measure.

Just to add, if you can't get a Bobcat into your yard for whatever reason, looks at renting a 2 man auger, and bribe 3 strong friends with beer. (A 2 man auger works best with 4 guys.)

Ah, my 7-month pregnant wife and I did six post-holes with a two-man auger lst year... two is enough... (not kidding.)