Decks

Deck Planning

A deck is usually unique for the home that it's made for.  It expresses the way you live, whether it's used as a quiet place for reading or morning coffee or used for an outdoor family room or dining spot.  Planning a deck the right way will help make it tough enough to deal with the outside elements.  If you want a simple deck, maybe for a small backyard, one that's 10 x 12 feet will do.  If you want a bigger deck for having company or just more space, a good idea would be having stairs leading to other levels.  You should think about function first.  For large gatherings or parties, some decks may have an outdoor kitchen.  Small decks don't have to be boring.  You can add more color with flowers and plants.  If there's not enough room for an umbrella table, outdoor curtains hung on a beam track provide moveable shade.  Whatever size or shape you need for your deck, you can always put in some unique personality.


Deck Terminology

These are the definitions of all the important parts of a typical deck.  Specific types of decks may be different.

Beams or girders:  Large framing members horizontally attached to the posts to support the joists.

Decking:  2x or 5/4 stock attached to the joists to form the floor of the deck.

Footings:  Concrete columns below grade that support the posts and the deck.  Certain places where the soil freezes and thaws, concrete is poured in a form inserted in a hole that is dug to frost depth.  You can ask your building department for footing depths in your area.

Joists:  Horizontal framing pieces fixed on top of the beam or even with the ledger to support the decking.  A header is secured to the ends of the deck's interior joists.  Rim joists or end joists are the outermost joists perpendicular to the ledger.

Ledger:  A header connected to the house to support one side of the deck.

Piers:  Precast concrete pyramids made to be set on in-ground footings, or where frost is not a problem, directly on the ground to support posts.

Post anchors:  Metal framing connectors that attach posts to piers or footings.  They slightly raise the base of the posts above the top of the footing, guarding them from water and insect damage. 

Posts:  Boards (usually 4x or 6x) set vertically to hold the deck framing.  Posts are used on all except the shortest decks.  The posts can be cut off below the deck surface, or they can rise above the surface to give support for the railing.  Posts can rest on top of concrete footings or they can be set in the hole before the concrete is poured.

Rails:  Horizontal parts of railings that give a safety bar and handhold for stairs or along the sides of the deck.

Railing:  This is made up of rails, rail posts, cap rails, and balusters or spindles.  The balusters, which are the smallest vertical parts, are set to fill the space between the top and bottom rails and between rail posts.  Maximum baluster spacing is 4 inches for child safety.

Risers:  Boards that enclose the vertical spaces between stairway treads.  Risers are usually not included on deck steps and other outside steps.

Stringers:  Long diagonal framing pieces (usually 2x12s) that support stairs.  The stair treads are attached to the stringers.

Treads:  The horizontal, stepping levels of a stairway.
 

Deck Shapes

Decks can be almost any shape you want.  When planning the design of your deck, you need to think about your landscape, the architecture of your home, and how you plan to use the deck.  The simplest kind is a ground-level deck.  This is good for a flat yard and a one-floor home.  Codes might not require a railing because this design hugs the ground.  You can combine overlapping pieces to make a deck cascade down a small slope.  Other than the plain ground-level platform, there are three categories of decks. 

Elevated deck
This kind of deck can give entrance to upper-level rooms or make a level recreational or entertainment space on sloping landscape.  The easiest form of this is a single platform held by posts with lengths depending on the shape of the ground to keep the platform level.  You might want this kind of deck shape to take advantage of a really nice view you couldn’t see otherwise.
 

Wraparound deck
This design faces two or more sides of the house.  It’s good for quiet activities (maybe a getaway outside the bedroom) and big parties (next to the kitchen) all in one deck.  This design is also good for yards that get different amounts of sunlight at different times of the day.  This kind of deck is good for families that will use their outdoor space for several different needs.  You can build a wraparound deck as a single ground-level platform, as a multilevel deck, or as a raised deck that gives second-floor entrance.
 

Multilevel deck
This kind of deck can have areas with different sizes and shapes, and is good for uneven landscape.  You can still build one area of a multilevel deck on flat ground and use it for a transition to a deck on an upper level of your home.  This design is good if you need different deck areas for different outdoor activities.