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Hi and welcome to Home Time. I'm Robin Hartl. And I'm Dean Johnson. We're just getting ready
to build a deck here on the back of this house. We'll take you step by step through the project
and give you a good understanding of what it's like to build your own deck. And we'll start
with the layout, go to the framing, the decking, the railings, and the stairway. We'll give
you some basic deck building techniques. We'll also give you a few hints on how to avoid
problems that do-it-yourselfers typically fall into. Home Time is made possible by Chevy
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Home Time PBS series is made possible by The Stanley Works. Since 1843, Stanley's been
committed to building quality tools and other products to help you do things right. This
house is less than a year old, but it didn't come with a deck. Like a lot of new houses,
we have a sliding glass door that leads out to nowhere and it's just begging for a deck.
So we're going to start ours here and extend it just beyond the kitchen window, but we're
going to leave a cutout around this bay window to let light into the basement below. You
know, we've got to have about 400 square feet on this deck. Actually, it's about 350. Oh,
you figured it out? Yeah. Oh, okay. Well, anyway, it's a big pile of lumber. Well, one
way to determine exactly how much lumber you do need is to take your plan over to your
local lumber yard and they'll do what's called a takeoff. They'll determine exactly how many
two by sixes, two by tens you'll need. They'll put it in a neat little package and they'll
deliver it out to the site. Say, can I borrow those snips for a minute? Oh, sure. Here you
go. Thanks. Now, this is pressure treated lumber, which means that it's been chemically
treated to resist insects, fungus, decay and rot. And that's what gives it its green color.
Now, it's most common to use this type of wood in outdoor projects like decks, where
wood is naturally exposed to the elements. Now, it's cheaper than the other wood species
like all-heart cedar and redwood, which naturally resist rot and decay. Say, we're going to
need some two by tens for that ledger board. I think these are it, right? Wouldn't you
know that at the bottom of the pile? Oh, of course they would be. Well, I suppose we better
get them moved, huh? Gee. Well, if you jump down that end, we can start. Okay. I have
to get this thing out of here first. Let's do the top. Let's take this off. Okay. Thanks.
The ledger board attaches directly to the house and actually supports the back part
of the deck. Now, we install this first because then we can lay out the rest of the deck according
to where the ledger board is located. Now, the best thing to do is to cut out the siding
down to the sheathing and then attach the ledger board directly to the framing. What's
going to make it easy about this house is it has an unfinished basement, so all the
framing is exposed. We'll be lag screwing our ledger board to this two by ten here at
the end of these floor joists. It's called the rim joists. I took out some of the insulation
here so you can get a little bit better look at it. Now, you should be able to do the same
thing with your deck if it's on the same level as your interior floor. If it's a little bit
lower, just attach it to the wall studs. Now, we'll be applying our second ledger board
over here. It's a little bit higher than the other one. That's because there's a step down
between the kitchen and the family room. In fact, we'll match that step down on our deck
outside. The first ledger board will go here. We'll need to remove as much siding as needed
to accommodate for that and for the deck boards it'll support. Now, the question is where to
cut. Most people want the top of the deck boards to go close to the threshold to make
for smooth passage in and out. That puts the top of the deck board here, so we need to
take out the siding on a level line from this point to the end of the ledger board and then
take out this trim piece. If you're worried about rain washing in, you could put the board
in an inch or two below the threshold. I'll use a level to mark a cutting line up to the
end of the ledger board. Now, the ledger board will actually go from this corner board here
on my side over to where the bay window angles into the wall on Robin's side. Then we want
to measure down an inch and a half for the deck board, another nine and a half inches
for our ledger board, our two by ten ledger board, quarter inch for maneuvering, and that's
our bottom mark to cut from. I'm going to cut the siding using a circular saw. Now,
I've set the blade so it'll only cut a half inch into the siding. We don't have to worry
about cutting into the sheathing at the same time. And this is something you want to be
real careful about. This is a woodlap siding, which is pretty easy to cut. It's beveled,
so I'm moving the bed across the bottom of the piece above. That'll keep the cut fairly
level. A circular saw can't make a sharp corner, but I can finish off the cuts with a chisel.
And we remove that board. If you've got aluminum siding, a circular saw can really chew it
up. Now, one tip we've learned is to move the saw backwards along the cutting line and
it'll make for a smoother cut. It does take longer, though. If you have stucco, there
are masonry blades available that will fit a circular saw, and they work pretty slick.
But if you have a good sized ledger board, you're probably going to go through a few,
and this will stock up. Our next step will be cutting the ledger board to size, so we
need an exact measurement. We figured 14 feet on our plan, but we're actually using the
distance between the corner boards. On a deck, you need square ends on your rough framing,
but dimensional boards are not always cut to perfect 90 degree angles at the factory,
and that can throw you off. So it's best to square off and cut the ends yourself to be
able to cut it. It's a good idea when you're cutting treated lumber to wear a dust mask
to keep the sawdust from getting inside your system. Another thing is you never want to
burn the scraps. Instead, you want to throw these away. We came up with 13 11 5 eighths
inches, but you have to subtract an inch and a half for the two 1 by 12 skirt boards on
either side of the ledger board. So that's 13 10 1 eighths inches. So we mark it, and
we'll square it off, and then we'll cut it. Now the boards cut to size so we can mark
it off 16 inches on center. For joist hangers, it works best to treat the starting point
as the middle of a joist, although the real joist will be going in this position. 16 inches
from there takes us to the middle of the next joist. I go back three quarters of an inch,
half a joist thickness, 15 and a quarter. I make a mark there to represent the side
of the joist closest to the starting point. From there I can mark every 16 inches. So
31 and a quarter, 47 and a quarter, 63 and a quarter. The last three feet of the board
will support a small stairway landing. So I'll also mark the actual edge of the deck three
feet in, and we'll put a pair of joists right here. I'll use this framing square to mark
in the sides of the joist, starting with a rim joist on the end. The tongue of the square
is an inch and a half wide, the same thickness as a two-by joist, so it does go pretty quick.
Once that's done, we get a second two-by-ten, and transfer the ledger board layout to that.
We'll use it later to support the ends of the joists that start at the ledger. The layouts
have to match exactly. We're nailing in the joist hangers. We're using nails that are
a little bit fatter than most so they don't shear off, and they're a little bit shorter
so they don't go all the way through the two-by lumber. We've got the marks to help line up
the hangers, but sometimes the two-bys are a little thicker than they're supposed to
be. It's hard to force them into a one and a half inch hanger, so it's a good idea to
take one side of the hanger and line it up with the line, pound it in, and then take
a scrap two-by-ten and position it, and then finish the other side. At the end of our ledger
board here, we have two joists together, so we have a double joist hanger to attach it
to the ledger board. Now, because these two joists are right up against the edge, there's
no apparent way to attach the flange on this side, but there is a way to deal with it.
You can literally pound the flange into the shape you need. In our case, we're bending
it back 90 degrees. The hammer works pretty well on a solid surface.
Here's the next one. Thanks. On this flange, we'll nail in just like the other joist hangers,
but the bent end will wrap around the other end of the board, and we'll nail it in right
there. We checked with a couple of inspectors, and they both said the bent hangers will still
give proper support. After nailing in the hangers, we pre-drill
them for the lag screws. Now, that's a 3-ace-inch spade bit that we're using. We need two for
each end and one between each pair of joists along the rest of the board. Now, it works
better if you zigzag them a little bit as you go.
Now we can nail the ledge board up to the house. It's just a matter of lining up the top of
the board with this chalk line we snapped an inch and a half below the siding, an area
wide enough for the decking that will go on top here.
Okay, how's your end look down there? Looks pretty good.
Okay, we tagged in a couple of nails here to nail it in position. Okay, I'm going to
nail this thing down here. All right, go ahead.
Now we're pre-drilling holes for the lag screws, and we're using the holes in the ledge board
here already as a guide. Now, we don't want to go all the way through, just through the
sheathing and partway into the rim joist, just enough to get the lag screw started.
Once the drilling's done, we squirt some caulk into each hole before driving the lag screw.
This will seal up the hole and keep moisture out. We're using four-inch lag screws, which
we can hammer in as far as we pre-drilled. With an inch and a half ledge board and three-quarter
inch sheathing, we'll go in about a good inch into the rim joist.
There are three-ace of an inch in diameter to give us the holding strength we need. With
the ratchet, you can really drive the lag screw heads deep into the wood, but that's not so
good, so use washers to stop the heads and limit the surface damage.
Let's get this flashed in the middle of lunch. Sounds good to me. Say, I don't think I brought
enough lag screws up here. What, you want me to get them for you? Would you mind? No
problem. I'll get it. Okay.
The flashing is really a critical part in putting on the ledger board. When it's done
right, it protects the siding and the ledger board. It's a piece of galvanized metal or
aluminum that comes in a Z shape. As a matter of fact, sometimes it's called Z flashing.
The way this works is this part slips under the siding. This sits on the ledger board.
Moisture just rolls off and it can't get to the protected areas.
It's crucial that moisture not get in under the door threshold. You get a leak there and
the moisture will start rotting everything it hits. So we're putting a thick bead of
caulk there to seal it up. The flashing will cover that.
Once the caulk's in, we put the flashing back on, running the flange back up under the siding
and seating it firmly under the threshold. Then we can put that little piece of siding
back in place and hold it there by hammering down the nails on the piece above.
In wetter parts of the country, you may also be required to put a sheet of flashing or
some moisture barrier between the ledger board and the hull sheathing to keep moisture from
seeping in. So be sure to check with your local building department.
The ledger boards we installed yesterday will actually support half the deck. And the other
half of the deck will be supported by 6x6 posts that will sit on top of concrete piers.
So what we want to do now is locate the position for the footings for those concrete piers.
That's a lot easier once the ledgers are in place. And now that they're up, we can lay
out the perimeter for the main deck structure. Now we don't have to lay out the full deck.
We just need a few strings so that we can line up the centers of the posts. And we can
do that right now. We'll use our ledger boards as starting points
for the string layout. If this were a ground level deck, we could just tack the strings
at the proper points. But when it's six feet in the air like this, it works best to transfer
the points down to ground level with a plumb bob and work from there.
Once the plumb bob's steady, I mark the point on the siding. Tap in the nail there and tie
on a piece of builder's line. We're using nylon string, which won't stretch out of shape.
This one will represent the left side of the deck.
On the right side, we plumb down from the double joist hanger for the rim joist there.
And we secure the builder's line to the siding as we did the first one.
We tie the ends of the strings to these batter boards, which we drove in a couple feet beyond
the actual length of our deck. That's so they don't get in the way as we do the footings.
To keep everything in line, we now need these strings square to the house or as close to
a 90-degree angle as we can get.
To get them square, we use what's known as the 3-4-5 method, which is based on geometry,
but it's simple. The idea is to measure out three feet from the house on the string here
and then four feet along the house from the same starting point. Now I measure between
the two marks, and for a 90-degree angle, it has to be exactly five feet. Robin adjusts
the end of the string till it crosses the five-foot mark and then ties it onto the batter board.
We go through the same steps on the other side to square off the string there.
Okay, we've squared off this side and this one. All we need now is a string running from
here to here along the center of these posts. So we take the distance to the outside of
the post, 12 foot 6, and subtract half the depth of our 6 by 6 post, 2 and 3 quarters
inches. That leaves 12 foot 3 and a quarter. So now we just measure that out on each string,
mark it, and run the third string over those marks.
After making those measurements, we set up a couple more batter boards so we can lay
our third string over the marks and tie it down. After squaring the two sides with the
house, the string should be pretty close to square. But to double check, we'll make sure
the distance between the strings is the same along the outside edge as it is along the
house.
After that, we start marking the exact locations for the center of each post along the string.
Our designer calculated the post locations based on the lumber we wanted to use and the
strength our deck requires. We're using the minimum number of posts to limit the clutter
below the deck, but it does satisfy all the local codes.
Then once a string is marked, we just plumb down from each point and mark the ground to
show the center of our posts and footings.
Well now we can go ahead and start taking down the strings and digging our footings.
Now we'll leave the batter boards up so we can restring the strings again when we go
to locate the posts.
Now you can dig footings by hand, but if you've got to dig down more than a couple feet and
your soil is full of hard clay, it's going to take a lot of time and energy. Power augers
like this one are available at rental centers, but it does take two people to operate one
of these. Dean?
This is a gas powered unit and it bores in pretty quickly, even in hard clay soils. At
a certain point, you do have to raise the auger up out of the hole to clear the dirt
it's chewed, and that gets kind of heavy, but it's a lot easier and faster than using
a manual post hole digger.
In colder climates, you have to dig your footings down past the frost line, the depth that the
ground typically freezes. Otherwise, the deck is going to float up and down as the ground
freezes and thaws. In our area, we've got to go down at least 42 inches to get below
the frost line. If the ground doesn't freeze in your area, you can get by with concrete
blocks set right on the ground.
By the way, always check with your local utilities before digging in your yard. They can tell
you if there's any electricity, gas, or water lines running underground. In fact, they'll
usually come out and mark them for you so you don't accidentally hit one.
Well, we contracted for the ready mix delivery, but not for the masonry labor, so it's a hard
job to get the concrete from the truck over to the hole. And time for this guy is money,
so if we keep them waiting too long, there is an extra charge.
There are do-it-yourself concrete mixes that just require water and some muscle to stir
it up, but for these six footings, we'd have been mixing up about 30 wheelbarrows full.
Now, the cement truck is pretty heavy, so we didn't want it tearing up the grass, so
that's why we're going from the curb over to the holes here. And really, everything
considered, it doesn't that much work.
Ready?
Ready. All right, great.
You want to go to the right spot there?
Yeah, back a little.
Okay.
Yep, yep. There you go.
You want to get the next load?
Yeah, I'd like to. I'd like to try it.
Okay, here's the truck.
Here. There you go.
Okay, the concrete's poured in all the footings, and the tops of the footings are leveled off.
Now, we want to set these pier blocks on top of the footings before the concrete completely
sets up. To do that, of course, we have to put our strings back up.
Remember, this string represents the center of the post, and so we've drawn a line down
the middle of the pier block, and we're going to line this pier block up underneath these
strings just to get it positioned properly.
Sometimes, you get a little off center while digging the footing, so the pier block might
not land in the exact middle, but that's okay as long as it's still on the concrete. Once
it's lined up, we level off the top as we press it down into the concrete.
The post will sit on these blocks, which raise the bottom of the wood high enough to avoid
standing water. One alternative to a pier block would be to pour the top of the footing
higher in the ground and slope the edges down to prevent moisture buildup.
Once the pier blocks are all set, we can take the layout strings back down. We won't need
those anymore, but we do need to let the footings cure for a while.
All right. Well, now that we have all the footings and piers in, we're basically working
from the ground up. So we want to get these posts up on the piers and cut to the right
height.
We've already positioned the piers just where we want them to support the deck beams and
the joists, so that's no longer an issue. The problem is how to transfer the proper
height to the posts. We've already got a plan for that.
We want to make sure this post is perfectly plumb.
We've got the ledger board set at the height we want, so we'll use that as the reference
point. We took the straightest 2x4 out of the lumber pile. We'll set that into the joist
hanger. This will represent a support joist. We'll push this up to the post, level it right
there.
Okay, and it's plumb right there. Okay, so the 2x4 crosses the post at the same height
as the joist hanger, so we'll make a mark and cut it right there. Okay, I'll take the
post down.
Okay, 2x4.
Now, we use a square to draw cutting lines from that mark all the way around the post.
We've got a circular saw to make the cuts. After lining up the blade with a line, the
square also helps keep the saw in line as I cut.
The size of your post is going to depend on the dimensions of your deck. 4x4 posts are
sometimes strong enough to support smaller decks, but lumber span charts or local codes
will often require the bulkier 6x6 posts to support larger, elevated decks, especially
if inspectors think you might someday convert the deck into a porch and add the weight of
walls and a roof.
Now, the saw blade's not quite deep enough to go all the way through a 6x6, even after
cutting all four sides, but a handsaw finishes cut pretty quickly.
All right, now that we have all the posts cut to size, we're going to drill holes for
these little pins here to center the posts over the top of the piers, and we'll start
by drilling a hole in each one of the piers using a masonry bit, and we'll drill a matching
hole in the bottom of each post.
Say, how's it going?
Oh, this hammer drill works great.
Yeah, looks like it's going pretty quick.
Wow.
For the posts, I use a square to draw diagonal lines from corner to corner. Where they cross
marks the center.
And that's where we drill the matching holes for the pins. I'm using a regular wood-spade
bit here for the piece of tape on the shaft to guide my depth.
Usually you don't need to secure the posts to the piers. In fact, the weight of the finished
deck will anchor pretty firmly, but in many areas, the inspectors will ask you to use these
pins to keep the posts from sliding off center or being knocked off the pier.
Oh, we have some stakes and braces laid out here to help temporarily support the posts.
So we can go ahead and set all these up now. To get a better stick, we're using the subfloor
adhesive to get a better bond between the pier and our treated lumber. Now we get to
see how well our holes line up.
Okay.
Right here.
Right over here.
Watch out for your fingers.
Okay.
Get those cut.
Right in. There we go.
With the post in, we screw on the braces. We need two of them at a right angle.
There you go. Now we just pound in a stake here to secure this side of the brace. You
can get it plumbed up. How does that look?
My way a little bit. Okay, great.
About there?
Yep.
Okay. And then we just screw it in position. Where's the drill?
I suppose you need that, huh?
Yeah. Give it a little hand right about now.
Now that's a basic idea for setting the posts. Now we'll set this second brace the same way
as we did the first and move on to the next post.
For our next step, we'll start by putting up our first beam. Now we'll be working on
this lower deck here right underneath the sliding glass doors. And our beam here will
basically be a mirror image of our ledger board with matching joist hangers to support
the joist.
The other day, we marked this 2 by 10 side by side with the ledger board as we laid it
out and be pretty close to the exact match. Now we just nail the rest of the joist hangers
on and we're ready to go.
Our first beam is pretty good sized and it's supporting some fairly long joists. So a single
2 by 10 isn't going to be enough. In fact, our building inspectors want us to place three
2 by 10s back to back. That gets to be pretty massive. Actually, this looks like a pretty
good one right here. Now if you want to decrease the amount of lumber, you can add more posts
or decrease the span.
I've marked the top of each post 3 inches in to help line up the first 2 by 10, which
is the one with the joist hangers. That'll leave just enough room for the other two 2
by 10s. Got it there? Great.
What have you got over there for a measurement?
Okay, let me check. 8 and a half.
Okay, I'll move it over an inch and a half and we can toenail it. Get this on the mark.
Okay.
Right there. Okay, if you can hold it I'll...
Sure.
Okay, you want to get your side?
Sure.
Okay, should we get the rest of those 2 by 10s up here then?
Well, I was wondering if we should get all the rim joists in first, double check that
for square before we get all the lumber up here.
Okay, all right. So it makes sense why we measure for this rim joist here.
145.
We're using 2 2 by 10s for this rim joist. The inspectors wanted it doubled to support
the middle part of the deck. Okay, got that one in.
Theoretically, they should just slide right in, but sometimes they can be a little stubborn.
You can get yours right up there. I'll weasel mine around over here. It does help to keep
them level though. You ready?
Ready.
Bring it off the edge there.
Okay. Is it going in okay?
Yep.
Go down this side.
Okay, easy does it.
Okay.
A little bit more on your end.
Okay, I'll have to pound it in.
To secure the rim joist, we first line up the 2 by 10s and screw them together. Then
we nail through the beam into the ends of the rim joist, and we nail in through the
joist hangers.
Okay, let me get this thing up here. All right, you want to pull that tight there?
Got it.
Okay.
16, 4 1 half.
All right, so that's what, an inch shorter than the other one. So we split the rims,
go half an inch, and we would do that in your direction, right?
Right.
Okay, I'll move my ladder here and help you out.
Okay. Now with the rim joists in place, we've checked for square by measuring diagonally
in both directions. Now if they were equal, they'd be square, but they're not. So we're
going to have to adjust them slightly. And we've removed the nails out of the beam here
so we can move it.
Okay, now to make sure that we're moving the beam into the right spot, I mark the beam
where it passed over the top of the post, mark a half inch over, and then we move the
beam into that position.
Okay, you tell me when.
A little bit more.
There, how's it?
A little bit more, right there. Perfect, perfect.
Hey Robin, can you grab this end? All right, now that everything's square, we're screwing
our last couple of 2 by 10s here into the beam and toenailing those into the post. Now
it's important that everything's square. It may not seem like a big deal to move the beam
half inch over, but if things get cockeyed, your deck boards just aren't going to line
up.
We're using polymer coated screws, which will resist rust better than galvanize. These
are nice because they're self-tapping, which means they drive into the wood a lot more
smoothly.
Now we went ahead and cut all the joists for this section, which are also 2 by 10s. They'll
fit into the hangers just like the rim joists.
Because these boards are a little bit longer, they aren't all going to be perfectly straight,
and they may have a slight bone in what we call a crown. And to pick this out, you just
have to look right down the board and try to find it. Now we'll always install these
boards with a crown side up. The way the deck over time will tend to straighten them out.
So before we install each joist, we check it to see if it has a crown, and then if it
does have one, we mark it crown side up.
Okay, should we grab this one?
Yeah.
Got it.
The end should be a bit snug. If the joists are too loose, the framing will lose its strength.
If it's too tight, you'll throw the beam off, pounding it in.
Okay, it's in.
Okay. All right, once we get everything cut, it starts going pretty quick after that, so
we'll finish these up tonight. Then we'll start on the upper deck tomorrow.
As we finish this first section of our deck, we see the framing for one of the simplest
decks you can build, and not a bad starting point for beginners. To summarize, it's a
basic 12 foot by 11 foot platform with the joists hung between the ledger board on the
right and the beam on the left, which is supported by the two posts and footings. The beam overhangs
the post on each end by about nine inches. That's a cantilever system, which is often
used to tuck the posts out of sight under the deck. We'll talk more about that as we
finish the project. And the beam is known as a flush beam, because its top is flush with
the tops of the joists. An alternative is a drop beam, which we'll show you on the second
section of the deck.
After finishing the lower section, our next step is setting in the dropped beam that will
support the joists for the upper section of the deck. It'll rest on the remaining three
posts and extend from the end of the first beam we put in to the left side of the deck.
That's 17 feet total, which is too long for single boards, so we're splicing shorter ones
together over that middle post. With the beam in place, we can then mark off the joist
locations. We want those to match the ledger board length, and we'll mark off the
length to match the ledger board layout exactly. So we start measuring from the left side
as we did on the ledger board. And we carry that layout through all the way to where the
beam hits the first section.
This drop beam will support the joists for the upper deck, but unlike the flush beam
on the lower deck, this beam will support the joists from below. That's why they call it
a drop beam. It's actually dropped below the joists, which rest on top of it.
Let's flip this up here.
Okay. We started installing the joists on this side of the deck with the rim joists
going in first. We cut the 2x10s here to extend out over the beam by about a foot. So this
side will be a little longer than the other side. My way just a little bit.
Okay. I'll push it in just a little bit here.
Alright, and again, to strengthen up the edge of the deck here, we're doubling up our rim
joists. And to keep the joists from flopping around, we'll toenail them in as we go.
This is where it gets a little complicated. So let's first check the plan. We framed out
this section and this one. Now we want to set a second rim joist here over this one
to actually begin the upper level of the deck and support this beam. It starts here where
the deck opening angles out to match the bay window.
The opening is two feet wide. So to locate the exact starting point, we set the tongue
of the framing square against the house bay and mark the point where the two-foot blade
touches the rim joist. That's where we want to start the upper rim joist.
To get the length of the rim joist, we measure from there to the outside edge of the beam
and add in the length of the cantilevered overhang. We cut a 2 by 8 and a 2 by 10 to
those lengths. And we screw them together with the tops flush.
We then use a circular saw to cut one end of the 2 by 10 at a 30 degree angle. That
forms a notch for one end of an angled rim joist we'll put in to match the bay window
angle.
Ready? Yep. There we go. Perfect. Are you on your mark there?
Just a little bit your way. Okay. About like that? Yep.
Okay, well this looks pretty good. Now our 2 by 8 is sitting right on top of our rim
joist, so we have a 7 and a half inch step down to our lower deck again. Just perfect.
Our 2 by 10 is resting on the drop beam. Now we'll secure this to make sure it stays
solid. We'll toenail the 2 by 8 into the joist below and nail the bottom of the 2 by 10 into
that too. Okay, I'm going to nail this in here.
Okay, go ahead.
We want to set the beam two feet in front of the window, but there's no way to measure
it directly, so we first use a string tight against the window to transfer its position
to the rim joist. Then we measure out two feet and start the beam there. Dean uses the
framing square to transfer the two foot mark to the top of the upper rim joist.
Two feet. That should do it.
The beam's going to be three more 2 by 10s back to back, and it goes in level with the
joist. The ends will be supported by triple joist hangers, which we're nailing into the
rim joist. They'll bear a lot of the weight, so later on we'll fully secure the hangers
with lag screws.
This one's all set.
Alright, if you want to run up the ladder.
Okay. We nailed the joist hangers in on this beam, but the joist that will support the
middle part of the deck. We laid it out so it matched the outside beam, and the joist
will run straight. This way?
Sideways, yeah.
Line up here a little bit.
The ladder's in?
Yep.
Okay.
Got me our way.
My way?
There.
Are you in?
Yep, I'm in.
Okay, down slowly.
There, great.
Alright.
Okay.
Once a beam was in place, we went ahead and started putting in the rest of the joist.
We cut them all to give us a two-foot cantilever over the beam.
So did you read the whole paper?
I saved a little bit for the morning break.
Well, at any rate, the deck's at the point where most of the difficult stuff's done.
We have all the footings dug, all the pulse are in, and all the joists are up and installed.
So now we can start on some of the finish items.
One of the first things we'll be doing is laying out deck boards.
We've chosen pressure-treated 2x6s to cover our deck.
The pressure treatment protects wood against moisture and decay, which can really ruin a deck
after a couple of years.
Can you help me with this measurement?
Sure.
Well, we're going to start laying the decking here on this lower section right up against the house.
Now, you can cut your deck boards so they line up with the outside of the rim.
Actually, we're going to let ours run an inch and a half past.
So you figure an inch and a half on either side, that's a total of three inches,
will add to the total length of the board.
So our measurement here is 166 3-quarters, so you figure we'll cut the board to 169 3-quarters.
We'll also be notching out the ends of this first board to go around the corner boards inch and a half.
And we mark this up here.
Boy, the wind's really picking up. I'm going to go get my jacket.
Okay. Say, would you grab one for me too?
Yeah.
Thanks.
Took a couple tries, but we finally got the first board cut.
Here you go, Robin.
Great, thanks.
So we'll slide it in over the ledger board, and we'll cut it in half.
And then we'll cut it in half.
Here you go, Robin. Great, thanks. So we'll slide it in over the ledger board under the siding.
Now earlier, we cut the siding about a quarter inch higher so it would slip in easier.
You want the board snug up against the flashing, but not too tight.
You still want water to be able to run down behind there.
Now it might be real tempting to caulk this area right in here.
But actually, if you've done a good job flashing, that isn't necessary.
In fact, caulking could actually help to build up water.
Why don't I get that next board cut and measure?
Okay, I'll keep screwing this board in up here then.
How's that? Is that all right?
That's pretty good, yeah.
We've set some three-quarter inch plywood down over the joist,
so we don't have to rely on the ladder so much as we get the deck board started.
As we start to install our second board here, we're going to be spacing it using 16-penny nails.
It'll give us about an eighth inch gap.
Now that's important because if you put these boards right next to each other,
they could create situations where water could stand and end up rotting the boards.
Okay, I'll get this nail in here.
How are you down there on that end, Robin?
Right there, that's good.
Right there?
Yep.
I'll screw that down.
Okay, let's get this thing in here.
Okay.
All right, mine's tight on down here.
Get this cord.
Boy, this doesn't look so good.
What's that?
The way it hangs over the edge like that.
Do you really want to leave it that way until we get all the deck boards on?
That probably wouldn't be the safest thing to do, huh?
No, I don't think it's going to.
Well, we were going to put all the deck boards in first and then put the stairway on,
but the next few deck boards are going to continue over the edge
and double as the first stair tread.
That means that they'd be hanging over the edge until the stairway was framed.
So I guess we're changing our plans then, huh?
Yeah, I think so.
I'll start working on the stairway.
Okay.
It's frustrating things don't go a little bit smoother sometimes.
Well, you've got to stay flexible.
Oh, yeah, at least we'll get the stairway done this way.
Oh, thanks.
We're going to use these 2x12s for our stringers.
The stringers are the support boards that the treads rest on top of.
Now, our stairway will be just about 9 feet tall and it will be 3 feet wide,
so the local inspector asked us to use 3 of the stringers on it.
I'll go ahead and lay out this first one here.
That's where this framing score comes in really handy.
Now, our stair height is 104 inches,
so we want to lay out 14 treads separated by a 7 1⁄2 inch rise.
14 times 7 1⁄2 is 105.
But with a 10 inch run, our stairs will run a bit past the deck
with the grounds about an inch lower, so we'll be fine.
To lay out the stairs, we'll use our framing square.
We'll work with our 7 1⁄2 inch rise and our 10 inch run.
So these will actually be the steps.
First thing we want to do is lay out the top of the stringer.
And we do that by establishing our 10 inch run on this side, our 7 1⁄2 inch rise.
The top of the stringer will be 10 inches,
so we move the framing square down until a 20 inch mark hits this side of the 2 by 12.
Again, we reposition everything to make sure it's on the mark, and we draw in that line.
We draw a 90 degree angle down from that, and that will establish the back of the stringer.
We also want to notch out the back of the stringer for a 2 by 4 scab, which will help secure it.
So we mark that in too.
Now what we do is just keep moving our way down the line here
by marking our 7 1⁄2 inch rise and 10 inch run like so.
We draw in our first step, and we just continue to do that all the way down the 2 by 12.
7 1⁄2 and 10.
You have to do a little bit of adjustment because you want these to be as correct as possible,
especially if you're laying out three stringers.
You want everything to line up just perfectly.
After laying out the stringer, we use the circular saw to make the first cuts along the marks.
The circular blade can't finish where the riser meets a tread properly though,
so we follow up with a hand saw at each corner.
We want all three of the stringers to be identical, so once the first one is cut,
we lay that over the other 2 by 12s and use it as a template to mark them.
Now, when cutting the 2 by 4 braces to the width of the stairs, we screw them to the stringers in the notches we cut.
Now we start at the top, securing it to the outside stringers first.
Then we screw it into the middle one, which we center on the 2 by 4.
At the bottom, we screw in another 2 by 4 brace.
Now this one goes across the front of the bottom risers.
These braces line up the assembly and hold it together pretty firmly.
Once that's in, we use a 2 by 8 to brace the bottoms of the stringer.
We want this to fit between the outside stringers, and we cut an inch and a half off the bottom of the middle stringer,
so it'll rest on the 2 by 8.
Then we raise the stringers up into position.
This goes a lot faster with the stringers already assembled, though it's a little heavy.
The tops of the stringers should be level with the top of the rim joists.
When they're lined up properly, we drive a couple of nails through the 2 by 4 into the rim joists to hold it.
After checking level, we drive in a half dozen lag screws into the 2 by 4 scab to hold it permanently.
The base should also be level.
If it's not, shims can be driven under the base or the blocks can be set deeper in the sand.
Ours is level, but we cut too much of the base off that middle stringer,
so we set in a 2 by 4 block behind the 2 by 8 to support the back of the base.
Once the stringers are in position, we can install the treads.
We're using a pair of 2 by 6s for each tread, so we first cut those to length.
We're cutting them a bit long to hang over the edges by 3 eighths of an inch on each side.
Then we screw those into the stringers.
The first 2 by 6 goes tight against the riser.
We space the second board with 16 penny nails, and we screw that in.
Using two 2 by 6 boards over a 10 inch run is common on deck stairs,
and it gives us about an inch and a quarter long overhang in front.
We have all the treads on now, everything except the top one here.
If you'll recall, our treads here are actually a couple of boards that run across our lower section of decking.
Once we get these in place, I'm going to have to get my nails in.
Once we get these in place, we just keep on decking right across the rest of the deck.
Alright, there we go.
Are you tight down there?
Alright. Ready to screw them in?
Yeah.
After finishing the deck boards over the stairs, we got enough deck boards laid out so that we could get rid of the plywood.
These are 12 footers that will push tightly up against the upper deck rim joists on this side and let them run wild on that side.
What have you got there?
62 and a quarter. What have you got?
Okay, well I'm a quarter inch short, so I'm going to have to tighten up my gaps here a little bit.
Now one thing you want to do is make sure that you're keeping your deck boards parallel to the outside of the deck.
Now this isn't real easy to do all the time because sometimes the boards will are twisted or sometimes they vary in width,
so this isn't something that's going to happen automatically.
And sometimes you just mess up.
You didn't go offline a little bit?
Now either one of us could have done this one.
But anyway, what you want to do is just measure off from either side of the deck and even in the middle if your deck is long enough.
And if your measurements are equal, you're fine.
If they're off a little bit, then just start making some adjustments as you go.
And it's really important to remember, keep checking along the way so you don't run into a big problem in the end.
Just tighten this gap here a little bit.
That should do it right there.
If we get out toward the edge of the deck here, it gets a little bit tricky.
You never know quite what size board you're going to end up with.
And of course, the worst thing that could happen is you end up with a tiny little sliver.
Well, you could make a pretty good guess on your plan, but things do change when you actually do it.
Chances are you are going to have to cut a board to width.
You do have a certain amount of leeway at this point.
You could take a 2x6, cut that to size, or if a 2x4 is a little bit closer, use that.
Well, like we did here, a 2x8, we cut an inch off the edge there.
And then we'll put the cut side right up against the deck.
Help me lift that out there.
And we'll put the finish side looking out where you'll see it.
This is pretty bold here.
Let me help you out. Let's get this started.
Okay, ready?
Yep.
Great.
Well, the deck boards are secured to the lower level,
so we'll wrap things up today by cutting the overhang to the proper measurement,
which for us is an inch and a half.
So we took the framing square, transferred that measurement to the top boards,
we snapped the chalk line, and now we'll just cut it nice and straight.
Okay, the saw's all set here. I'll make the cut on this end.
One thing we want to do on this upper part of the deck is match the deck board layout to the lower deck.
So the gaps between the boards line up above and below the step.
It looks better that way.
It would be hit or miss starting at the house because of the window opening,
so we'll actually lay our first upper board directly above the last 2x6 on the lower deck.
We first plumb up from the inside edge of that board with a framing square,
and we'll line up this end of the top board with that.
We also want the other end in line,
and we can do that by first measuring from the mark on this side back to the house
and then marking that same distance off on the other side.
That'll give our first board a good start.
We snap a chalk line between the marks over the joist to line up that first board.
The main part of our upper section is 17 feet wide,
and our longest board doesn't reach the other side,
so we're using more than one board to cover this area.
For proper support, the end of the board has to land on a joist,
and we want it right in the middle to leave enough support for the second board.
We're again letting the ends run wild, and we'll cut those off later.
We're making our first splice about 12 feet from the step,
and there are no rules on where you put the splices,
but we'll stagger them so they don't land on the same joist.
It helps tighten the joint if you angle the screws for the second board towards the first.
After finishing that first row, we then move forward to cover the front of the deck.
We'll be cutting the boards at an angle over the bay later so that we can let those hang over the edge,
but that last board is another 2 by 8 cut down to the width we need over the front edge.
After those boards are screwed in, we start working our way back to the house.
The main concern is to make sure the splices don't fall into a noticeable pattern,
which becomes pretty conspicuous.
It's better not to notice any splice pattern at all,
and the best way to do that is to lay off the splices at random as we go along.
Now, as we progress toward the house, we'll also be checking to make sure the boards are lining up with the ones on the lower deck.
When we get to the opening around the bay windows,
we hang the ends of the deck boards over the angled rim joists while maintaining an overall sequence.
Later on, we'll cut the ends to match the overhang on the rest of the deck and follow the angle of the rim joists.
The angle leaves us a small triangle at the corner, and I cover that with a leftover piece of 2 by 12.
Then we continue back toward the house.
We cut the last couple of lengths since we can't get the saw close enough to the house to cut them with the others.
And to avoid any problems getting the final board in against the house,
we lay that in before the next to the last board and screw it in.
Then we put in the next to the last board and screw that down to finish the deck boards.
Our sequence did go off a little as we had to rip an inch and a half off this one to fit properly in the remaining space.
Well, you know you're headed into the home stretch once you get all the decking on and you're starting to work on the railing.
Of course, that's going to be no small job in itself.
We have the whole perimeter here to do, also around the window well.
Of course, don't forget the stairway.
Now, the basic railing starts with a post, which is typically attached to the rim joist.
The railings go on next, followed by the spindles.
And that's generally the same plan we're going to follow, too.
We'll be installing 20 of these posts.
We'll be notching out each end like so, and we'll also notch out the decking at each post location.
So it's going to be fairly challenging.
Yeah, but that's what makes it fun.
See, while you can start, why don't I run over to the baker real quick?
Oh, no, this is a two-person job. I need you here.
What if I just run that one by you?
Okay.
We're using treated 4x4s for our posts.
We cut this earlier as a model.
We'll cut the deck boards so the notch will fit right over the rim joist,
and this tail will hang down.
We'll bolt it in to hold it in place.
Right now, we'll measure and cut the rest of them.
The height of the post determines the overall height of the railing,
which should be 36 inches above the deck surface.
From that, we first subtract an inch and a half for the 2x6 cap rail that will run across the top of the post.
That takes us back to 34 and a half, where the notch begins.
But for the tail of the post, we add an inch and a half for the deck board
and another 9 and a half inches for the 2x10 rim joist.
So the notch is 11 inches, and the total post length is 45 and a half.
We use a circular saw for these cuts,
but we do have to cut the 4x4 on two sides because it's too thick to cut on one pass with a saw.
That's true as we rip cut the bottom for the notch, which we marked on both sides of the 4x4.
To cut the top of the notch, we set the blade to cut at a depth of an inch and three quarters,
which is half the depth of a 4x4.
Then we cut across the 4x4 at the line we marked.
These cuts don't quite finish the job.
We could use a hand saw, but a hard wrap with a hammer usually does the trick.
Then we clean out the notch with a chisel, since any wood fragments will throw the post on a plumb.
The posts support the rails and the spindles,
and we want to space them close enough to give each railing section enough strength.
We also need a post at each corner of the deck and two posts in some corners.
So with the angled bay in front and the angled opening around the window,
it ends up being quite a few.
We'll be cutting the rest of the posts pretty much the same way,
so we'll move ahead now to show you how we attach them to the deck.
At each position, we want to notch the ends of the deck boards wide enough for the post and flush with the rim joist.
To cut the notches out, we're using a saber saw, which cuts with a straight blade in an up-and-down motion.
That lets you turn the blade as you cut, so you can first cut on a curve
from the right outside corner of the notch to the left inside corner.
You can't do that with a circular saw.
After that first cut, you can go back and cut on the lines to finish the notch.
If you don't have one of these, you could use a circular saw or a hand saw to cut in on the sides
and then use a drill on the back line to make an opening for a keyhole saw.
Or you could chip out the notched area with a sharp chisel.
To fully secure the posts, we're spreading construction adhesive on the posts, which helps keep them rock steady.
On a railing, it's crucial that the posts be set in plumb to the front and to the side.
That's so the rails end up in straight lines from post to post.
Once it's plumbed both ways, we drive a couple of screws to hold it there.
To anchor these, we're using three essential lag screws,
so we first have to pre-drill to keep from splitting the post tail.
Then we drive the screws through the holes into the rim joists.
We're using two lag screws on each post to secure them firmly.
The lengths of these bolts will vary as we work our way around the deck
because our rim joists vary in depth from a single 2x10 to a triple 2x10.
That's a general technique we're using for securing our posts.
After putting up all the posts on the deck, we're starting the railings.
We still have posts to do on the stairs, but they get in the way as we move lumber up, so we'll do those later.
We're again using treated lumber with 2x4 top and bottom rails supporting our 2x2 spindles.
One way to install this type of railing is to first secure the bottom rail.
We're setting it on 4 inch blocks, which give us a good height above the deck,
and we secure it by screwing the ends at an angle into the posts.
We could toenail them, but the hammering might knock the posts off plumb.
After the bottom rail is secure, we do the top rail.
Like all the rails, we set it a half inch from the front of the posts.
That way the backs of the spindles are flush with the backs of the posts.
Once it's positioned properly, we can screw it in.
We're finishing the top of the railing with a 2x6 cap rail, which we center over the posts so there's 1 inch overhang on each side.
We cut my end long with a 45 degree angle to form a miter joint with the cap rail from the adjoining section.
And Robin's end goes in flush against the posts there.
We screw it down into the post and the hand rail to secure it.
And remember, we set the hand rails flush with the top of our 34 and a half inch posts, so adding the cap rail gives us a final height of 36 inches, which is standard.
With the cap rails secure, we're ready for the spindles.
We cut these to a length of 30 and a half inches, which means they go from the bottom of the cap rail to the bottom of the bottom rail.
As we cut them to length, we also cut a 45 degree angle on the bottoms to give the spindles a more finished look.
To secure them, we screw them into the top rail and the bottom rail, and we start in the middle, lining up the bottoms to correct any bowing in the rails.
Before setting the rails in, we mark them both for the proper spindle spacing.
In our area, 6 inches is the maximum gap between the spindles, but that can vary by region, so be sure to check with your inspectors.
Whatever spacing you choose, bear in mind that it looks best if the spindles are spaced equally.
To achieve that, divide the length of your rails by the number of spindles and use the result as your spacing.
That gives you the general idea of how we're putting this railing together.
There are a couple of steps we're taking to speed things up a little.
First, we're using a miter saw to cut the angles on the spindles quickly and accurately.
Plus, we've set up a jig at the proper length so we don't have to measure and mark each one individually.
Then after cutting the rails to size and marking the spindle layout, we set the rails on the deck and screw the spindles in place.
That's easier than trying to install them after the rails are in, as we did on that first section of railing.
We're first screwing the spindles into the top rail, making sure they're flush on top.
Once all those are in, we then line up the spindles with the marks on the bottom rail, and we can screw those down.
Because of the possible bowing in the rails, we first screw down the middle spindle and then line up and secure the end spindles.
Then we can finish screwing off the rest of the spindles.
We've got our four-inch block set against the post to help position the bottom rail, so now we can set the whole assembly in between the posts and screw it in.
This does go more quickly than the first method we showed you, so we'll be using this as we continue with the rest of the railing tomorrow.
As on the deck, the first step on the stair railing is installing the posts.
We don't need these to line up with the posts on the deck, so we don't have notches in the bottom.
And we're notching out the stair tread so the post goes in flush with the stringer.
By the way, we temporarily screwed a 2x4 to the bottom of the stringer to help position the post while we plumb it.
Then we drive a couple of four-inch screws to hold it.
We'll drive in lag screws to secure it permanently, but first we pre-drill the post for each screw.
And we countersink the top of each hole with a one-inch spade bit a half inch deep to bury the screw tops.
Then we drive in the lag screws.
We left the posts long so we could determine the proper height after installing them.
One technique carpenters use for that is to set the short tongue of the framing square over the front of the treads
and use a level to transfer the angle from the top of the blade to the side of the post.
We transfer that angle to the other side of the post and then cut it along those lines with a circular saw.
For the stairway handrail, we're plumb cutting the ends, which means they'll be plumbed to the ground when the rail's installed.
We set the adjustable arm on the quick square to the angle of our stairs and marked the cut with the edge designed for plumb cuts.
We've chosen lumber that's been cut slightly smaller than a 2x6 with a rounded top and grooved sides for easier gripping.
We spread some glue along the side of the posts and set the rail in place.
The lumber's not long enough to reach the top post, so we've cut this first piece for a miter joint at the center of the middle post.
We want the rounded and grooved portion of the rail high enough to keep fingers and knuckles from rubbing on the top of the post,
but once it's positioned, we screw it into the post starting at the middle post and we screw it to the bottom post to secure it.
That plumb cut on the ends can also be determined by holding the rail in position and using the edge of the post to mark the cutting line.
This treatment's obviously different from the railing on the deck.
The 2x6 cap rail is not recommended for the top of the stair railing since you can't grip it.
This material works best secured to the inside of the stair posts, and we decided to have an end on the front side of the top post as you can see here.
To make that happen, we had to put the stair posts in without the notches on the bottom.
Otherwise, they'd have been too far to one side for this treatment.
We're lining up the bottom rail on this railing to match the top rail, and we're using a 2x4 set over the treads to give us a good spacing.
That's where we screw it in.
Earlier, we used the angle of the stairs to cut the bottom of the posts.
We're also cutting the angle into the spindles for the stair railing along both the tops and the bottoms.
Then, after marking the spacing for the spindles on the rails, we can screw those in.
We cut ours to go and flush with the bottom of the bottom rail and flush with the tops of the posts.
To get the spacing, we again divided the rail length by the number of spindles we thought would work best.
We marked the layout on the top rail and plumbed down with a level from each mark to mark the bottom.
Well, we're going to finish this railing and then build the railing on the top rail.
Well, we're going to finish this railing and then build the railing for the other side of the stairs.
While we do that, let's take you back to an earlier home time project for a quick look at some deck options you might consider.
I worked on this project with Joanne Liebler, and we used many of the same framing techniques you saw earlier on the tape,
although we were able to use 2x8s for most of the joists and rim joists.
For the decking, we used a high grade redwood, and we secured it diagonally across the joists for a different look.
We started on one of the diagonal edges of the deck to establish the pattern and marked out from there,
using 16 penny nails to space the boards and letting the ends run wild over the end.
We used casing nails to secure the boards, driving to every joist they crossed.
Nails grip best if they're hammered in at a slight angle, and ring shank nails hold better than plain nails.
As we progressed on the deck, we reached a point where single boards couldn't cover the distance, and we had to make splices.
The diagonal layout dictated that we miter cut the ends over the joists, so we used a bevel square to mark the cuts.
It's easy to split the ends of a deck board if you nail into them, so we pre-drilled first and then nailed the ends down over the joists.
Those were the basic techniques we used to finish nailing in all the deck boards.
We cut our deck boards with an inch and a half overhang, but on this project the boards were cut flush with the rim joists.
It's an option that's usually combined with a fascia board that covers both the rim joists and the ends of the deck boards.
In this case, we used a 2x10 redwood, which was nailed in flush with the top of the deck boards for a nice finished look.
And the 2x10 was wide enough to fully cover the 2x8 rim joists.
Installing the railing posts is a lot simpler with the deck boards cut flush.
The posts can be lag-screwed directly to the fascia board as they are here without any notching.
That saves time, but it is nice to cut a slight bevel at the bottom as a finishing touch.
The spindles are also beveled on the bottom, and they're nailed directly to the fascia board in a much simpler treatment than the one we showed you earlier.
These spindles are cut to match the height of the post and lined up below a 2x straight edge as a guide.
Once all the spindles are in, the cap rails are nailed over the posts and the spindles.
The stairway for this deck was more complicated because we built a 180 degree turn into it.
That meant we had to first build a landing halfway down.
Then we ran the stringers from the top of the deck to the landing and from the landing to the ground.
These were 12 inch treads, which we covered with a pair of 2x6s sandwiched around a 2x2.
Like the deck railing, the stair railing was fairly simple.
After setting up the posts, we nailed a 2x6 handrail into the posts at a height of 30 inches above the tread.
Then we nailed the spindles into the stringer and into the rail to finish it.
Well, the work we've done here and the highlights from some of the other projects we've shown you
should give you a pretty good idea of what you'll face when you start building your own deck.
Well, some of it's pretty simple, like on this lower deck here where the corners are square and the framing is straightforward.
But you start introducing angles and bays and a step like on this upper deck and it gets a little bit more complicated.
Whatever the case, good luck on your projects. For Home Time, I'm Robin Hartl.
And I'm Dean Johnson. Thanks for watching.
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