Need to replace some rotting 4X4 deck posts on a sagging deck. (Posts are embedded in concrete piers). The deck is attached to the house, screened, and has a shingled roof. I’m guessing it started out as a deck that was screened and roofed. When I jack the deck to eliminate the sag do I need to leave a slight pitch in the floor as I would if the deck were not roofed or should the floor be level?
Thank You
Replies
What is the deck surface? If loose boards then no pitch needed. If tight boards or plywood or some such, and there's any significant chance of blown-in rain, you should have a slight pitch.
As long as you are leaving it open, it should have some pitch
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Decks that have board that have a space between them don't have pitch. The water just goes through the spaces.
<Decks that have board that have a space between them don't have pitch. The water just goes through the spaces.>
Well, not in my neck of the woods!! A properly built deck/porch should be pitched away from the building.
Geoff
I grew up in so cal so that might explain why no pitch. What is the pitch for if the water goes through the cracks?
Pitch keeps the water going in the right direction, with a level deck you can get snow and ice melting and backing up into the ledger area, or worse, depending on your situation. If you don't space the boards properly, leaves and debris from trees will clog the spaces and create a pond on the deck, even with-out the snow and ice!
Pitch of 1/16 -1/8"per foot is good depending on deck size and if covered/screened or open.
Geoff
That is not true.we pitch our decks with the grian in those boards running awaay from the house. It is an old tried and true principle and it works.Surface tension holds a lot of that water to the board and a good 90% of the water runs off to the ends.When this priciple is ignored, you find more water being led to the house, especially in situations suh as when snow is piled up and starts to thaw. You do not want it running to the house, and the further it is carried away from the foundation, the better
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However, this is a covered deck.
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water can blow in on it, so it should be pitched to drain it away instead of inviting in to come further towards the house tho.
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True, but it greatly reduces the severity of the problem. Just enough slope to have slope is really all you need for the open floor case, a hair more for the closed floor.
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yes
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I "always" pitch my decks...open or closed. More for closed decks(porches).
Makes absolutly no sense NOT to pitch them. You can hardley even notice a pitch visually anyway. Better to have any water roll away then get blown towards the house on even the slightest windy day. Same with snow melt for those of us that live where it snows. Melts in the sun and should roll away from the house.
Better safe than sorry.
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Thank You for your reply. I've got another question. The posts run from 7 inches into concrete to the roof. Am I better off cutting the rotted piece off at the top of the rim joist and toenailing the 4 x 4 that runs above the deck to the new piece of 4 x 4 that will be on a metal foot bolted to the concrete or cutting off the rotted piece at the bottom of the rim joist and using some type of Simpson plate to attach it to the 4 x 4 above it? I spoke to my local building inspector and he recommended cutting if off flush with the bottom of the rim joist but the attachment could be tricky due to accessability and having to work under the deck which has less 16 inches of clearance. He said I could cut it off flush with the top of the joist just under the floor boards and toenail. What would you do?
Thank You
Good question.
I've often wondered the same thing about decks but I agree with the two guys that say if the deck boards are open, or have spaces, then there's no need for a pitch.
All the books I have on building decks do say to pitch them, but at 1/8th of an inch per foot, on a deck that protrudes 16 feet out, there's no way I'm going to build someone a brand new deck that is a whole 2 inches lower on one end, that would be noticeable don't you think?
Although it's always a good idea to keep water drainage in mind when building anything outdoors.
no it is not noticeable. You do your clients a dis-service if you do not design and build decks to lead water away
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Here's some pic of some decks I have 99% finished using mahogany.
These have no spaces so I pitched them a lot more than if they were spaced and obviously the upper deck couldn't be spaced if I wanted it to be...duh..the upper deck has a pretty steep pitch to it and its virtually unnoticable from up top. you can see the pitch from the ground but its nothing that would bother anyone and most people never notice it.
I beveled each corner of the mahogany planks to form a V inbetween every board. I'm pretty amazed how well the upper deck is holding up. I'm sure its going to have to be oiled every cpl of years but thats no biggie.
I use Australian kangeroo pizz oil to seal it...lol. Works great!!
"What people will notice and remember is the broad brush of how how we act.We can aspire to reach our high ideals, or we can slide down the slippery slope towards the despicable." rjw
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