I’m building a deck and I’m wondering about the footings. The deck will have a trellis over it and one side closed with lattise. The ledger will be attached to the brick house. Should the footings be dug down below the frost line or is it okay to use pads?
Also, what brand of manmade deck boards do you recommend?
Replies
Waaal, (as john Wayne might say)you've opened up a deep subject.
I have to re-do my deck, and if I had been in the country when the renovator had fixed up my house (it was my folks') he would have done it right or else.
See, he put in pad footings, and my house extension is sagging by different amounts on each side.
My local permit/inspection inspector tells me in this area (Canada, right above Seattle), I need to go down 4' (1.2 meters) OR better, to hardpan. This is not a hard frost area, I might point out.
So, I need to dig & scrape to get a solid footing.
Did you call your local building inspection department. They might want you to fork out a little, but bunkie, they will give you a homeowner's permit (usually) and a lot of good advice.
Good luck.
I have to put in a strip foundation, take out an oil tank and a lot of stuff I was not expecting. Hope you are more fortunate.
Whuull okay thar pardner. But, jist tell me this much. Whut the darn blazez is Hard Pannin'? An aah aint 'bout t go poolin out no skeptic taink neethur, yuh heeer?
- WaabTroooper -
Hardpan is a material that is highly compacted from those pesky glaciers. The material is as hard as rock, if not better bearing material than some softer volcanic rock layers. I will abstain from deadpan or dustpan comments....that's not a mistake, it's rustic
Not a septic tank (in Vancouver? I don't think so) An oil tank from the "dirty" heating days.
You alrady got "hardpan" from DeckPro. Point is, like everyone else confirms, putting a deck without proper foundations is a plan for disaster.
Check the local building codes. They know how far to go down in your area. Here in Vancouver we have so many different soil types because of the extinct volcano about ½ mile from my house, to deposited silt to - you name it. If the department can figure out my footing needs from my address, they can do yours too.
Depends on where you are WebTrooper. Here in the Seattle area we only dig down about 8" with a 2'x 2' hole then we put in one bag of premix then a pier block with a 4" adjustable saddle, then another bag of premix around that.
I would not recommend fastening your ledger to a brick home. Brick is soft and will not anchor the deck very well. Maybe another beam run 2' from the house would be a better option.
Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
With a name like Pro-Dek I guess you would know these things. Is that to say the deck would be unattached? I assume that also means the trellise above it (2x12's on edge every 16" OC) would be free standing as well. Am I on the right track?
BTW, I totally agree about the hammer and nail thing.
- WebTrooper -
"Forget what I said and just do what I meant."
Web- the trellis is a roof structure and should be treated as such, independent of the deck.
The trellis supports (posts) should go through the deck to independent footings below.In some applications the trellis joists can be fastened to the house, but it recommended to build it as a stand alone structure. You can box frame the trellis posts into your deck structure before you deck,
Trex has been the preferred composite deck for this area.
Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Web - Listen to Pro-Dek.....he does beautiful work all day every day. I'm not saying others don't......but he is in the know on deck work.
Here in MA I had to go down 48" to meet code for footings. Check your local codes for what is required, and if it is required it is probably for a reason.
SJ
Edited 7/9/2002 8:39:11 AM ET by Steve Joyce
I'm gonna do my self a big favor and go down to the municipal building and grab me a copy of CABO 1995 (It's what they go by in Evanston, IL) so's I can answer a few of my own questions. I'll let you know what it says on footings.
- WebTrooper -
"I talk to myself, answer myself, and then correct myself."
Thanks for the compliment Steve
We have done footings as deep as 6' on some hillsides in Sono tubes to code.
4' for Maine? Man you guys must have strong backs. Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
I'm actually in Massachusetts......I believe Maine is probably the same for frost depth. Usually the digging in Mass. is nothing but rocks......but thankfully I am only about 10-15 miles inland from the coast so I hit sand 2 feet down.
I recently dug 10 fence post holes 48" deep for a fence install at my place......I was prepared for a battle. I got through the first 2 feet of top soil alright then I hit sand and I just laughed my head off digging to the 48". I was averaging maybe 10 minutes per hole......that included a break or two.....luck was on my side.
SJ
Know a little about alot and alot about little.