How to Build a Deck Blog

How to build a deck – areas to consider

When you are planning How to Build a Deck it is vital to consider  how it will be used. Plan areas for chairs and loungers for relaxing and entertaining. Think about dining areas, children’s play areas and a place for planters and garden pots.

Think about other amenities that will add to your enjoyment, such as a spa or hot tub, a fire pit, a barbecue area, or even an outdoor kitchen area with a grill, sink, refrigerator and countertop.

When you are working on how to build a deck it is always best to make a preliminary sketch. Decide the size, location of the deck, and shape of the deck. Also note utility easements, required setbacks from neighbors’ property, privacy problems, weather issues, existing landscaping, and desired or to-be-screened views. For visual interest, round off or cut off corners of rectangles and squares and add in changes of level.

Add any desired details. These include benches and tables, railings, steps and ramps, planters, and storage areas. If prevailing winds or lack of privacy will cause the deck to be unusable during parts of the day or evening, consider adding screening in the form of walls, wooden screens, or plantings. Trees or vines make excellent windbreaks.

Sketch any overhead shade structures desired, and add in other features such as a hot tub or spa, children’s sandbox, garden pool or water feature, or barbecue or kitchen area. Include water lines and any irrigation lines for spigots, fountains, ponds, and container gardens.

When considering how to build a deck it is really worth hiring a professional designer or landscape architect to go over and finalize your designs (unless of course you are aiming to feature in an episode of DIY disasters:).

Plan for any wiring or plumbing. Keep safety in mind, and make sure transition areas will be well-lit and easily negotiated.

How to build a deck on a house that is built on a slab

You may be considering How to Build a Deck on a house that is built on a slab. If you have a room addition that is built on a concrete slab and when walking out of the back door you step down possibly about 8″ to the ground this can present problems with the building of a deck area.

One suggestion is to get landscape timbers and countersink stepping stones part of the way in the ground.  Then set the landscape timbers the opposite way to the way the decking is going to run. You can attach a treated 2×6 to the house as a ledger board and since it’s on concrete you won’t need any stepping stones-just shim up the ends so that it is level.