I'm going to build a deck, what should I know?

danger boy

amulford wrote: »

Ask and ye shall receive:

Here's some gray in Spokane

Here's some from a local brickyard in your area

How Close are you to Tacoma?How about Olympia?

thanks for the link Anthony I never even considered looking on Craigs for used bricks.. that is a very cost saving way to build this patio.

Tacoma and Olympia are to far for my old truck to venture to.

disneyjoe7

Well I put a deck on before a patio, but your 2x4 thing has me concerned. I think you need to have that bigger for support, please checkout some deck building books.

vlam

I'll concur with other has said.

Build a patio if it's ground level unless you want deck but it's a personal choice. 2x4 will not meet code for joist for a deck. You are going to need 2x8 at min. A deck itself is very heavy. I just put together an 8x10 platform for my shed this weekend and thought about using 2x4. I ended up using 2x8 for the primary joist (a bit overkilled but they were left over from my deck project).

If you decide to go with a deck, I suggest going with Timbertech. I built my Timbertech last year and it took about 2 months of days after work and weekends. I did it myself but needed an extra hand building the foundation. I suggest using their online deck design software. I believe Home Depot and Lowes website offers similiar software. Although my deck was 2 level, I kept it simple to eliminate unnecessary cut. yours doesn't look that hard at all. If it's grown level, I am not sure if railing are required at all (you have to check you local code).

Here a pic of my deck.

danger boy

beautiful looking deck vlam

vlam

Thanks.. BTW.

i am starting to fall in love with the flexibility of patio bricks and how nice they look. The estimate I got for just the wood for my deck is $900. I wonder how much patio I can install for about the same or slightly more?

You could probably get 2 pallet of EP henry cobble stone paver for about $900 delivered (at least that's the going rate in my area). 2 pallet will cover about 200sq ft.

Add a few yard of base materials and sands. Machine rental.. I'll say for about $1500, you could get a nice patio.

Don't understimate the cost of deck materials. Nails, fasteners, etc add up quickly. In my case, I spend over $1000 in hidden fasteners.

danger boy

vlam wrote: »

Thanks.. BTW.



You could probably get 2 pallet of EP henry cobble stone paver for about $900 delivered (at least that's the going rate in my area). 2 pallet will cover about 200sq ft.

Add a few yard of base materials and sands. Machine rental.. I'll say for about $1500, you could get a nice patio.

Don't understimate the cost of deck materials. Nails, fasteners, etc add up quickly. In my case, I spend over $1000 in hidden fasteners.

that's what I have been thinking about.. the nails, screws, joists, hangers, etc. all add to the expense.

The patio just makes more sense and it is classier I agree. Funny though.. this part of the country, people love their decks that's for sure. Just by asking some of my coworkers.. of the ones that own homes.. most have decks over patio's.

Gadabout

Just my opinion on the TimberTech. If you are going to build a deck, save up for the TimberTech or similiar product. The hassle of a deck is the maintenance. It's 3 times the cost of wood, but it elimanates the maintenance costs down the road (except the occasional washing).

Personally, I would rather have a patio if it is at ground level. Deck if it was going to be more than 3ft in the air.

There are many types of synthetic wood products out there. They usually go on sale once winter starts. This would be the chance to save up for the project, buy them on sale. That sounds appealing to me but I'm a procrastinator.

Scott

amulford

danger boy wrote: »

thanks for the link Anthony I never even considered looking on Craigs for used bricks.. that is a very cost saving way to build this patio.

Tacoma and Olympia are to far for my old truck to venture to.

I think you could do the whole job for alot less than normal retail costs. And it can be ALOT easier than you think. You will have to rent a couple of tools, but IMHO, it would be the way to go...

RuSsMaN

danger boy wrote: »

I'm going to build a deck, what should I know?

The phone number for a good contractor?

kevhed72

Based on your comment to use 2 x 4s as the decking surface, I am assuming you do not work on alot of Bob Villa type projects (There are specific deck boards in a variety of materials.)

Projects like this will usually turn out "OK" at best if you have no experience with carpentry. Even if you have some experience, buy a book at your local home building depot and follow the instructions in the book. And, take your time....the deck will be attached to your house for a long time (if you did it right).

With all that said, I would RESEARCH several (at least 3) local deck-builders, get multiple references and price quotes, and ensure you get a guarantee on the work. Also, I would NOT pay them in full until the work is COMPLETE with 100% satisfaction. Also, make sure the deck is built to CODE for your area...something to ask the builder.

I-SIG

Gadabout wrote: »

Personally, I would rather have a patio if it is at ground level. Deck if it was going to be more than 3ft in the air.

Scott

3ft in the would be a porch. (Being from the South, they are all porches, but hey...)

Wes