Minimum Deck height?

sandyman720

I am going to build a freestanding deck off of my new addition. The problem is that the door to the addition is only about 15 inches off of the ground.

What size beams and joists can I use so that I can get the top of the deck to line up with my door.

Can I use 2x6's for the beams and joists or is that too small?

I planned to put the 4x4 posts in the concrete and then attach the beams to them very close to the ground (maybe 2 inches off the ground).

Maybe I can get away with 2x6 beams and 2x8 joists.

jogr

In a situation like this I would consider a patio rather than a deck. Brick, flagstone, concrete, etc will all last much longer than a deck and you won't have concerns about rodents or dropping jewelry through the deck to an unreachable area.

HomeSealed

2x6's are acceptable, you will just need more beams than with larger joists. The span you can run without a beam depends on the size of the joist. You may want to check with whatever municipality as to what that particular inspector will accept.

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robertcdf

What dimensions do you want? You can use 2x6 for joists and beams. In fact we are using them for 1 of 2 decks we are building right now.

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Ron6519

sandyman720 said: "Can I use 2x6's for the beams and joists or is that too small?"
The size of the joist is dependent on the span, not how high the deck is off the ground.
Ron

Randell Tarin

It would help to know what size you plan to build your deck.

RYANINMICHIGAN

beam and joist size depend soley on how the relate to span.

Randell Tarin

O.K., so if we know the size of the deck, then we know the span. Or did I miss something.

sandyman720

I plan to make the deck 18x14.

Randell Tarin

I would use double 2x8's for the beams and 2 x 6's for the joist. How many beams will depend on how you wanted to run your decking.

Ron6519

You missed something. Decks require support underneath. The distance between two supports is the span. You could build a 15'x15' foot deck out of 2x12's and not need additional support under it. But if you build it with 2x8's you would need intermediate support under the structure. It's how the deck is built that defines the span.
Ron

sandyman720

Ok then so let me re-phrase.

If you were to build a 18x14 deck and you wanted the top of the deck to be about 18" off of the ground, how would you construct?

RippySkippy

I'm still with jogr....build it on the ground. Opps sorry...didn't see you wanted it 18" off the ground...but still...I'd build it on the ground.

Randell Tarin

Hellooooo. Double 2x8 BEAMS, AND 2 X 6 JOIST= SUPPORT

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sandyman720

How would you fasten the double 2x8's to the concrete footings? Do they make special brackets for this?

How many concrete footings would you have on an 18x14 deck?