I purchased my first home about 2.5 yrs ago and it came with a small attached deck. It was only 12'x10' and was not big enough to really enjoy and make use of. For reference, the deck is about 6' off the ground.
Here is what the deck looked like before starting the project:
Pretty pitiful, I know. At this point, I didnt even really enjoy the back yard much. I really wanted to make a nice outdoor living scene and be able to grill and eat out there. Something that would at least support a 4' table with 4 chairs so that if I had family or friends over, we could relax and enjoy the great outdoors.
So... I set out to do just that. The first thing I needed to do, was decide on a cost effective way of building this addition and decide on a layout. I was pretty sure that I wanted a 2 tiered deck since going out further away from the house would result in a pretty tall deck and my preference is lower to the ground anyway. I originally planned to make the addition attached with another stringer on the house. This would have involved digging SEVERAL 2' x 12" holes and pouring footings to reach below the frost line. Doing this improperly could have risked damaging not only the old deck, but the house as well.
I was all prepared to do this and I was at Lowe's pricing up materials when I ran across these 'Dek-Block' concrete piers. They are simply pre-formed concrete blocks that are shaped to hold 2x#'s and 4x4" posts. They are used in a floating foundation rather than attached. After seeing these, I went back home and did a little reading from those that have used these before to see how they hold up and if there are any problems. Everything I had read seemed great about them and on top of that, it would eliminate any risk associated with potential damage from frost and a shifting deck. It was also going to reduce the cost and labor significantly and the time required to complete the job. The only drawback was that the concrete piers would likely be visible under the deck. I was ok with this since I was planning to landscape around the deck to hide what was beneath anyway.
So it was back to the drawing board to lay out my deck with the floating foundation. I made a list of materials and it was off to Lowe's I went.
Here is what the deck looked like before starting the project:
Pretty pitiful, I know. At this point, I didnt even really enjoy the back yard much. I really wanted to make a nice outdoor living scene and be able to grill and eat out there. Something that would at least support a 4' table with 4 chairs so that if I had family or friends over, we could relax and enjoy the great outdoors.
So... I set out to do just that. The first thing I needed to do, was decide on a cost effective way of building this addition and decide on a layout. I was pretty sure that I wanted a 2 tiered deck since going out further away from the house would result in a pretty tall deck and my preference is lower to the ground anyway. I originally planned to make the addition attached with another stringer on the house. This would have involved digging SEVERAL 2' x 12" holes and pouring footings to reach below the frost line. Doing this improperly could have risked damaging not only the old deck, but the house as well.
I was all prepared to do this and I was at Lowe's pricing up materials when I ran across these 'Dek-Block' concrete piers. They are simply pre-formed concrete blocks that are shaped to hold 2x#'s and 4x4" posts. They are used in a floating foundation rather than attached. After seeing these, I went back home and did a little reading from those that have used these before to see how they hold up and if there are any problems. Everything I had read seemed great about them and on top of that, it would eliminate any risk associated with potential damage from frost and a shifting deck. It was also going to reduce the cost and labor significantly and the time required to complete the job. The only drawback was that the concrete piers would likely be visible under the deck. I was ok with this since I was planning to landscape around the deck to hide what was beneath anyway.
So it was back to the drawing board to lay out my deck with the floating foundation. I made a list of materials and it was off to Lowe's I went.