usc529

okay i want to start my pront porch without having to buy plans how do u find out where your footers go is it every 4ft or what is there a chart somewhere that can tell me this

and with the roof part of it do u run continuous 6x6's post all the way up or do u use the 2 post one for footers and one that sits ontop of deck

dvatt

I would run the post all the way through in this cast lay the footers out for cosmetic purposes with a 2 x 10 southern pine joists you could space 8 ft. There is a chart on decks.com

Ron6519

You seem to be in earthquake country. You might want to invest in professional plans that take this into account. No building dept will allow you to build this without plan approval and a series of inspections.
You really need this for the structure to be as safe as possible.
Ron
Okay, South Carolina is not Southern California.
Need to put on glasses before posting

Daniel Holzman

There is no reason for you to buy plans, but you certainly need to draw them up first. I can tell you from personal experience building my deck that it is essential that you have a scaled diagram showing the location of all structural elements of your deck before you begin. Further, as pointed out by a previous post, you are likely to need a permit for your project, and that means plans. When I submitted my drawing to the local building department for plan approval, the building inspector furnished me a copy of an excellent document called "Prescriptive Residential Wood Deck Construction Guide", which set out the minimum requirements for posts, joists, beams, rails, and stairs. Hopefully your building department will do the same for you.

If you are unable to draw your own plans, you should consider purchasing them, or at least get on a web site where you can develop scaled plans using an architectural type program. There are several sites available to do this. From having tried them, I did not like them too much, so I drew up my own plans using a CADD program I have, but perhaps you will find one you do like.