Luckily, there are tons of handy charts to help get you started. Ideal deck post spacing is 8 feet or less. The distance between deck support posts depends on the type of wood species used and the size of the joist and beam. One of the biggest is knowing what your local building code allows. Quick Navigation. The key factors that influence how far apart your deck posts when deck building will be are numerous. The most obvious factor is how your deck is laid out and the type of space it occupies.
Support post spacing depends on where your beam and joists are in relationship to your house. Most decks have joists that are attached to a ledger board, which is affixed to the house. That leaves one beam to be supported by two or more posts.
Attaching your deck to your house negates the need for a beam — and posts — near your home. This should be your first option. Position joists to minimize the number of beams your deck will require. For instance, if you want to build a deck to fit your circular, above-ground swimming pool, then you are going to need a number of posts to fit the curve of the pool. This takes into account the length of the beams and joists between supports as well as any cantilever distances.
When a beam or joist meets another support, such as a post or the ledger on the house, count half that distance. When it is cantilevered, count the entire distance. Add the half distances or full distances along each side as appropriate and then multiply one side against the other to obtain the tributary area. Multiply this square footage by the design load make sure you are using corresponding units in each case to obtain the expected load on each post.
It is good practice to engineer to the highest load, so if two posts have an expected load of pounds and one post has an expected load of 1, pounds, size all your posts and other materials to the larger load. Once you have calculated the load, compare it to the load capacity of your soil to determine if you need to space the posts closer together thereby decreasing the tributary area and expected load on each or if you need to hire an engineer and take other measurements.
Note that Pro Wood recommends sinking footings to 6 inches below the frost line in your area, so be sure to check the soil that far down. Use pieces of timber, we suggest 19mm x 38mm or similar for a good size. Screw the pieces together to form an L or T shape. Use a panel saw to spike one end of the prop to help secure it into the ground.
Screw the props to the joist support posts and use a spirit level to keep checking that the joist support posts are vertical. When all the posts are in place and the concrete is set or hardened off, remove the lines, profiles and wooden props.
Joists run in the opposite direction to the deck boards, so it's important to have settled on a decking design. For more on the different deck board arrangements, head back to our planning article. And don't worry if there are any existing features such as trees or posts that you can't, or don't want to remove - just work around them.
Include a bit more sub-structure to frame the obstacle and support the deck boards. Block off the area around it by positioning joist off-cuts between the inner joists secured either end with two coach screws. Then simply cut and fix the deck boards to fit around it.
If it is a tree, leave enough space for its trunk to thicken and for it to sway in the wind. And be sure to swot up on what species it is, as some can be very fast growing. Cut the outer joists of the sub-frame to length, remembering to allow for overlapping corner joints. Attach the sub-frame joists to the wall joist with metal joist hangers and 50mm galvanised nails. To avoid splitting, pre-drill the holes for the galvanised nails.
If you're not fixing to a wall, fix the joists to all the corner posts as per the following steps. Fix the side joists to the off-set corner posts, first checking that they are level. They need to protrude by the width of a deck post to allow for a balustrade or railing posts to be fixed into place within the frame. Drill holes through the joist into the post and countersink the heads using a flat wood drill bit to create the recess to house the screw heads. Attach with two coach screws using a socket set with ratchet handle.
Recess and drive in two more coach screws at the corner to join the outer joists together as shown. To give extra strength to the sub-frame, screw two support beams onto every second post along the length of the deck. Position them immediately beneath the joists of the sub-frame. Cut the inner joists to length and attach to the joist sub-frame with two countersunk coach screws at either end, or to the wall joist using joist hangers.
If you're laying timber deck boards in a horizontal pattern, the distance between the centre of one joist and the centre of the next should be a maximum of mm. For diagonally laid timber boards, the centres should measure mm. If you find that any of your joists bow slightly, fix them with the bow projecting upwards. If necessary plane any excess to ensure the deck boards will lie flat.
It's important to attach balustrades or railings to a deck after you've built the sub-frame, but before you lay the deck boards. This is because the decking posts slot in and are fixed to the corner posts, and then the deck boards fit around them. But there are plenty of other options. Instead of spindles, opt for a balustrade screen. Finish your decking posts with post caps or ball tops. Add a gate to keep young children and pets safe in one place.
Or keep things simple with a complete railings kit. For more on these, and other, decking accessories, check out our decking buyer's guide. Work out how high you would like the balustrade to be. Cut the wooden spindles down to size if necessary, bearing in mind all safety considerations and Building Regulation requirements. Decide how to space the deck posts we recommend a maximum of 1. Clamp a length of base rail in a workbench and drill pilot holes mm apart all the way through the rail.
Slot the spindles into the underside of the hand rail and secure them by screwing diagonally through the spindle into the rail. Remember the slotted sides of both the rails are fitted facing downwards so that rainwater cannot collect in them. Fit the base rail onto the spindles and screw 50mm deck screws through pilot holes into the bottom of each.
Slot a deck post in the gap between the joist support post and the corner of the sub-frame and hold it in place with a quick-release clamp. Make the corner post more secure by fitting a piece of joist off-cut between the corner post and the first inner joist. Screw to the sub-frame with deck screws. Position the next deck post and fix it with just one coach screw for now, so that you can push it to one side while you fix the balustrade.
Mark a 12mm drill bit with masking tape at 38mm from the tip. Then drill two holes to that depth on either end of both the hand and base rails. Fit 12mm wooden dowels into the holes and mark the corresponding positions on the adjoining posts at top and bottom.
When the railings are in place, you're ready to lay your deck boards. Remember that they need to run in the opposite direction to the joists. For help on cutting deck boards, head to the 'How to cut deck boards' section of our article ' How to build a basic, ground-level deck '. Cut notches in the first board to fit around the deck posts.
To do this, cut the board to length and clamp it in position in front of the deck posts, overhanging the sub-frame. Measure and mark the outline of the deck posts accurately onto the deck board with a combination square or builder's square.
Cut out the shape of the deck posts using a jigsaw - and not forgetting to treat the cut edges with an end grain protector. Slot the cut deck board into position. If necessary, plane or saw down its outer length to ensure that the inner edge is flush with the inside edge of the deck post.
This will give you a straight edge from which to lay the rest of your deck boards. To lay the rest of your deck head to our ' How to build a basic, ground-level deck ' article. The section titled 'How to lay timber deck boards' provides step-by-step help for timber boards. Whereas for solid composite boards, read the section 'How to fit solid composite deck boards'. My Account Before starting a garden decking project it is important to have a clear plan: this step by step guide explains all the stages involved in creating the perfect timber deck.
Building your own timber deck isn't that difficult, but like any DIY job, it requires the right material and tools and some level of skills. Check for any drainage problems in the area where you plan to build your deck — these must be resolved before starting. Deck design must maximise airflow through and around the construction to ensure good ventilation. Carefully mark out the site with builders lines and ensure that it is square.
To help create a square deck and determine its overall size, mark out the proposed area using batter boards, pegs and string line. Simply measure off a piece of string into 3', 4' and 5' 'unit' lengths with a felt-tipped pen. The units can be in feet or metres, whichever you prefer. Do not lay the deck directly onto grass.
Remove all turf and cover the ground with a permeable membrane or black polythene. Place gravel on top of this to prevent weeds from growing. If polythene is used, pierce a series of holes in it to allow drainage of any surface water. The finished deck must be at least 2 brick courses below the damp course level if attached to the house.
If this is not practical, a gap must be left between the house and deck to aid drainage. A ground-level deck is simply a platform on the ground which is laid onto a level surface. If you are laying your deck on an existing level concrete area, the framing can be placed directly onto this. If you are laying your deck on a non-concrete surface, such as grass or clay, lay the framing on patio slabs for additional stability.
It is important that the slabs are laid on either well-compacted ground or virgin soil. The frame is constructed using x 47mm joist timbers. These should be fixed using galvanised nails. Joists should be fixed at mm centres for maximum support.
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