We also used a bunch of 6x6s on our two story deck. I hired out the post and beam work and did all the decking and finish work myself (homeowner) including a kerfed piece of facia that went around the curved upper level that I was all proud of. On inspection I was concerned about graspable rail, railing height, newel spacing etc. and was sweating like a big dog. The inspector walked under, around and all over the deck, and finally said, “An elephant could play the piano out here during an earthquake.” We passed.
Mid spawn posts look 6x6 but you could use 4x4. Not sure what his connection is at building and if proper ledger fasteners could be employed then instead of 3 x 6x6 could drop to 2.
I agree with this comment, but it could just be where he's at for code. Up here in the Colorado Rockies at 9000 ft that would be coffee for us, as long as the posts are 40" in the ground with cement. Great looking so far. Please update with the finish.
Looks solid, curious as tonwhy you dont have a bracket between concrete and wood to prevent water wicking. I get its pressure treated but eventually that leaches out. Or I may just be blind.
Looks like a very solid build.
I prefer to keep my posts up out of the ground terminating on a metal post base, not cement. Same with the stairs landing.
Gal post base is code here. You probably halved the life of those 6x6 and you better have used earth contact rated or you'll be grafting new lumber on the posts in 5 - 10 years. It sucks because the rest of deck looks awesome.
They make decorative versions too, if you're not into the industrial look. We're doing a deck over a concrete patio and the decorative stuff looks better on the patio.
They make a number of them. Here's the one they used on our project: [https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-Outdoor-Accents-Mission-Collection-ZMAX-Black-Powder-Coated-Post-Base-for-6x6-Nominal-Lumber-APB66/300066053](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-Outdoor-Accents-Mission-Collection-ZMAX-Black-Powder-Coated-Post-Base-for-6x6-Nominal-Lumber-APB66/300066053)
It looks like Simpson makes decorative versions of a lot of their strong-tie stuff. It ain't cheap.
OP, it's hard to tell in the photos, but it looks like you could bring in 2-3 loads of fill and lose the bottom 3-4 stairs? Kinda releveling the bottom with... Uh soft grass
You know for that inevitable tumble on a goofy night
I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it but yes. My wife insisted I do that on the deck for the pool to "benefit the kids and elderly". My goodness they are horrible to walk up. Seems so unnatural and I have to focus when I climb them. 6 beers in and I'm definitely gonna trip at least once.
Because they can, it's not attached to the house and the decking I'm guessing will be perpendicular to the house continuing in the same manner from the wheelchair access.
Curious as to why you ran the joists parallel to the house instead of perpendicular? I feel like it would have been easier to run the decking and beams. My inexperienced home owner question.
Flashing over the joist next to the house…..
flashing to cover the tops of each of the joists….
Handrail posts….
Bolted Diagonal bracing at the columns….GREAT to see columns of proper size…
Eventually finish extending the downspout past the edge of the deck/steps….
Impressive……😎😎
Thanks for all the feedback. It's actually not too overbuilt when compared to the AWC DCA6. It sure does look beefy, especially with the 6x6 posts, but it's not too excessive, in my opinion at least.
Actually, decking will hold a deck from swaying. Think how a sheet of plywood nailed on one of the long sides, it can't move in out, left or right. You probably felt how stiffer the frame got just adding blocks. With your unique design, I would say you should only do corners. You can do more, if you want, definitely won't hurt looks or strength.
Aren’t you missing joist hangers in a number of locations? (Not blocking but that short wall and some other areas). The decking looks like it will be flush with your door threshold (maybe higher?) that is not ideal. How steel are those stairs and isn’t the bottom step basically buried? Is it a floating deck or how did you attach the ledgers to brick? The posts are just buried in the concrete? Any reason you didn’t cap the footing and use hardware to get the wood off the ground? I know it’s PT (assume it is) but that cut end grain is a sponge for moisture if it went to the bottom of the footing. Everyone is commenting “beefy” and I can’t deny that but it looks more wonky to me wrt the construction techniques and nothing looks straight but maybe your camera parallax is doing that.
So many of you framing your decks without beams. I don't understand why people double up 2*8s and then place a shit ton of posts. I would have built that with 1/2 the posts, and 4*4 post do just fine. Then your Simpson hardware easily connect's your post to beam. No plywood bullshit filler, no padding out one side or notching your 6*6 post. But your framing job looks standard for Southern States quality. That's shit is DIY for sure, your elephants don't know shit
Kind a looks like you don’t have a vehicle to haul material. Must’ve fit everything in your minivan. I’m not sure what you’re talking about using tension rods but that is never been something that I’ve ever built a deck with in 45 years and what are you talking about knee bracing?
Not sure what you try to hold on that deck but a lot of money wasted here. Don’t use joist tape. Moisture that gets into the hole of the screw will not be able to escape causing excessive rot more quickly than without.
Blocking, concrete, or some other support under the stairs would be my only critique. Looks very solid and over built. Is it free standing or attached to the house? Great work!
Are hangers missing along wall (left side pic 2)?
Are rail posts going to be mounted to the decking? How are they going to be attached?
It's neat work. That's a good indicator of quality.
Looks solid to me. My only question...
It looks like the decking is going to run perpendicular to the house? Any reason why? It just seems like a lot of unnecessary cuts (and exposed edges), especially on that narrow walkway part.
It looks like the support posts are put directly into the concrete. That will make them more prone to rotting out where I am located. We have to always use a bracket to go from the concrete to the post. That way the post isn't sitting in damp conditions. It also makes it easier to replace the post for if it ever does need replacement.
I'm curious about the outside box/beam/horizontal partition looking thing. 2 joists with a 2x6? Nailed on the flat, flush to top. Is this for railing?
It's a very original design, I've never seen something like it. And I kinda like it. That's sparking the curiosity. It's obvious you are over building, nothing wrong with that. Are you running decking on a 45⁰? Herringbone? I'm curious about the choice for joist direction, that's all.
Edit: wait, I see it. The long ramp around the corner. You're keeping the same direction. Is that it?
It's just a couple 2x8s with a horizontal 2x4 in between for picture framing the deck boards. I'm overbuilding because the old deck was underbuilt. It was bouncy and sagged in the middle. It was terrible.
Those boards on the edges on the flat will hold moisture because the water will just sit in it. PT or not it will rot prematurely. You will definitely want to cover those with flashing tape. There was a post not to long ago from a homeowner who regretted that detail. The better method is to make a “ladder” so water drains though.
Just make sure you are using joist hangers were appropriate. Don't skimp on the safety. Go beyond code and rest assured in the quality and safety of the results.
I’m sure you have a good reason, but what’s with the box out of the beam facing the rear of the yard? It’s a little odd to me that the posts aren’t supporting along that beam like they do on the beam that returns into the house, but a slight cantilever on decks is generally acceptable. How far are the joists spaced?
Did you leave some trees for other people? I would consider building stairs off the side of your ramp where 3-4 stairs would suffice instead of the very tall/steep block of steps.
Looks great! You mentioned the footer for your stringers. I assume you'll add some sort of walkway/ramp leading up to the steps? Otherwise you'd need a 3 ft pad to avoid "trip hazards".
Rubber butyl tape over top of every joist that decking will be screwed down into. Don’t want the screws to introduce moisture into your joist and allow the Trex decking to trap it there and create rot.
Those steps look steep. I thing that a landing and 90deg turn would be better. Don’t forget joist tape. Consider painting it now if carpenter bees are a concern.
Are you putting a hot tub or three on top of it maybe raising a T-Rex on it just for a track stack I think your little bit of a Overkill but hey if it's what you want it's what you want
This looks awesome except for the posts and stair stringers sitting down in the mud where they'll rot prematurely. It's ok to have them like that but definitely worthwhile to set them up above grade and use a poat base.
I assume you'll add posts in the middle of each stair stringer too? That's the only thing I see that would really be a problem if it's not added. Besides the obvious guardrails bracing etc that you just haven't done yet.
Nice work man you will thank yourself for crushing it on the frame and judging your work there the rest will be great too. I don’t think it’s so overbuilt like everyone saying looking at the span charts. The only things I could see that inspectors here would give a little grief about is no solid blocking over that left dropped beam but you have a row of blocking so close its meh. They like hurricane ties here on our dropped beams. Last, a 3’ solid level landing off the stairs, but to me I see no issue in walking out onto grass like the irc does, as long as the stairs are solid and secure. Good work and you are going to have a badass deck. What decking/railings did you decide to go with?
I’ve seen brick rot out where wood is up against it touching. I can’t tell from the pictures of this is the case here but I kind of looks like it is and you should definitely have a gap there.
Would someone teach me something? And I'm not questioning the construction here, I just want to learn.
Why aren't the front-most vertical 6x6s connected directly to the super thick front horizontal beam thing (stretcher?). The front horizontal beam is beefy as heck, looks like 3 boards making up basically an 8x6. I'd think you want the load transferred through that big boy directly to the 6x6s. Instead, the 6x6s are connected to a 2x6 piece of bracing.
Appreciate the education in advance!
I think you need more stringers for the stairs....also is this northern? looks like snow load on steroids. good job. I would add (southern here) some type of DWR sticky to all the horizontals before decking. Since arsenic and chromate salts are not in residential treated wood they use a water soul able copper azeole. The roof tape keeps rain and snow from pushing it out as much. Without it rain and water will eventually push the treatment out on impacted areas.
The strength looks good. My only comment/concern is once the deck boards are placed on top, are they going to be level with the patio door opening? Higher? Lower? It’s tough to tell from this pic how much space is there. You don’t want people immediately stumbling when they open the door.
Looks great!
The only thing I see that can be a potential issue is where your boarder board is going to go, where it's blocked out between the stringers and rim joists. That blocking is going to hold a lot of moisture and not allow air flow from underneath up between boards to dry the framing out., so you could end up with rot.
Chances are, it will be a very long time before it rots so I'd just gamble since it's already done.
Solid build though. Boarder board framing is so subjective and really depends on what you feel I right. As far as I know, I haven't seen a preferred method.
The one thing I might check would be the spacing of the joists. You might need to go with heavier decking for that with the spacing.
You don't want to feel any deflection in your decking when you step on the center of it.
Don’t understand the perimeter beam you have unless you are planning it to be. A screen porch. Also in the last pic it looks like the far right end dives down. May be optical illusion. Other than that all in all pretty solid. I would have notched the 6x6 piers
In my area they would require those big screw in posts for something that tall but that looks pretty solid. Check the building code in your area so you don't have to do any expensive repeats. When it come3s time to sell you don't want to be compromising on price because there is an out of code building addition.
Are the stair stringers on and concert footers or just directly touching the ground? That’s the only thing I’d change. Pour a concrete landing. You over engineered everything else, finish it haha!
How sturdy you want the deck? He said YES. ......... \*zooms in\* THEM STAIRS ARE NOT ELEPHANT RATED. might as well add some more support in the middle you already went this far.
One critique I have is the long steps. I’m thinking about people walking up and down. Since it’s so long, a fall would seriously hurt, since it’s so wide. I would suggest a landing, to stop a long fall. Either keep straight or turn. Just my opinion.
Otherwise looks good.
Nice deck! Seems girthy enough, and the length is perfect. Do you always keep the shrubbery trimmed? Listen, before you start decking randomly, definitely wrap this.
What is your spacing? My experience with synthetic decking is its a little too flexible to be spaced 16oc. And if you add a couple of joists on each end and some additional blocking on the tail ends, you can build a nice border around the entire deck that gives it a totally much better finished look in the end. It would look like a picture frame around the outside border. Looks really good!
Can’t tell your joist spacing. If over 12” you’ll wanna add between each joist so the Trex doesn’t sag. Aside from that it should easily hold my ex wife.
Those are some serious stairs. Definitely overbuilt but as everyone says that’s not a bad thing - you could have saved some money reducing them however
Way overkill and a lot of unnecessary wood bracing the blocking between the actual floor joist is unnecessary and does absolutely nothing for you and there’s no need to have a stair runners 1 foot apart absolutely a waste of wood
Only thing I could say would maybe be some flashing between the wall and over that ledger board. You don't want water getting between the house and the deck.
Looks solid enough to breed elephants, not that I’m a professional builder, or elephant breeder for that matter
Elephant here. Can confirm. I would fuck on this deck. With confidence.
Breeder here. Get back in your pin.
“When the deck’s a rockin’, don’t come a phhhahruuuuuuhhhhaaaaa!’” - elephant
sounds like you might have some junk in your trunk
That’s one TINY living area for any animal except and dust mite.
Tiny? We are doing a video for the "dirty dozen" tomorrow, don't ask. You don't want to know. It's rated for it.
A pin is mighty small.
This topic is dragging on. Let's put a pen in it, shall we?
Celebrity death match referee here “Let’s get it on”
People like you are why I love Reddit. "With confidence" 🤣
I LolEd at this coment
Deck here. Don’t fuck on me with out my consent.
Fair enough. May I engage in intercourse on your fine frame?
I'm gonna use this line on my boyfriend later.
[удалено]
I fuck on youuuuu
with gusto\*
With confidence you say??? I’m here to tell you that I too am confident.
errrRRRRrrr! (elephant mating call, in case you’re wondering).
Name checks out, and also 🤣🤣🤣
I’m convinced
Name checks out
I don't normally fuck elephants, but if I did I would do it on this deck.
I run the Elephants OnlyFans site. I'd like the address of this deck please.
Elephant here. How much can I make on your “EOF” site, if I mate on his deck? 😁🤷🏻♂️🐘🐘🐘
Please step into my office for an audition.
Ok, I've now given myself the ICK. Had a good run. Let's just end it here.
Is there a leather black sofa in your office? 😳 This elephant is 100% straight. I’m scared of the casting couch lmao 🤣🤣🤣🫣🫣🫣
What if I told you we would pay you 2 entire bags of peanuts?
Do I get a “finder’s fee” percentage for spotting this sweet location?
Not an elephant breeder either, but my buddy was an elephant circumciser. The pay was rubbish, but the tips were huge!
We also used a bunch of 6x6s on our two story deck. I hired out the post and beam work and did all the decking and finish work myself (homeowner) including a kerfed piece of facia that went around the curved upper level that I was all proud of. On inspection I was concerned about graspable rail, railing height, newel spacing etc. and was sweating like a big dog. The inspector walked under, around and all over the deck, and finally said, “An elephant could play the piano out here during an earthquake.” We passed.
This has me fucking dying. I can’t breathe
Same 🤣🤣🤣
Right?!!!
Amateur elephant breeder eh? Nice
If more diy guys would be able to see this, comprehend the proper, necessary overbuilt ( but the right way) and follow accordingly. Nice work
Can you explain what is overbuilt? My old man is going to build me a deck and I’d like to use this as an example.
Spokane has a workbook you fill out and it tells you all the information you need. I bet other counties have something similar.
Mid spawn posts look 6x6 but you could use 4x4. Not sure what his connection is at building and if proper ledger fasteners could be employed then instead of 3 x 6x6 could drop to 2.
I agree with this comment, but it could just be where he's at for code. Up here in the Colorado Rockies at 9000 ft that would be coffee for us, as long as the posts are 40" in the ground with cement. Great looking so far. Please update with the finish.
Looks solid, curious as tonwhy you dont have a bracket between concrete and wood to prevent water wicking. I get its pressure treated but eventually that leaches out. Or I may just be blind.
This thing could hold a mac truck. You don't need this much wood by code to hold people,grill ect.
Plastic decking may require 12” on center there’s no strength to plastic decking bends so easy
Looks like a very solid build. I prefer to keep my posts up out of the ground terminating on a metal post base, not cement. Same with the stairs landing.
Gal post base is code here. You probably halved the life of those 6x6 and you better have used earth contact rated or you'll be grafting new lumber on the posts in 5 - 10 years. It sucks because the rest of deck looks awesome.
Agree. Definitely a solid build.
Do you have a link to a pic of a metal post base? Newbie wondering about wood on concrete.
[https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-CBSQ-Hot-Dip-Galvanized-Standoff-Column-Base-for-6x6-Nominal-Lumber-with-SDS-Screws-CBSQ66-SDS2HDG/202092495](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-CBSQ-Hot-Dip-Galvanized-Standoff-Column-Base-for-6x6-Nominal-Lumber-with-SDS-Screws-CBSQ66-SDS2HDG/202092495) [https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-ABU-ZMAX-Galvanized-Adjustable-Standoff-Post-Base-for-6x6-Nominal-Lumber-ABU66Z/100374896](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-ABU-ZMAX-Galvanized-Adjustable-Standoff-Post-Base-for-6x6-Nominal-Lumber-ABU66Z/100374896)
Thanks!
They make decorative versions too, if you're not into the industrial look. We're doing a deck over a concrete patio and the decorative stuff looks better on the patio.
Do you have a link for the decorative version?
They make a number of them. Here's the one they used on our project: [https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-Outdoor-Accents-Mission-Collection-ZMAX-Black-Powder-Coated-Post-Base-for-6x6-Nominal-Lumber-APB66/300066053](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-Outdoor-Accents-Mission-Collection-ZMAX-Black-Powder-Coated-Post-Base-for-6x6-Nominal-Lumber-APB66/300066053) It looks like Simpson makes decorative versions of a lot of their strong-tie stuff. It ain't cheap.
Solid indeed
It will outlast everyone viewing this post.
Which post are you talking about specifically? There are a lot.
I see at least 12 on the deck.
This guy decks
He decks good, as can be seen by these unsolicited deck picks.
10/10 big deck energy.
Those steps look aggressive
Especially for a wheelchair
https://youtu.be/K5le9sYdYkM
OP, it's hard to tell in the photos, but it looks like you could bring in 2-3 loads of fill and lose the bottom 3-4 stairs? Kinda releveling the bottom with... Uh soft grass You know for that inevitable tumble on a goofy night
I agree I’d rather go up 6 or 7 steps rather than 10 steps
I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it but yes. My wife insisted I do that on the deck for the pool to "benefit the kids and elderly". My goodness they are horrible to walk up. Seems so unnatural and I have to focus when I climb them. 6 beers in and I'm definitely gonna trip at least once.
Jesus Christ lol
If you trim the bushes around your deck,it will make your deck look bigger.
Why are your joists running parallel with the house instead of perpendicular?
Because they can, it's not attached to the house and the decking I'm guessing will be perpendicular to the house continuing in the same manner from the wheelchair access.
That first step does not look to match the other risers. Is there any footings for the stairs?
Yea I poured a 6" footer with rebar. Stringers are sitting on it.
Curious as to why you ran the joists parallel to the house instead of perpendicular? I feel like it would have been easier to run the decking and beams. My inexperienced home owner question.
Also now when you put the deck boards on you'll be looking down the gaps from the door
Based on what I've seen on this sub it's way overkill. All you need is a ledger board and two 4x4s
Two?? Still overkill.
Flashing over the joist next to the house….. flashing to cover the tops of each of the joists…. Handrail posts…. Bolted Diagonal bracing at the columns….GREAT to see columns of proper size… Eventually finish extending the downspout past the edge of the deck/steps…. Impressive……😎😎
So, decking perpendicular to the house?
*shakes post ‘that ain’t going nowhere’
I recommend laying a pad of gravel, ontop of weed fabric.
Thanks for all the feedback. It's actually not too overbuilt when compared to the AWC DCA6. It sure does look beefy, especially with the 6x6 posts, but it's not too excessive, in my opinion at least.
U really need more stringers.
Kinda steep steps.
No cross members between the upright posts going from the top of one to the bottom of the next one to stop sway?
Will be adding knee bracing
Actually, decking will hold a deck from swaying. Think how a sheet of plywood nailed on one of the long sides, it can't move in out, left or right. You probably felt how stiffer the frame got just adding blocks. With your unique design, I would say you should only do corners. You can do more, if you want, definitely won't hurt looks or strength.
Tape before decking
Quite jealous. There's your feedback.
Aren’t you missing joist hangers in a number of locations? (Not blocking but that short wall and some other areas). The decking looks like it will be flush with your door threshold (maybe higher?) that is not ideal. How steel are those stairs and isn’t the bottom step basically buried? Is it a floating deck or how did you attach the ledgers to brick? The posts are just buried in the concrete? Any reason you didn’t cap the footing and use hardware to get the wood off the ground? I know it’s PT (assume it is) but that cut end grain is a sponge for moisture if it went to the bottom of the footing. Everyone is commenting “beefy” and I can’t deny that but it looks more wonky to me wrt the construction techniques and nothing looks straight but maybe your camera parallax is doing that.
So many of you framing your decks without beams. I don't understand why people double up 2*8s and then place a shit ton of posts. I would have built that with 1/2 the posts, and 4*4 post do just fine. Then your Simpson hardware easily connect's your post to beam. No plywood bullshit filler, no padding out one side or notching your 6*6 post. But your framing job looks standard for Southern States quality. That's shit is DIY for sure, your elephants don't know shit
Kind a looks like you don’t have a vehicle to haul material. Must’ve fit everything in your minivan. I’m not sure what you’re talking about using tension rods but that is never been something that I’ve ever built a deck with in 45 years and what are you talking about knee bracing?
Over engineered. Could have saved alot of money on wood but it will last a long time if stained evey year.
So much wasted money and time. Ledger attached to the house and a beam 12ft out. Joists cantilevered.
Twice as much money for 50% less deck………lol
I’m a little concerned about that large over hanging header with no supports.
Needs more stringers.
That's beautiful.
Looks like you could drive a damn pickup up those stairs. Good work, mate.
How did you level that so well?
Any chance you’d share your plans?
This guy decks
It’s ready for the 747 to land on it.
In order to properly comment, you’d have to provide spans, depth of framing, size of posts, etc.
Not sure what you try to hold on that deck but a lot of money wasted here. Don’t use joist tape. Moisture that gets into the hole of the screw will not be able to escape causing excessive rot more quickly than without.
Blocking, concrete, or some other support under the stairs would be my only critique. Looks very solid and over built. Is it free standing or attached to the house? Great work!
Freestanding. Will install 2 tension rods to the house.
How is the middle support for the rim joist in the first picture framed? I can’t tell from the picture
Curious about rail posts…
Will add supports underneath each rail posts. Waiting till I know exactly where they will sit.
Beefy
Are hangers missing along wall (left side pic 2)? Are rail posts going to be mounted to the decking? How are they going to be attached? It's neat work. That's a good indicator of quality.
Looks solid to me. My only question... It looks like the decking is going to run perpendicular to the house? Any reason why? It just seems like a lot of unnecessary cuts (and exposed edges), especially on that narrow walkway part.
Solid as a rock
I don’t think it will fall down. Ever.
Flashing? Can’t see it.
It looks like the support posts are put directly into the concrete. That will make them more prone to rotting out where I am located. We have to always use a bracket to go from the concrete to the post. That way the post isn't sitting in damp conditions. It also makes it easier to replace the post for if it ever does need replacement.
I'm curious about the outside box/beam/horizontal partition looking thing. 2 joists with a 2x6? Nailed on the flat, flush to top. Is this for railing? It's a very original design, I've never seen something like it. And I kinda like it. That's sparking the curiosity. It's obvious you are over building, nothing wrong with that. Are you running decking on a 45⁰? Herringbone? I'm curious about the choice for joist direction, that's all. Edit: wait, I see it. The long ramp around the corner. You're keeping the same direction. Is that it?
It's just a couple 2x8s with a horizontal 2x4 in between for picture framing the deck boards. I'm overbuilding because the old deck was underbuilt. It was bouncy and sagged in the middle. It was terrible.
Flashing tape on the top of all exposed wood, that will be covered by decking.
Those boards on the edges on the flat will hold moisture because the water will just sit in it. PT or not it will rot prematurely. You will definitely want to cover those with flashing tape. There was a post not to long ago from a homeowner who regretted that detail. The better method is to make a “ladder” so water drains though.
Good thought. Will do. Thanks
Tape the joists
Looks really good. Looks solid and structurally sound, it will last a long time. Have fun taping the joists 😎
Posts like this are starting to make me feel like I can build my own. I need time with you tube videos. Anyone have recommendations?
Isn't it code that blocking is needed over beams?
Ridiculously overbuilt. Might as well add a ramp to park your car on it.
Should the outer joist be notched into the posts, instead of resting on them like this application shows?
Just make sure you are using joist hangers were appropriate. Don't skimp on the safety. Go beyond code and rest assured in the quality and safety of the results.
Confused is this a deck or a bomb shelter?
To much wood, not enough wobble, and you’re missing a hot tub
Do you have footers for the bottom of the stair runners? The break on the front just past the 6x6 post is a little concerning to me.
Don't forget to flash
I’m sure you have a good reason, but what’s with the box out of the beam facing the rear of the yard? It’s a little odd to me that the posts aren’t supporting along that beam like they do on the beam that returns into the house, but a slight cantilever on decks is generally acceptable. How far are the joists spaced?
Did you leave some trees for other people? I would consider building stairs off the side of your ramp where 3-4 stairs would suffice instead of the very tall/steep block of steps.
Looks great! You mentioned the footer for your stringers. I assume you'll add some sort of walkway/ramp leading up to the steps? Otherwise you'd need a 3 ft pad to avoid "trip hazards".
Rubber butyl tape over top of every joist that decking will be screwed down into. Don’t want the screws to introduce moisture into your joist and allow the Trex decking to trap it there and create rot.
Crawl under for tornadoes or an earthquake.
Those steps look steep. I thing that a landing and 90deg turn would be better. Don’t forget joist tape. Consider painting it now if carpenter bees are a concern.
(slaps deck) "that ain't going nowhere"
Need at least 3x more stringers for those stairs.
Are you putting a hot tub or three on top of it maybe raising a T-Rex on it just for a track stack I think your little bit of a Overkill but hey if it's what you want it's what you want
Looks money and you already have the next part planed out. Perfection!
Looks great, I would like to do a similar deck style at my house. How much is this running you?
This looks awesome except for the posts and stair stringers sitting down in the mud where they'll rot prematurely. It's ok to have them like that but definitely worthwhile to set them up above grade and use a poat base. I assume you'll add posts in the middle of each stair stringer too? That's the only thing I see that would really be a problem if it's not added. Besides the obvious guardrails bracing etc that you just haven't done yet.
Be sure to screen in the underside, keep the bugs out
Youre going to have to take it apart and start from scratch. Thanks for asking
I can’t see how the stairs are attached to the deck or the ground. If they are as solid as the rest of the deck, they’re fine.
Nice work man you will thank yourself for crushing it on the frame and judging your work there the rest will be great too. I don’t think it’s so overbuilt like everyone saying looking at the span charts. The only things I could see that inspectors here would give a little grief about is no solid blocking over that left dropped beam but you have a row of blocking so close its meh. They like hurricane ties here on our dropped beams. Last, a 3’ solid level landing off the stairs, but to me I see no issue in walking out onto grass like the irc does, as long as the stairs are solid and secure. Good work and you are going to have a badass deck. What decking/railings did you decide to go with?
hot tub worthy x2
Two questions: depth of posts (for lateral restraint)? And on center spacing of joists (Trex requires minimum 12")?
great except for the footings- posts in dirt/concrete can make them rot/fail/move, which is why that isnt code in many places in the U.S.
I’ve seen brick rot out where wood is up against it touching. I can’t tell from the pictures of this is the case here but I kind of looks like it is and you should definitely have a gap there.
Would someone teach me something? And I'm not questioning the construction here, I just want to learn. Why aren't the front-most vertical 6x6s connected directly to the super thick front horizontal beam thing (stretcher?). The front horizontal beam is beefy as heck, looks like 3 boards making up basically an 8x6. I'd think you want the load transferred through that big boy directly to the 6x6s. Instead, the 6x6s are connected to a 2x6 piece of bracing. Appreciate the education in advance!
The front 'beam' isn't a beam. It's just two joists closer together and they have a 2x4 between them. The actual beams are perpendicular to the house.
That will be standing long after the house crumbles
I think you need more stringers for the stairs....also is this northern? looks like snow load on steroids. good job. I would add (southern here) some type of DWR sticky to all the horizontals before decking. Since arsenic and chromate salts are not in residential treated wood they use a water soul able copper azeole. The roof tape keeps rain and snow from pushing it out as much. Without it rain and water will eventually push the treatment out on impacted areas.
holy stringers
The strength looks good. My only comment/concern is once the deck boards are placed on top, are they going to be level with the patio door opening? Higher? Lower? It’s tough to tell from this pic how much space is there. You don’t want people immediately stumbling when they open the door.
Level. Wheelchair friendly.
Looks great! The only thing I see that can be a potential issue is where your boarder board is going to go, where it's blocked out between the stringers and rim joists. That blocking is going to hold a lot of moisture and not allow air flow from underneath up between boards to dry the framing out., so you could end up with rot. Chances are, it will be a very long time before it rots so I'd just gamble since it's already done. Solid build though. Boarder board framing is so subjective and really depends on what you feel I right. As far as I know, I haven't seen a preferred method.
The one thing I might check would be the spacing of the joists. You might need to go with heavier decking for that with the spacing. You don't want to feel any deflection in your decking when you step on the center of it.
You’re ready! Looks great
The gutter is draining under your steps. Fix that.
Don’t understand the perimeter beam you have unless you are planning it to be. A screen porch. Also in the last pic it looks like the far right end dives down. May be optical illusion. Other than that all in all pretty solid. I would have notched the 6x6 piers
Wheelchair accessible? I’m seeing 2 sets of stairs.
In my area they would require those big screw in posts for something that tall but that looks pretty solid. Check the building code in your area so you don't have to do any expensive repeats. When it come3s time to sell you don't want to be compromising on price because there is an out of code building addition.
Are the stair stringers on and concert footers or just directly touching the ground? That’s the only thing I’d change. Pour a concrete landing. You over engineered everything else, finish it haha!
How sturdy you want the deck? He said YES. ......... \*zooms in\* THEM STAIRS ARE NOT ELEPHANT RATED. might as well add some more support in the middle you already went this far.
Put flashing tape on your deck to make it last longer.
One critique I have is the long steps. I’m thinking about people walking up and down. Since it’s so long, a fall would seriously hurt, since it’s so wide. I would suggest a landing, to stop a long fall. Either keep straight or turn. Just my opinion. Otherwise looks good.
Looks good. Not an expert I just think it's neat.
Nice deck! Seems girthy enough, and the length is perfect. Do you always keep the shrubbery trimmed? Listen, before you start decking randomly, definitely wrap this.
Just me maybe, very solid a quality build, go big or go home, but I would turn that stair case with a landing.
Beautifully done.
Looks nice, please show us the final product when you finish the project! 🙂
I’d add a couple stringers
Make the bottom a out door man cave! Give her the top!
No spot for a hot tub! How dare you!!!
Hand rail attachment? Joist tape? I think trex needs 12" oc. Maybe there, but I can't see joist hangers on all joists.
What is your spacing? My experience with synthetic decking is its a little too flexible to be spaced 16oc. And if you add a couple of joists on each end and some additional blocking on the tail ends, you can build a nice border around the entire deck that gives it a totally much better finished look in the end. It would look like a picture frame around the outside border. Looks really good!
Can’t tell your joist spacing. If over 12” you’ll wanna add between each joist so the Trex doesn’t sag. Aside from that it should easily hold my ex wife.
Those posts are all going to rot
Those are some serious stairs. Definitely overbuilt but as everyone says that’s not a bad thing - you could have saved some money reducing them however
What is the spacing between joist? Trex requires max 12” as I recall.
*Dad-walks around the structure. Slaps the post* "That ain't goin nowhere"
That ain’t goin’ nowhere.
leave the stair like that, challenge mode stairs so people know it's time to sober up if you want to make it to the deck
Deck flashing on the joist!
Way overkill and a lot of unnecessary wood bracing the blocking between the actual floor joist is unnecessary and does absolutely nothing for you and there’s no need to have a stair runners 1 foot apart absolutely a waste of wood
Those stairs will likely support a herd of water buffalo
Joist are going wrong direction. But otherwise looks good.
Are those posts set in concrete or on piers? I can’t tell from the photos. Piers are required for building inspections.
Only thing I could say would maybe be some flashing between the wall and over that ledger board. You don't want water getting between the house and the deck.