How to Frame a Simple Deck | This Old House
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- Опубліковано 28 січ 2025
- Our addition needs a small deck that leads to the patio. Tom Silva and Norm Abram tackle one of DIY’s most popular subjects as they show the construction fundamentals of this backyard icon.
The family room will be connected to the patio by a simple rectangular deck. Tom Silva and Norm Abram work together to install the framing. First they flash the area where the deck will meet the house with a self-sealing membrane. Then they install the ledger and joist hangers. They use 2x12 lumber for the rim joists, making sure to pitch them away from the house for water run-off. They also use 2x12 lumber across the front so there is plenty of nailing space where the stair stringers will meet the deck. The support posts are 4x4 and are notched out for the rim joists. Last, two 2x8 interior joists are set 16 inches on center. The decking will be 1x4 ipe wood and will go down later.
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This Old House is America’s first and most trusted home improvement show. Each season, we renovate two different historic homes-one step at a time-featuring quality craftsmanship and the latest in modern technology. We demystify home improvement and provide ideas and information so, whether you are doing it yourself or hiring out contractors, you’ll know the right way to do things or the questions to ask. Our experts including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor give you the tools you need to protect and preserve your greatest investment-your home.
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How to Frame a Simple Deck | This Old House
/ thisoldhouse
Love watching these two work together... Well oiled machine...
Norm Abram, the king of fine, rough, cabinet, and construction carpentry.
Was gone for a while and found Norm back on This Old House. It is great to see him back. Was a big fan of the New Yankee Workshop. Norm is definitely one of the greatest.
Good to see Norm. I still remember his New Yankee Workshop on PBS...
That was my all time favorite show
I still watch it all the time on This Old House Insider. I swear that watching old episodes of all the This Old House stuff has kept me sane during the pandemic. And, it IS good to see Norm. He's a boss.
PBS OPB American Broadcasting gave us so much with these shows and people like them two.
Truly an amazing time to see their master work.
I love TOH.
Tom and Norm together, fantastic.
Whatever
Love it, just a bunch of master carpenters building a deck
YOU MADE MY DAY NORM AND TOM WORKING TOGETHER!!!
Really miss New Yankee Workshop.
Chris Ragucci eyes I miss it so much, Norm is one of a kind
This was required viewing with my dad growing up. Glad he made me watch.
Carpentry’s dynamic duo at work-priceless!!!!
It's wild to think someone passing by might think "look at those two guys building a deck" without realizing the awe inspiring knowledge and experience going into that deck. Even wilder to think of all the other guys out there with just as much experience who do this day in and out with little to no fanfare.
Someone passing by would have probably noticed the television crew and equipment surrounding these guys.
And without realizing how that much awe inspiring knowledge made such awe inspiring mistakes and corner cutting.
Note Tommy’s post was perfect
Love these guys working together!!
These two could build a deck together without saying one word
Right!!! And be done before lunch. Lol.
Norm and Tommy?
2020 aint that bad after all
@@Kevin-mp5of can you do me a favor and go google image search "tommy lee jones newspaper"
Wow it’s like stepping back in time, just need Steve to come back into the show
Assuming the post is pressure treated, by notching the posts at 2:30, you're going to get wood rot. Better to use a hanger. And the cut in the joist at 1:55 is also inviting wood rot.
@@Kevin-mp5of I note some folks have reverted to charring timber surfaces against rot. (Would not want to go charring timbers treated with CCA though.)
Some of your very rural "eco-green" construction blokes use this technique to protect timbers when in contact with the ground or on rocks.
( No deep holes, just a shallow depression lined with much smaller rocks as a bearing surface.)
That said why not simply use these plastic composite materials produced with a grain effect.
Allegedly rot and slip proof, will cut and take a fixing like regular timbers.
However as we all know by now these are Tommy and Norm's cameo pieces to camera with real timbers and added Festool ... did you note the almost synchronized Festool impact driver shot? Sheer genius.
And was it a colour coordinated Festool tool box or was it the much acclaimed Festool dust extraction kit we saw at the bottom left?
(Personally I would have thought it easier to knock up a frame that size on a bench and simply lump it into position. And bung it on rocks as mentioned above.
Whisk out the Stabila ... do the shim thing ... resined studs into the site concrete with stand offs ... Job done.
Cuts out all this malarkey with applying stucco as well as.)
@@Kevin-mp5of Crikey! We wouldn't get away with that sort of wood preservation technology!
Even use of creosote is confined to professional outfits these days. I recall when every shed or outbuilding was slathered in creosote ... you wonder how many gardeners died off early because of constant exposure to creosote liquid and fumes???
Environment Agency would take a very, very dim view of that lot going in ground or anywhere near it.
Hence the comments about reverting to wood charring.
Festool ... after a few moments reflection you make a very excellent point ref "sheer" grunt of a tool to work with such fastenings on such timbers.
Euro construction very rarely uses such heavy timber in construction using such methodology.
Roofing frames made in factory and use perforated zinc plates as fixings.
Engineered timber roofing beams or arches generally bolted into fabricated steel sockets and fixed with 1" bolts, say.
And would agree most users of Festool are NOT builders at all but deep pocketed amateur handyman hobbyist folks who don't have to concern themselves with a bottom line because it's a hobby.
Suspect folks don't worry very much about what they spend on a "hobby".
Lag bolts to mount the ledger board to the house has been replaced by the use of carriage bolts in many areas by code. Check the local codes first! For newbies, it would have been great to hear why the rim joist was notched. There are additional videos on this channel going into more detail.
Those were not lag bolts. Those were grk structural bolts. They pass code everywhere. Look them up.
The hangers are supposed to have 10D galvanized nails. Those 1 1/2" nails were used in the old school hangers
That must be state by state.
@@GGg-ug3jr Thats national code.
They are 10D, look at the head of the nails.
The 1 1/2” is only permitted and suitable for the straight nails into the ledger. They shouldn’t have been used in the angles
The new york yankee workshop and tommy togetha’? Man, I would be proud
@@Kevin-mp5of you sus brah
You guys used the 10d shorts for the angled nailing. That’s hazardous and not recommended by the manufacturer since it doesn’t tie the joist into the rim.
I was just about to say the same thing! Not the right nail for double shear nailing.
Why did the run the deck finish boards toward the house. Most I’ve seen always run parallel.
You guys need a video on soffit repair and replacement.
If you take it apart, you’ll see how to put it back together. When the clouds roll in, you’ll learn how to do it at speed.
@@theactualsalvagedrover I'm sure that first part could be said about most things in their show. But, showing how to do things like that is what makes the show what it is.
@@rhvenaubrey6008 I THINK I’m understanding what you’re saying, you mean that the explanation itself IS the show. Right, that makes sense, their episodes aren’t all about demolition, but a bunch are. What I’m saying is, go to houses that are being gutted or remodeled, and houses that have been abandoned for a while. Take some stuff apart that is rotten and going to be replaced, or ask the contractors what they intend to do to rectify something. Since houses were built back in 1600s-1700s, and even earlier, construction methods have always been evolving. New materials and practices to rectify issues and deficiencies, and technical innovations to make things faster, lighter, tighter, and just better are always being developed. But as much as a joke my comment was meant to be, it was also the truth. If you want to know how to build cabinets, destroy some. If you want to see how a wall is built, grab a hammer and start smashing Sheetrock, you learn by doing in this trade, school is good for current tech and theory, but really, learning by sight and feel is the ideal way to understand technique and reason. Does that make sense, or did I waste a lot of time typing that out for you?
Man... is norm Part vampire? Guy looks like he has not aged.
I’m sure I’m wrong, but I was led to believe that once that 2x12 was scored to fit that hanger, it’s effective load bearing capacity then became that of a 2x6.
It's an 8ft deck. That's all the rating it needs. The larger lumber was used for masonry detail later on, not to carry additional load.
That wasn't a deck. That was stairs with a large top step.
Just add more stop steps
God Dang it Dale
Whats kind of red handled purse are you using?
That wouldn't pass an inspection in VA in 2020. They want them all free floated. In the case a county lets you attach it to the house it would require lags into the house. Notching is a no no with most inspectors I deal with. Just shows you how diffrent things are state to state.
No notching posts in Connecticut anymore either
pro homeowner tip: dont pull permits and you never have to have your work inspected.
I love how you all never miss the nail head. Me not so much lol
@@Kevin-mp5of hanger don’t use screws, they use Tico nails. Jim
@@Kevin-mp5of something new? I used Tico nails....
@@Kevin-mp5of just like in the video......
@@jimpie231 Simpson SD screws are designed to be used on hangers in lieu of tico. But you can’t use shorts at the diagonal
@@phlythaiguy1 Thank-you, I learned something, what do you use foe the diagonal? Regular construction fasteners, say 2 1/2”? Thanks again! Jim
Hi Tom, can you please make a video on how to do a post to beam diagonal bracing? I've been looking around and no one has ever done a good video about doing it. thanks
I remember watchingthis and was like wow, ipe is so expensive... now I am like wow 2x pine is expensive lol
Ipe is expensive but half as much as teak!
I'm confused. Why are they using undersized joist hangers that don't support the entire height of the joist? Is this structure small enough that you don't have to worry about it failing where he made a notch for the hanger?
Correct. 2x6 would have been sufficient. 2x12 was cosmetic
Norm Abrams on the chisel ftw.
Are they nailing into concrete foundation or what are those hangers attached to?
Why you put the hanger between the Joyce. There was a cut out on the Joyce and the bottom of the hanger went between that cut out the hammer into the house?
How is it structurally sound to cut a notch in those 2x12s so they fit in the joist hangers? Is this a common practice?
@@Kevin-mp5of yes, I caught that part , but it looks like that notch would be a weak point for the board to split
@@trekgod3 the only part carrying the weight of the joists is above the notch, therefore no pressure adequate to split the board. The joists attach above the notch.
They used 2x12 for cosmetic reasons. 2x6 is sufficient, so they can get away with that.
Why are the joist hangers attached to the sill plate so short?
That 2x12 notched to fit in that small hanger is not a good idea, I'd expect a diagonal crack developing from the notch once the deck is is used and when the lumber dries up.
This is what I wanted to ask them about... that is notched right into the grain of the 2x12. Is there not a hanger that can seat that board securely without sacrificing the integrity of the board?
@@andrewmccracken5948 I suppose you could drill through the "width" of beam and introduce either a long galvanised bolt of threaded rod with bolts and washers.
Or perhaps it is possible to buy very deep joist hangers???
Or make up "z" shaped metal straps. We have "L" shaped brackets used to secure roof trusses to walls.
They are much thicker gauge than those joist hangers. Some of ours are 5mm thickness.
@@Kevin-mp5of Dang! You got me thar, fahr n' sqahr, should've cut down on da lobstah budget ...
Yeah, they have top mounted hangers, a ledger and those would’ve worked, this is asking for problems.
@@Kevin-mp5of Crikey Kevin!!!
You really are in lockdown!!!
I thought it was just me ...
1:26 Finish guys are twitching and turning purple already.
Have you tried not building more decks in 'mericuh?
Interesting. How did they set the bases of the posts?
They used a special concrete block, available almost everywhere. I would never use that, but its a matter of preference. In the Chicago area, we use concrete down 4 ft., with some rebar, and then a galvanized spacer to keep the wood off the concrete (code in this area). Jim
@@Kevin-mp5of what is that?
😎
Hey Norm
1:03 I don't know this location's local code, but the screw looks too skinny... my local code requires at least 1/2" lag screws...
Did someone use a butter knife to cut the rain screen?
😂😂😂
why are hangers nailed? Can you just use screws?
Be careful with screws. Most are not structural.
Both nails and screws need to be specifically designed for hangers. In general, nails have more shear strength than screws.
@@Kevin-mp5of its not the same argument. Non structural screws will sheer before a nail will. I've seen properly nailed framing hold while I've seen screws fail. Hardware is required mostly because of code, which is a different conversation.
Simpson makes screws that can be used instead of nails, but they're more expensive.
@@rickmcphee4206 Youve never seen a screw shear. Youve only heard they could. Stop going on the internet and lying to noobies.
Why does the wood you use for framing look so different than the wood we use for framing here in California? It's douglas fir right? There is so much more contrast in the grain.
We have "pressure treated" but it's heavily cut up or pierced then painted with green or brown preservative. It looks like garbage compared to the pressure treated they use in the show.
So you artificially induce a crack in the wood? What wizardry is this???
@@Kevin-mp5of Regardless of oversize or not, he has weakend the beam, effectively decreasing the capacity of the section by half (which still likely is oversized. But why give water an entrance point into the beam, and start a crack that you know will propagate along the beam length? The longitudinal cells in that newly exposed lumber will soak up drainage water like a sponge.
Bad mojo.
@@Kevin-mp5of "If you don't like your job, you don't strike! You just go in every day, and do it really half assed. That's the American way." - Homer Simpson.
@@Kevin-mp5of 'Murica!!!
Why is the real master carpenter asking him questions he could do this when he was 10
@@brianglade848 totally get your point
'cause its television.
I feel like I'm seeing a few things wrong with this build. I hate to go against Tommy but also why are the joists not coming off of the ledger? What's the point of the ledger board if not to hang the joists from? That's where all the strength is.
Odd for sure. My guess is that they didn't have 2x12 for the ledger or they didn't want the ledger exposed for their finish. This was a very oddly designed deck.
Why in earth wouldn’t they use long joist hangers that could be nailed to the house AND pick up the BOTTOM of the 2x12 ???
Making a split in that 2x12 to insert the saddle of the joist hanger is just wrong. That joist, even though it is oversized (before people yell at me), will split over time.
A rare error from two experts
see, this is how you convert the strength of a 2x12 to = a 2x6.
@@Kevin-mp5of what ?? Oh you’re joking.
@@spockmcoyissmart961and that is exactly what they needed…a 2x6 since the span is only 8 ft. Please go back and listen . Norm and Tommy simply don’t make simple mistakes
@@Tony-r7v I listened to it. When you have a tv budget, you can waste money vs the homeowner trying to do the job right without breaking the bank. They used a mix of 2x12 & 2x8.
not crazy about a joist hanger that doesn't support the lumber at the bottom edge
I wouldn't call that a deck. It's just stairs with a large landing.
@@Kevin-mp5of wouldn't
This time I will use Woodglut plans for this.
Sooooooo.... will we ever get to see tom do the #chokolution on This Old House? ua-cam.com/video/OcqgJqqJhS0/v-deo.html
NNNNOOOORRRRRMMMM!!!
The detail that was the most helpful would have been the flashing at the house beneath and over the floor.....which you didn’t show.......come on guys? Disappointed. Jim
Urgh. Joist hangers on concrete? .... ok USA - I dont think any building regs over here would give that a pass
That's not concrete
Lack detail of the assembly of the deck. these videos are worthless.
Stop hammering hangers into concrete you muppets! No decent fixing!!!!
What is wrong with these guys? Cowboys
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Prove to me that Jesus is real and I’ll start believing.
@@Kevin-mp5of I was actually thinking the mason forum being they can’t read or understand anything other then inches.
What's going on with Tom's speed square? I always just stuff mine in one of my bags.