thank you for a very insightful and informative video on this aspect of building a deck, there was a lot of considerations that 99% of information out there does not highlight, thanks a ton! you sir are a gem
When the decking runs parallel to the structure, I always start at the outside edge, establishing my overhang, and then work toward the structure. This allows that in the event of an odd sized piece, I can either rip the last piece or bury the discrepancy under the siding. On decks where the decking is perpendicular to the structure, I install my first board on both sides, again establishing the desired overhang, and then work towards the center. I try to lay out most of the decking in order to check for out of square, discrepancy in deck width, and variations in board width. When I approach the last several (9-12), boards, I measure to determine if I need a rip or will wind up with a gap, and then prep those last boards to either spread the rip over multiple boards or to insert an extra full width board. This is more labor intensive, but it gives a better looking finished product, and if the rips are dispersed in the decking, the layman will not notice the difference in widths of the decking.
Wow what a great video. You really know your stuff. Can you help me with this. Building my son a tree house. Should I concrete the post in the ground or use post blocks where they sit on top. How do I know what is right? Can't find and answer anywhere.
It sounds like you're looking for structural engineering advice and I cannot provide you with that. It is common however to use concrete footings and posts to support floor framing beams.
Built a lot of decks, never start from house first, begin with full board and trim outside ends of joist to ensure you end up with a full board on the outside
when given specific measurements for. say 12 ×12. I've always made the deck 1 " smaller both ways . so 11'11" ×11'11" this used with 5/4 decking eliminates the small piece at the end . 1 " short the other way gives more room to use the lumber that has or is already split on the ends . let decking hang over . don't fasten the ends . pop a line and cut the whole end at one time . straighten rim to your cut and fasten .
Always enjoy watching your videos. 1. Are Vinyl Plank waterproof good for sundeck? 2. Can I adhere the new vinyl membrane to the top of the old vinyl deck if the existing deck structure and the deck vinyl surface are in good shapes? Which one of the above is good for the DIY job? Please give me your professional advice.
If you know the size of your deck board an the spacing you can figure out how long of a deck you can make. it's not to hard it's simple math you just have to be flexible with the length you will end up with. Never hurts to buy longer joists & cut rather than being to short.
I never thought of it that way, but there's a good chance you're just commenting on this video to promote your UA-cam channel and if so, keep up the good work, if not then keep up the good work anyway.
My deck is 20 long but I can only find 16, 12 and 8 foot decking. How do I space the boards length wise, to make it look good? Alternate 8 and 12 foot boards so the ends don't meet in a line? Or, what do you suggest? Thanks.
It's a common method used in construction to prevent termite damage or wood from rotting. If you set it on the ground and the ground gets wet, the moisture can soak into the wood and cause it to rot or attract termites.
Kal El-Gravity will do that for you. Afix those metal "foots" to your posts and set them on blocks or concrete, and the weight of deck will lock them down. The metal foot keeps the bottom of post sitting in water after rain.
Seems to me a measurement before you build the framing would give the ability to be precise? Having said that there must be a reason this is not a good idea? But if we know a board is 5.5 inch wide, we know a spacer is .25 then, we should know that 10 boards side by side with a spacer 10 x 5.75 - 0.5 = your frame width. Please someone tell me why this is not a good idea before I build my deck.
Mr4Iron4- You're assuming people, even contractors make plans. You'd be surprised. I'd built several decks with multiple stairs coming off decks. Always made plans. I've seen my uncle who was a great carpenter, build a set of stairs in an older home without pre-cut stringers, and he just started cutting and marking the stair cuts as he went. Kind of like my grandma making all kinds of great baked goods without using recipes if you get my analogy.
I've done that before and it works, especially on longer decks, where you're using wood that might be difficult to straighten out, creating problems for the next piece of decking.
I disagree, start from structure (house) and leave joist tails long and wild.....as you install deck boards on top of framing and get close to perimeter you can then cut joist and attach rim joist to rails at precise location of last deck board..... Thus having full deck boards from structure all way out to perimeter......trying to actually figure this out without having actual deck boards in place is impossible....you wont know where last piece will actually land
If you do your layout correctly in the first place you won't have to do any of these cuts and secondly, you shouldn't be using 2x materials as decking unless you want splitting and splinters later on.
You do realize that "reputable lumber yards" and big box stores get their lumber in bulk from the same suppliers, right? Unless those lumber yards are making it themselves, or physically checking the dimensions on each board, the same issues you find at a "big box" store will also be found at those "reputable lumber yards." (I have hauled lumber from a supplier to both, at the same time)
@@FatGuyInaTruck worng, maybe same manufacturer but they are 2 different grades of lumber and the lumber yard gets the better grade lumber and at a higher cost then the big box store
gregvancom the length of the deck from the house? Measure your layout and cut your rim joyce to the exact length you need based on the width of the decking your using
You can do that and it's actually a great idea, but I found out that some lumber sizes vary in width and sometimes it's difficult to create the exact size gap in between the decking. I've actually done this before and been off about three quarters of an inch and 12 feet.
gregvancom sure makes since! I typically do it that way with the composite decking, never does work perfect with treated or cedar decking, thanks for the response, always learning
Yeah, it seems like it should work, especially with composites, but with regular lumber that expands and contracts, it's just like rolling the dice sometimes.
thank you for a very insightful and informative video on this aspect of building a deck, there was a lot of considerations that 99% of information out there does not highlight, thanks a ton! you sir are a gem
You're welcome and thanks for the kind words, I always enjoy hearing them.
When the decking runs parallel to the structure, I always start at the outside edge, establishing my overhang, and then work toward the structure. This allows that in the event of an odd sized piece, I can either rip the last piece or bury the discrepancy under the siding.
On decks where the decking is perpendicular to the structure, I install my first board on both sides, again establishing the desired overhang, and then work towards the center. I try to lay out most of the decking in order to check for out of square, discrepancy in deck width, and variations in board width. When I approach the last several (9-12), boards, I measure to determine if I need a rip or will wind up with a gap, and then prep those last boards to either spread the rip over multiple boards or to insert an extra full width board.
This is more labor intensive, but it gives a better looking finished product, and if the rips are dispersed in the decking, the layman will not notice the difference in widths of the decking.
Been watching you for a while. Really good info. Thanks from Aotearoa
Thank you, it's always nice to receive comments like yours.
love the last idea
Yeah good ideas if your decking is in the 2x strata. But 5/4 or you composites really do look better outside in
Great explanation,thanks a lot,respect.
Wow what a great video. You really know your stuff. Can you help me with this. Building my son a tree house. Should I concrete the post in the ground or use post blocks where they sit on top. How do I know what is right? Can't find and answer anywhere.
It sounds like you're looking for structural engineering advice and I cannot provide you with that. It is common however to use concrete footings and posts to support floor framing beams.
Really good tips. Thinking outside the box again are we?
Much thanks for your time and effort to educate.
Built a lot of decks, never start from house first, begin with full board and trim outside ends of joist to ensure you end up with a full board on the outside
What about starting at both ends and leaving any sliver or partial board in the middle?
If that's the design you're looking for then. Yes!!!
when given specific measurements for. say 12 ×12. I've always made the deck 1 " smaller both ways . so 11'11" ×11'11" this used with 5/4 decking eliminates the small piece at the end . 1 " short the other way gives more room to use the lumber that has or is already split on the ends . let decking hang over . don't fasten the ends . pop a line and cut the whole end at one time . straighten rim to your cut and fasten .
Always enjoy watching your videos. 1. Are Vinyl Plank waterproof good for sundeck? 2. Can I adhere the new vinyl membrane to the top of the old vinyl deck if the existing deck structure and the deck vinyl surface are in good shapes? Which one of the above is good for the DIY job? Please give me your professional advice.
I would love to provide you with advice, but think that you would be better off contacting the product manufacturer and asking them these questions.
0:55 shouldn't your joists attach to the beams? Looks like you have the posts under joists.
No, it's a continuous beam that supports the joists.
@@gregvancom I didn't know that. Thank you for sharing.
Great info
Thanks for watching!
very helpfull vid thanks
Glad you liked it and thanks for letting us know.
If you know the size of your deck board an the spacing you can figure out how long of a deck you can make. it's not to hard it's simple math you just have to be flexible with the length you will end up with. Never hurts to buy longer joists & cut rather than being to short.
This idea is great! This would be an artistic work!
I never thought of it that way, but there's a good chance you're just commenting on this video to promote your UA-cam channel and if so, keep up the good work, if not then keep up the good work anyway.
My deck is 20 long but I can only find 16, 12 and 8 foot decking. How do I space the boards length wise, to make it look good? Alternate 8 and 12 foot boards so the ends don't meet in a line? Or, what do you suggest? Thanks.
I will make a video for you and post a link to it here when I'm done.
ua-cam.com/video/--eBs7KSRXk/v-deo.html This video might help.
It's 20 ft long. How wide is it? I love running the decking diagonal. No butt joints.. plus it makes it stronger with the same amount of material. 😊
Love the last option.
Hi, I've seen lots of these videos and no one seems to mention afixing the decking to the ground. Is this necessary?
It's a common method used in construction to prevent termite damage or wood from rotting. If you set it on the ground and the ground gets wet, the moisture can soak into the wood and cause it to rot or attract termites.
Kal El-Gravity will do that for you. Afix those metal "foots" to your posts and set them on blocks or concrete, and the weight of deck will lock them down. The metal foot keeps the bottom of post sitting in water after rain.
Nvrmnd, you covered this method
Seems to me a measurement before you build the framing would give the ability to be precise? Having said that there must be a reason this is not a good idea? But if we know a board is 5.5 inch wide, we know a spacer is .25 then, we should know that 10 boards side by side with a spacer 10 x 5.75 - 0.5 = your frame width. Please someone tell me why this is not a good idea before I build my deck.
Mr4Iron4- You're assuming people, even contractors make plans. You'd be surprised. I'd built several decks with multiple stairs coming off decks. Always made plans. I've seen my uncle who was a great carpenter, build a set of stairs in an older home without pre-cut stringers, and he just started cutting and marking the stair cuts as he went. Kind of like my grandma making all kinds of great baked goods without using recipes if you get my analogy.
On green treated, u shouldn't space them. Because when it dries that 1/8 becomes 1/2. Put them tight together it will naturally space
Exactly . When I see any work where they have different widths of anything on sides it sends a warning signal .
Very nice video, my buddy who I'm helping...suggested going from the middle out...smh
I've done that before and it works, especially on longer decks, where you're using wood that might be difficult to straighten out, creating problems for the next piece of decking.
I disagree, start from structure (house) and leave joist tails long and wild.....as you install deck boards on top of framing and get close to perimeter you can then cut joist and attach rim joist to rails at precise location of last deck board.....
Thus having full deck boards from structure all way out to perimeter......trying to actually figure this out without having actual deck boards in place is impossible....you wont know where last piece will actually land
Exactly what I did when I kicked out a 15’ section of our existing deck. Trim the joist to the exact length.
If you do your layout correctly in the first place you won't have to do any of these cuts and secondly, you shouldn't be using 2x materials as decking unless you want splitting and splinters later on.
As long as all the lumber is the same size then you've got an excellent idea, but I've seen lumber lengths vary up to a an inch before.
That happens when you buy lumber at big box stores and not at reputable lumber yards
You do realize that "reputable lumber yards" and big box stores get their lumber in bulk from the same suppliers, right?
Unless those lumber yards are making it themselves, or physically checking the dimensions on each board, the same issues you find at a "big box" store will also be found at those "reputable lumber yards."
(I have hauled lumber from a supplier to both, at the same time)
@@FatGuyInaTruck worng, maybe same manufacturer but they are 2 different grades of lumber and the lumber yard gets the better grade lumber and at a higher cost then the big box store
@@n8_the_carpenter816 Yeah, the guy who actually hauls that lumber to those places wouldn't know anything.
Gotcha.
Why didnt you just measure?
Measure what?
gregvancom the length of the deck from the house? Measure your layout and cut your rim joyce to the exact length you need based on the width of the decking your using
You can do that and it's actually a great idea, but I found out that some lumber sizes vary in width and sometimes it's difficult to create the exact size gap in between the decking. I've actually done this before and been off about three quarters of an inch and 12 feet.
gregvancom sure makes since! I typically do it that way with the composite decking, never does work perfect with treated or cedar decking, thanks for the response, always learning
Yeah, it seems like it should work, especially with composites, but with regular lumber that expands and contracts, it's just like rolling the dice sometimes.