Each approach is described below to help you decide what is best for your space. I heard both ways. It's easy to do. ECO XL Adjustable height: 5-1/8 in. With the deck #1, we used a few nails to space the boards before screwing them down. Hard pack is what’s used on unpaved roads to stabilize it. I started building as soon as nap time came around after each haul. It made things soooo much easier for a mom like me! At the same time, boards will also warp away from the higher moisture area (ie the underside of the deck). Simply click here to return to. We are thinking about doing the same in our backyard. Required fields are marked *. Total height of low level ground level deck. In all honesty, this might have been the ONLY screw I put in on deck #1. Sufficient planning and research is key! So fresh & so clean… for the first hour. My 25 years of experience and thousands in dollars in tools and overhead and my kids dental costs shouldn’t ever be factored into the price of your deck. You’re awesome! If that makes sense? Wow you are such a caring and sweet person. Can this deck be built on uneven ground or a small slope from the patio doors being highest ground? What’s your next project? This sleek and subtle floating deck design was made to be tucked into a lush garden. since I already had the frame built, I was able to level them from the joists. Thank you!! He quoted me FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Now you can understand why I wanted it hidden so bad! That’s one of my frugal principals and I feel it on a spiritual level! I placed posts on the other side of both corners of the frame. Your email address will not be published. So by placing the bark side up – like the left board in the picture – the boards are now prone to cup upward from both the natural tendency of the wood and the moisture differential. Thank YOU! I was nervous about that bit! I don’t have sand like you do, but red clay of Georgia. Stay safe and healthy. Depending on the type and sizes of the lumber you could easily reach a grand, not to mention blocks, gravel, screws, etc. It was for the whole thing!! Almost everyone told me to do pavers. I wanted a raised, platform deck with spaces for dirt and leaves to fall through. I bookmarked you page and will be heading to Lowes for supplies soon. With a steel substructure, you’ll benefit from the durability and peace of mind that only rot-proof materials can provide. I should have posted a picture of my “plans” but they were on college ruled paper and “my dog ate my homework” might be a realistic excuse… But the 2×10 is for the step side. Did you pour concrete footing and attach the posts with footing brackets, or did you dig a deep hole and just pour concrete around the 4×4 posts. The pressure treated lumber has held up very well! Thank you so much for taking your time to inspire me with this practical aND very well presented deck project! The short answer is the cost of the materials. Mar 1, 2016 - Building A Floating Deck Over Concrete Slab. I am looking to install privacy screens on my concrete patio. Any updates on getting the photos working? I can see how that would happen. I was able to acquire a few materials through word of mouth amongst family and neighbors. I know I won’t pay someone and I do not care to use a saw if I can avoid it. I much preferred a hammer and nails back then. There was still a ton of dirt, but we had a 10×10 pressure treated sanctuary of my own creation. I will definitely let everyone know how it turns out. I dug the hole and poured quickrete around the posts. I guess that is the standard market rate. ***I recently heard “don’t pay anyone for something you can do with your own hands” and it reallllly resonated with me. It’s partially thanks to our giant, fetch-happy dog and partially just because it’s a fixer-upper. But now I want to build my own deck and I think I can do it. Same though. The picture you have of the two boards side by side already shows the one on the right having a slight cupping downward, in the opposite direction of the rings. Hi Ashley, I love your deck and I’m trying to convince my husband we can do the same but he insists we will need to spend a lot more money because he is worried about the quality of the wood and how it will hold up. Very informative and gave me the boost to feel like I could do my own as well. Someone had dug down/out 2 inches, filled it with “hard pack”, leveled that and tamped it down. I saw four women put together a deck once on a slope at a lake house in Indiana over a two weekend period. As much as I like to build one, still not so confident to do it myself with all the different options. My plan was to pour concrete footings, then run doubled up 2x8 beams setting on the footings, My wife is a stroke victim, and she wants this deck to be as easy as possible for her to walk out on. Thanks to my little helper (& the baby was there too! It is an awesome feeling to build something useful with your own hands!! I do think you were fortunate to be living in Fla because one of the biggest issues for me in Indiana is to get those post holes in deep enough so that they will remain straight after a winter freeze. But the thing is, that wasn’t going to work. Using the Deck Block One option is to use a deck block for the foundation of your deck. My cousin gifted me a 4′ level for Christmas and I had never received a gift so perfect hahaha. The only level ground under my deck is the cement slab. But unfortunately everything is hyper specific to the particular space that it’s being built on. By Sherry On March 3, 2018 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Building A Floating Deck Over Concrete Slab, 3.04 / 5 ( 27 votes ) Advertisement. I am a single mom looking to re build my deck that has many holes and needs to be replaced. With a steel substructure, you’ll benefit from the durability and peace of … I want to build a floating 18x11 deck that is not connected to the ledger. See more ideas about floating deck, building a floating deck, building a deck. I’ll have to update this then! Also, we’ll keep in mind to buy materials in phases so it won’t be heavy in the budget. After making my own deck measurements and plans for a 10 X 24 floating deck, I went for it and actually had Lowe’s deliver all the deck material to my house. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked and my husband didn’t want to do it lol. There are jokes that my entire backyard will be a deck before the next birthday party. Yes!! Instead of removing the concrete just build right over the top. It sure looks creepy right? My husband has been planning to construct a wooden floating deck at our backyard, that’s why we’re currently looking for a lumber supplier. So this is why a contractor can charge so much but you are correct about how a lot of contractors are charging so much because these days we are smaller family size and not living so closely together and not so connected with others to have togetherness to do these projects. I say next time go all out with the circular saw and drill. I can’t seem to get the photos to show for me!! But I just couldn’t justify paying over 200% of the materials cost for the labor. That looks awesome! Is your deck experiencing anything like that? We finally had a reason to access the crawlspace and just lifted my little engineering brilliance off like it was designed to do. Yes please! I saved $300 from selling various household items…I am hoping to have money left over after my deck is completed. But the bulk of it was all built by mom (& baby). But if you ask a “deck builder”, it’ll be 3 times that amount. It’s been a hot topic and is killing my vibe. So in addition to my backyard’s quirks, I wasn’t comfortable using a buzzsaw so all the DIY posts weren’t right for me. Wow, for the cost and fun, and practical reasons, this is unbeatable. I think it was worth the $75. I was contemplating on concrete, which of course is expensive and perhaps bit of a critical preparation, it is concluded, deck it is! How? Jul 19, 2018 - Ground contact lumber is an essential element of a floating/ground level deck. Building A Floating Deck Over Concrete Slab. I’m currently working on ours and we won’t be able to save as much as you did. They are right on top of each other and I find myself sweeping too much for my liking. And hey! But they spread even further over the last 6 months. In your framing section for Deck one you have 2- 2×8 at 10′ and 1-2×10 at 10′ listed with the 9-2×6 at 10′. All Rights Reserved. There’s a debate about this, but it seems pretty logical to me. The sick part is – I saved $4,500 by doing it myself…! It was completed over weeks. Editor's CommentsThe dimensions you described makes building a floating deck very challenging. I’m also not exactly sure it’s a “floating deck” at that point, but I could be wrong. Hi Brittany! – diy floating deck over concrete Diy floating deck over concrete for sale, 13 Picture Gallery: 16+ Incredibly Easy Diy Floating Deck Over Concrete That Prove Simple Is Perfect So the left board is correct. The spaced boards warped quicker than the not-spaced boards, despite my husbands fears of dry rot from tree debris. Best, Joe – Deck Builders Lake Charles LA. I’ve seen Final Destination, so any sort of saw is out. It wasn’t done in a weekend. Can you point me in the direction of where the material list might be? Like I said — patience. What did you use for covering the ground to keep weeds from growing through? You are correct there is a bit of a debate about which face of the board should be up and I’ll throw my two cents in. Now that I had a solution to my 10-foot-limit, I said Go big or go home! There I am! But after your guidance I think I will give it a try, thank you and Great Job!! It left a nice little space which is perfect for dirt and tree debris. At that point there was only one thing left to do. Here’s the finished product. A “floating” deck, also called “freestanding deck” is constructed in a way that it appears to “float” on top of the ground. You’re the first person to even mention this about the deck boards (The deck boards should always be “bark side up” meaning the rings should be turned down. I built a picnic table and within 6 months it warped a bit. Do you have this blog with photos anywhere else? This is so true and I also feel this in my soul! From designing it to drawing it to nailing and screwing it together. I was happy with my mini-deck, and frankly I didn’t think I could extend it. Check this out: My uncle kept bugging me about building a deck in his backyard. I took the last board off deck# to leave the frame exposed as a lip for the trap door the lay on. $1,200 is not really outrageous for materials. Great article ! You did a great job!!!! I attached pictures to give you a better idea of what my current patio and the space restrictions look like. So I like your idea of framing first, then leveling; that was really helpful. No you’re completely right and looking at the right wood. This website uses cookies to adapt to your internet activity. Thank your for the guidance that I need to get started and for the inspiration! Congrats on your deck! I’ve learned that cedar and redwood are naturally rot/insect resistant, but I was sold on the chemicals considering the incredible risk of termites around here. (It also helps to have a friend or partner assist you with this portion of the project as two sets of hands are better than one!) So I started wielding my measuring tape again and thinking about what we could do. The others were 10′ and attached to the crawlspace which has cemented posts at the corners, so i consider that a “footer”. Your email address will not be published. Thank you, Kira!! They lay right over the concrete slab (which was a huge help in establishing a solid foundation) but I still needed posts on the closest two corners. Simply click here to return to Design and Construction Forum. There’s a debate about this, but it seems pretty logical to me. I’d say so. No paving, but solid footing without the sandy or muddy. A ground-level deck, sometimes referred to as a floating deck or platform deck, is so-called because, unlike conventional decks, a ground-level deck is not attached to a home or building. The 2-inch-by-6-inch joists will rest on top of the blocks. Will definitely let everyone know how it turns out an estimate deck….I ’ ve been dragging my.... Patio included the 9-2×6 at 10′ and 1-2×10 at 10′ listed with the blocks... 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Frame over the last 6 months, but I am looking to install privacy screens on my Pinterest feed as! Space that it ’ s a debate about this, but it looks pretty good the! Have some half-ass tendencies, so hard-working water management and air circulation is a,... Around 6 months, but I could help with your project, congratulations start... Regular outside time, I do n't have to worry about placing the footing below the frost lines or like! Need a facelift around the concrete blocks able to acquire a few materials through word of amongst! Name, email, and check out our resources for adapting to these times imagine!!!... Feeling to build something useful with your project, I was happy with my big deck.. Tel me which boards you used for framing and what position you placed?! Space that it ’ s better than dirt! ” my budget ’ s a lot more for... Glad you found it helpful and I haven ’ t pay anyone for something you can do it again I. 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Building codes, and the 2x6s are the joists and carries all the screw-driving this time board collapse under feet... Value of money says that I can ’ t cut myself, all the! Right and looking at the same as you bought them from the store through. A new full-time mom & baby ) for an estimate, despite my fears! Proper safety precautions, including wearing eye protection when using power tools or a little much. Myself sweeping too much n some places, but hope to do it to floating deck over concrete to design construction... Never be leveled ( by me ) can provide frugal principals and I feel on. Your framing section for deck one you have 2- 2×8 at 10′ time on their smartphones built bought. At all “ wobbly ”, which is actually just a drop in slab everything being plumb so! ( & the baby was there too any boards!!!!!!. Patio Ideas backyard Ideas garden Ideas deck over concrete DIY concrete patio slab and Threshold Elevation Closeup, View. 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