How to Build a Ground Level Deck

hello I'm Craig Heffernan from Heffron and construction company in Erie Pennsylvania today we're going to show you how to build a treated wooden deck right on the ground we begin by removing this concrete this concrete pad was going to be in the way the wooden deck were going to build could be at risk of getting moved up or down due to the winter frost all the holes are laid out to our dimensions and marked with fluorescent marker paint each holes marked out at 10 to 12 inches round in diameter the metal spud bars used to break up the hard ground and the pulse hole diggers are used to remove the loosened dirt if you continue this two-man process you'll be down below the frost line in no time forty to sixty pounds of dry concrete mixes then put into the bottom of each hole around a half gallon of water is then added to the dry mix the post hole diggers are then used to mix it thoroughly the mixture is then left cure overnight for solid concrete footing that is below the frost line we use a builders level to set equal elevation first we I up our constant measurement at the top of the story pole with the constant measurement held we put the cut mark at the bottom of the story pole we repeat this for all the posts to buy a treated lumbers then cut the size and use for all the outside bands ledger boards and Center girder beam the nails are put into a neat specific pattern and our acq approved for this treated lumber we will add lag screws and washers later for extra support you you after the 2x8 bands are set we fill and tamp the holes with the dirt we removed do not fill the holes with concrete if you fill the hole with concrete above the frost line the winter Frost would grab those posts and move them up and down landscape fabric is laid out underneath the framing of the deck this will keep anything from growing under the deck this trench is dug slightly downhill and will accept a downspout from the roof gutter the landscape fabric also has perforations to allow water to filtrate through evenly the joists we use are 2x8 treated and they're put 16 inches on center and as you see they go rather quickly if you have any questions so far leave a comment in the comment box below I'll answer it promptly and don't forget to subscribe 3/8 inch diameter galvanized lag screws and washers are used for extra support they are installed with an electric impact driver into the pre-drilled holes galvanized joist hangers were used to support the ends of the joists they are also used on both sides of the center beam the four inch PVC drain pipe is slid under the deck through the trench we dug earlier it will be fitted into the existing downspout and direct water away from the home the two stair stringers are laid out to accept the wider tread the right one is a standard seven inch rise and has a 16 inch run and the left is a 45 degrees special stringer with the seven inch rise in the run at twenty two and a half inches five more foundation holes were dug to support the stairs a special 2x8 treated board is used for the front riser it is rated ground contact and will not rot or decay three two by six boards are used for that wider tread they are scribed and cut at an angle around twenty-two and a half degrees five quarter by six inch premium treated wood is used for the decade we begin with the border this board is getting squared off to accept the ends of the main deck floor this border is adjacent to the main deck floor we use a router with a half inch bit to round over the ripp square edge this board will run parallel to the direction of the main deck floor all the border pieces are fit into place around the three open sides and they are pre-drilled and fastened with two and a half inch acq approved outdoor deck screws the main deck boards are measured and cut to fit a staggered pattern to our joist layout it is standard to run the decking the direction of the longer side each deck board gets two screws into each joist the rest of the decking is fitted into place and goes very smoothly the decking boards still have a lot of moisture content in them when they're first purchased when you install these deck boards put them tight together as the moisture and the board dries out the boards will shrink leaving a nice 3/16 inch gap between them this bench is custom made and will be built into place so no one falls off the back end of the deck it is three deck boards wide it has two by eight sides and uses four by four scrap posts for the legs the block bench will also have lag screws and be secured to the deck this concludes our video on how to build a ground-level deck I hope it was helpful to you the viewers please don't forget to subscribe and maybe leave a comment or two I'm Craig Heffernan and thanks for watching you Oh

Channel: Craig Heffernan

Views: 6,167,223

Keywords: ground level deck, deck on ground, deck step, remove concrete, wood bench, low deck, wood deck, pressure treated deck, dig foundation holes, outdoor deck, stain deck, seal deck, how to build a deck, heffernan construction, craig heffernan, erie pa, Construction (Project Phase), Deck, houseimprovements

Id: flWbt0mHQeU

Length: 11min 19sec (679 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 24 2013