Deck question

[neonnblack]

8 x 10 foot deck, about 6 inches off the ground. 2x6 frame, would 2 foot space along the 10 foot side be adequate?

 

[Tim The Tool Man]

2 foot joist spacing? If you are going with 5/4 PT or Cedar decking boards and like a bouncy feeling under your feet then you could do it. Personally I would never go any greater than 16" o.c. and if you are going with some of the newer maintenance free decking surfaces you may need your joists to be 12" o.c.

Also 2x6 joists are right on the line as to being adequate for an 8' span. 2x8 would my choice but I don't know what your beam placement is below the joists and you may be cantilevered with multiple beams so 2x6 might be fine...

 

[AStrahota]

I would go with Tim's suggested spacing and joist sizes. Height off the ground makes no difference unless you are "okay" with having something go wrong with the deck and have just a minor distance to fall.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I'd like to help, but for the life of me I can't understand what you mean by 2' space along the 10' side.

 

[neonnblack]

Jack, i realized when i typed that it didnt have much of a meaning, so dont worry about that part, was to lazy to delete it.

Im ok with it falling....jk

Ok so 16 max fine by me, thats why i asked. its not going to be supporting any great weights. Just a few BBQ's and thats about it, maybe a couple chairs, not going to be having a table and bunches of people on it, etc.

 

[Jeff95TA]

If by chance you're using composite decking on a diagonal, check the manufacturer's recommendations for joint spacing. Needs to be tighter than standard due to the material & extra span.

 

[neonnblack]

No composite. Out here the price isn't worth it. You can get 15 easy years out of UN pressure treated lumber.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Are you using the concrete blocks to support the joists? I'm in a similar climate to you. One trick is that when it does rain (I know, not very often), you don't want wet ground below the boards and the Reno sun up above -- the wood will cup. I used a vapor barrier and set it up so it channeled the water away. Here's a picture from when I got all the blocks positioned:

And here's a shot with the vapor barrier in place.

Now, keep in mind. I don't know much about this. I've only done it once. Hopefully, guys with more experience will chime in.

The hard work was getting the blocks all level. But it would have been a real bear without them.

 

[mikeyr]

Where did you get those blocks, never seen that style before. The only ones my HD has have the metal bracket for the post and they told me to bolt 2x6 to that (didn't like that, and not done it). Those blocks look like they would be perfect for me, I need to build the deck 9" above ground.

 

[neonnblack]

I was planning on those types of block. And they are available at my HD. Not sure why they wouldn't be at all of them.

 

[djjsr]

Seems like with a deck that low you will have problems with critters under there. Maybe pile up some river rock or pea gravel around the perimeter.