I Just Built My First Deck!!

[punkabilly136]

originally had a cement slab down and i HATED it, so i decided to build a deck...with much reading up on it i decided to start on wednesday after work and by friday this is what i had, it still needs vertical slats to fill the bottom gap but other than that its done...it was my first deck that I built, and i'm really proud of it and love it alot more than cement

 

[Phatsub]

Very nice work. Good Job!

 

[punkabilly136]

its funny cause when i was first designing it i went to menards and used one of there "deck building" programs and it gave me a material cost of 1,350$ LOL...i have less than 300$ in it, so you can't always trust computers

 

[C_F]

Looks great!
I need to build one too, but I'm not sure how I want it to look...so I'm waiting for inspiration.

 

[toms73novass]

hey heres to you!

 

[bmwpower]

Looks good! Congrats.

 

[punkabilly136]

thanks everyone, im 22 and this is my first house so im trying to make it my own...so far i've learned ALOT about construction and all the fun that goes with it

 

[Kevin54]

Nice work One piece of advice though.....if you are going to leave a space around the perimeter open, get some chicken wire and close it up. That way you wil have air flow through it but the chicken wire is not really noticable. The reason being is CRITTERS!!!! We have a wraparound deck on the back of our house and have had a little of everything under there living. rabbits, three racoons, two possums, numerous cats, and the icing on the cake was when a skunk came out of there. When one animal finds out they can get underneath, they spread the word to the animal world that there is now a new place to call home to get out of the weather. Cats start marking their territory, a lot of '***** carry distemper, possums are just plain ugly, and you know what a skunk does

Kevin

 

[punkabilly136]

yeah, i was planning on closing the gap up with some boards running vertical in between, i just need to get a air nailer so i can hang them...thanks for the advice

 

[Junkman]

yeah, i was planning on closing the gap up with some boards running vertical in between, i just need to get a air nailer so i can hang them...thanks for the advice

If you are going to be using a air nailer, make sure that the nails are designed for pressure treated wood, or if you are using untreated wood, then use stainless steel nails. Regular nails will rust and the boards will fall down in a few years. It is also best to put the chicken wire behind the boards, just to keep the leaves out from under the deck...

 

[WH0DAMAN]

Good job...It looks great!!!!

 

[Coach James]

Very nice work. How far apart did you go on the centers? The house I bought 4 years ago has two decks and the builders put the decking on 24" centers. Wouldn't be too bad if they had used 2x4 decking but they used 5/4 decking boards.

Coach

 

[Johns57]

Nice deck. You may be required to install a railing. In my county, any deck above 12" requires a railing. Safety reasons.

 

[rotus7]

Nice deck. You may be required to install a railing. In my county, any deck above 12" requires a railing. Safety reasons.

Only when it comes time to sell! If you can, leave it open

 

[punkabilly136]

in the town im in they have no codes or regulations for deck building...yeah i know shocked me too, but i put my joists at 16" spaces, and i ran a board going thru the center....i also put my 4X4 posts at 36" under ground so its past the frost line. Thanks for the advice on the nails i had no clue about that and the chicked wire is a great idea as well!!!!

 

[punkabilly136]

oh and i was thinking about railings but i realy like it open, the only thing i might do is build benches on the corners for sitting then hang flower pots or something