Keeping rain water from under deck

[nbpt100]

Some one asked me to come up with a practical and not too expensive way to keep water that runs through an outside deck and on to the stuff stored under neath.

I have seen people use a corrigated plastic sheet. That is what I am thinking so far. Is there something better to use?? I have never done this before but seems straight forward.

 

[Daveyclimber]

I have a similar issue. My plan was to grade the ground to drain away from the foundation and deck. Then place leftover vapor barrier on grade and cover with crushed stone or washed rock.

 

[mike93lx]

Corrugated roofing, running to a gutter. Just get the slopes right and give yourself access to clean it, if you have trees dropping leaves on the deck

 

[nbpt100]

Corrugated roofing, running to a gutter. Just get the slopes right and give yourself access to clean it, if you have trees dropping leaves on the deck

OK. Pros and cons of plastic vs. steel. Yes the slope is critical. What is the cost delta between plastic and steel?

 

[DrinkMan]

My wife and I have been looking for a professionally installed system to do the same thing. Here are a few things we found (while they may be local to us, I'm sure you have similar systems available in your area.

https://undercoversystems.com/
https://exovations.com/deckbrella

 

[mike93lx]

OK. Pros and cons of plastic vs. steel. Yes the slope is critical. What is the cost delta between plastic and steel?

I have no idea on pricing difference. Go look at a site like home depot to compare options at your local pricing.

Plastic is lighter but can crack. Metal could rust and will be harder to cut. I'd likely do metal as it will be much stiffer.

 

[nbpt100]

I have no idea on pricing difference. Go look at a site like home depot to compare options at your local pricing.

Plastic is lighter but can crack. Metal could rust and will be harder to cut. I'd likely do metal as it will be much stiffer.

I am leaning to plastic becasue of the cutting issue and it will also let light through so you can see if there is debris on it. The space is only bout 4.5 feet high and it does not het much sun on that part of the house. Any extra light it lets through may be helpful. I am also wondering if metal will make more noise when it does rain out. Just wondering?

 

[CombatNinja]

These are half-assed 'solutions' to a problem that shouldn't exist. Ensure it's graded correctly and store the junk somewhere else. If it's worth a damn, put it in a garage, shed or proper building. If it's not, get rid of it.

 

[mike93lx]

You will probably hear both when water is dripping, but I'd expect the metal to be louder. That said, the water will not be dropping far, so it may not be an issue.

 

[mike93lx]

These are half-assed 'solutions' to a problem that shouldn't exist. Ensure it's graded correctly and store the junk somewhere else. If it's worth a damn, put it in a garage, shed or proper building. If it's not, get rid of it.

Under deck water control systems are a real thing that don't have to be half assed

 

[fourjeepin]

I used metal roofing at my last place. It worked great. I wouldn’t use the plastic stuff as it droops quite a bit and will have to be braced much more than metal. And it will look better and last longer. Oh, and I believe it will be cheaper as well.

 

[hans109h]

Metal roofing from the scratch and dent pile at Menards worked well for me. I capped the end with j channel to direct the water the other direction.

Hans

 

[Pen & Wrench]

I would prefer proper grading under the deck. Water takes the path of least resistance and grading seems like the best permanent solution. If there is a sidewalk to block water movement, they may need to cut in a channel with a steel cover, but maybe they don't even need to do that. Daveyclimber's idea of throwing down a vapor barrier with rocks on it would finish it off nicely under the deck after the proper grading is done.

 

[mike93lx]

I would prefer proper grading under the deck. Water takes the path of least resistance and grading seems like the best permanent solution. If there is a sidewalk to block water movement, they may need to cut in a channel with a steel cover, but maybe they don't even need to do that. Daveyclimber's idea of throwing down a vapor barrier with rocks on it would finish it off nicely under the deck after the proper grading is done.

How does grading stop the stuff under the deck from getting wet?

 

[Pen & Wrench]

Sorry, I didn't address that. I'd prefer covering the stuff rather than making a roof under the deck but I'm sure there's a way to get that done, as has been mentioned above. Someone will probably have better ideas than I do.

 

[NUTTSGT]

There's a couple/family on YouTube, "Living off grid" or something like that with Josh and Erin. They built an A-frame home with a big deck out front.

They wanted to use the space under the deck for storage and came up with a good plan. There's a video or two showing what they did with metal siding and some gutters I believe.


Edit

Found part 1

 

[firebirdparts]

I did EPDM per you tube. Trex on top and the lumber is all under it, so it can’t rot anywhere.

Turned out great, and it would be fine with other decking too. There’s no way to extend the weathered in area beyond the rim joist if you need to. It’s effectively impossible.

 

[jshillin]

If it were me, I'd put the roof over the deck and then it's dry as well. I built a roof over my back porch not long after I bought the house.

 

[Big Bad Dad]

I constructed a small "roof" to hang from chains under our high deck. Light duty framing and plastic corrugated roofing panels. Gave it enough slope for the water to run off the end. It works very well for our purpose, which is to make a shelter for my Wife's golf cart that she uses to do the gardening projects around the property. I guess that is my "half assed solution to a problem that shouldn't exist"....

 

[mike93lx]

I constructed a small "roof" to hang from chains under our high deck. Light duty framing and plastic corrugated roofing panels. Gave it enough slope for the water to run off the end. It works very well for our purpose, which is to make a shelter for my Wife's golf cart that she uses to do the gardening projects around the property. I guess that is my "half assed solution to a problem that shouldn't exist"....

Clearly grading and a cover are more practical

And "whole-assed"

Never go the whole ***

 

[Bad Eye Bill]

If it were me, I'd put the roof over the deck and then it's dry as well. I built a roof over my back porch not long after I bought the house.

This 100 times over. I like to use my deck/porch whether it's sunny or rainy. I like to be dry and I like being in the shade.

 

[John in OH]

Had a similar problem ... deck off of main floor elevation but house built on a hillside with a walkout basement. Clearance under deck varied from a max of about 86" to a min of 72". Too low to use the under-deck area for anything other than storage. Rain through the deck always kept the under-deck area damp and musty ... all kinda gross.

My solution was to install a commercially available under-deck system called Dry Space manufactured by Timbertech. A vinyl system using joist covers and V-panels all pitched to a gutter tied to an existing downspout. NOT cheap, but effective and it looks good and was easy to install. I considered some "home made" solutions using roofing etc. but figured the HOA could make my life miserable if it turned out to look like a hillbilly job.

After installing the Dry Space, I found a 5' x 8' shed at Costco that just fit under the deck in the highest clearance area.

 

[CraigStu]

I used corrugated plastic roofing from Lowes. And a plastic gutter and down spout. My deck joists run perpendicular to the house wall. So I started running strips of PT parallel to the wall starting w/ about 3/8" thick right at the wall and ending up w/ about 2" thick at the under deck gutter. I used SS screws w/ thin but wide heads screwing through the ridges of the roofing into those PT strips. The deck only extends 10ft from the house. The gutter is screwed to the inside surface of the 2x8 that caps the joist ends. I did have a little trouble sealing at that end because the 2x8 that caps the joist ends has a 2x10 screwed to it which hides the ends of the decking boards so rain was running down beyond my gutter. I ended up sealing the joint between the 2x10 and the decking, and between the 2x10 and 2x8 w/ a clear sealer that I applied below the surface some so it would not be too visible. I used the clear sealer at the house end also. This was an inexpensive way to gain some storage. It is not 100% water tight but maybe 95% w/ the 5% leakage at the outer edges so it works fine for lawn equipment.

 

[CraigStu]

These are half-assed 'solutions' to a problem that shouldn't exist. Ensure it's graded correctly and store the junk somewhere else. If it's worth a damn, put it in a garage, shed or proper building. If it's not, get rid of it.

Dang dude, maybe you should slow down before you start pontificating. I did exactly what the OP is asking about. I didn't want my lawn tractor, yard vacuum, etc in my garage. And I didn't feel like spending $3000 for a new shed. So I spent $500 enclosing under my deck and my 'half-assed solution' works just fine even if it isn't a 'proper building'.