The Construction Of A Wooden Deck: Structure And Installation
In the context of exterior fittings, the use of wooden deck boards is more and more frequent. The wooden slats do not require a heavy foundation for a tile or a block of decorative concrete; moreover, they do not require any particular maintenance contrary to popular belief.
More and more individuals make their wooden decks when they have the time and the necessary equipment. But it is also easy to find professionals offering this type of service, whether they are carpenters, landscapers, or builders of wooden houses.
For several years, wooden decks have developed with the emergence of new materials, new laying techniques but also detailed regulations that describe the standards to be respected for construction.
Choose to lay your deck yourself:
To help you visualize your future achievement, it is best to draw your project on a plan by noting the measurements. It will be easier to visualize the installation constraints, whether on the heights, the reservations required for planters or decorative beds, and the passage of wires for the lighting.
At deck builder San Antonio, we will be able to give you the advice to get you started with all the keys to successfully install your wooden deck like a real pro.
First of all, you must refer to the regulations and administrative procedures for deck constructions to know whether it is your responsibility to obtain a building permit or not. But do not worry, there are very few restrictions, and this type of work often does not require any prior declaration since it is most of the time, just a simple dressing.
On a concrete slab, all you have to do is wedge the joints level on the slab. Depending on the heights to be recovered, different types of wedges are possible, with forks shims, of the toothed chocks, of PVC pads, or wooden wedges. It is not necessary to follow the slope of the concrete slab.
Structure
The deck should be level because the water will flow anyway between the boards than on the slab before draining out. The fact of wedging precisely allows good drainage of the slab and creates an airstream under the structure and thus avoids the stagnation of humidity.
Stabilized soil is meant stone, earth, dam, etc., the hardness and stability of which makes it possible to serve as a base for decks supports. For example, a well-compacted earthen soil that has not been stirred for years may be suitable. It will simply be necessary to ensure that the places where the studs are located are very stable. The idea is to provide enough support under each joint.
Depending on the section of wood used and the direction of installation, the support points may be more or less spaced between 70 cm and 1.20 m on average for a standard joist section, depending on whether it is flat or on edge. Depending on the height to catch up, it is also possible to create a wooden frame type structure to accommodate the wooden deck.
Installation
Installation on the unstable ground requires a little more structural work. It will be necessary to create a solid foundation on which to distribute the points of support for the future wooden deck, even if ultimately more or less the same principles as those described above apply.
Several options are available: the use of concrete blocks, more or less deep, a concrete block full (on sandy soils, for example) of foundation bolts, woodpiles. All these techniques are good and allow us to create stable and strong bases.
Overall, building anything from scratch requires effort, and most deck companies know this from the start. Keep in mind: The number of anchors depends on the section of wood used to create the framework of the deck: if they are simple joints, a lot of support will have to be provided, whereas if load-bearing beams are used, much less will be required.
