Author Topic: Has Anyone Built a Deck Before? (Read 6808 times)

Scott · « **Reply #15 on:** July 27, 2004, 12:43 PM »

That WalkOut style is becoming more and more and more popular around here I know...it lightens up basements a ton. My brother has a house like you are describing Brent with 1/2 of it underground and half above. My house has 3/4 of the basement totally underground and a1/4 with windows and 3 feet below grade...

Looks good so far Jeff!

Morgbug · « **Reply #16 on:** July 27, 2004, 01:24 PM »

Quote from: OCB on July 27, 2004, 12:43 PM

That WalkOut style is becoming more and more and more popular around here I know...it lightens up basements a ton. My brother has a house like you are describing Brent with 1/2 of it underground and half above. My house has 3/4 of the basement totally underground and a1/4 with windows and 3 feet below grade...

Looks good so far Jeff!

Mmm, I should describe better.

Most of our houses up here have the situation you are in, 3/4 underground and only enough room for a window that is more wide than tall. But we are seeing the shift to what your brother has as well. Much bigger windows, in part due to fire regulations with respect to window size in case you need to escape. The advent of alarm systems has helped as well, previously it wasn't too bright to have very large windows in a basement.

What we have very little of is a house like I see Jeff's. Step right out of the door onto the ground without a step. Even 40-60 year old houses are raised up that 3 foot amount. I was curious how common it was.

Around the artificial lakes in some communities up here there are full walk out basements as well. No windows in the front, but with the slope at the back you can have floor to ceiling windows. Nice, but seems like a loss of privacy.

I like basements, but that might have something to do with memories of childhood when my parents would sequester me down there to build my models with little to no ventilation. Mmmm, model glue, soooo relaxing

Jeff · « **Reply #17 on:** July 27, 2004, 04:18 PM »

Quote from: Mikey D on July 27, 2004, 11:56 AM

I wouldn't keep that downspout where it is, it might cause some problems later on down the line...

Yeah, that is a work in progress. Just a temporary fix until we can re-work it. The drain pipe will wrap around and drain alongside the deck into the Rock landscape that will surround it.

Quote from: Morgbug on July 27, 2004, 12:11 PM

Gotta love those hangers for the boards, some brilliant mind thought those up. Are you 12" or 16" spacing?

Joist Hangers are great time saver! We went with 16" On-Center because that is what the city inspector recommended with the deck at 14'x14'. If we had gone out to 16', they would have had to be 12" joists.

Quote from: Morgbug on July 27, 2004, 12:11 PM

Can't tell, but I presume you poured the concrete for the posts?

Yeah, we dug out our 42" holes with the help of a Toro Dingo Power Auger (like a little tank with a drill), then filled them up with nearly 400lb. of concrete per hole (5 - 80lb bags).

Took a bit of work to level the posts since the backyard is hilly, but we got it straight in the end.

Quote from: Morgbug on July 27, 2004, 12:11 PM

Also surprised to see how low to the ground the house is. Up here, you see very, very few houses that you can just step out of. Most have steps, 3-4 and the elevation of the floor is about 3-3.5 feet off the ground, presumably to allow for windows in the basement. Do you guys have a basement?

The house is a split-level and on a hill, so, the basement (lower level) is a walk-out as Scott said. It is great because the "basement" is no where near the dark and dingy kind you get with a in-ground basement with tiny windows at the top of the walls.

The front of the house has a few steps up to get to the front door, but the back is a walkout. Hard to describe if you haven't really seen it before I guess. $:-\$ Maybe I'll post a few pictures of the exterior of the house with the next update!

Jeff

Scott · « **Reply #18 on:** July 27, 2004, 04:23 PM »

And the Split Level w/ Walk out or 2 Story w/ Walk Out is pretty much become the standard for newer housing around here...my house was built in the 40's and moved to its spot in the 70's before that trend really took hold

A lot of newer developments have what you're describing Brent with ponds in the back...those are to collect rain water and the like since the houses are so close together there can be drainage problems

Jeff · « **Reply #19 on:** October 11, 2004, 02:01 PM »

I give you the finished product.

Things I learned:

1) - Get more friends. More help and this bad boy would have been done much sooner. Almost ALL of the work was done by my wife and me. I personally put in EVERY screw and EVERY nail myself, as well as cutting EVERY piece of wood myself. Sure, we had father-in-law help with the concrete footings, and a bit of my dad help installing the decking boards, but it was pretty much all me and my wife.

2) - Better Quality Tools = Better work. I pretty much upgraded every tool I had on this project (circular saw, drill, cordless drill/driver) as well as buying some new ones. Better quality tools may cost more, but like they say "you get what you pay for".

3) - Treated wood scraps are a bitch to get rid of. No one wants to take them away, can't burn them. What do I do with them?

4) - Planning everything from the start was a HUGE help, but evn then, things can and will go wrong. Plan, plan, plan and then over-plan. As mentioned earlier: measure once, measure twice, then cut. It will save time in the long run to double-check each step along the way.

5) - Finally, listen to your wife when she starts talking. If you hear her say, "it can't be too much work to build a deck ourselves, can it?" - Run.

Thoughts?

Jeff

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Jeff · « **Reply #20 on:** October 11, 2004, 02:03 PM »

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Jeff · « **Reply #21 on:** October 11, 2004, 02:04 PM »

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Jeff · « **Reply #22 on:** October 11, 2004, 02:06 PM »

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Brian · « **Reply #23 on:** October 11, 2004, 02:21 PM »

Nice work there Jeff (and Mrs. Jeff)....its a beaut.

Scott · « **Reply #24 on:** October 11, 2004, 02:30 PM »

Wowza that does look great Jeff! Congrats on getting done before the snow flies! Enjoy the next two days!

JediMAC · « **Reply #25 on:** October 11, 2004, 02:49 PM »

I concur. Looks damned near perfect there, Mr. Tooltime! Awesome job. So you're all done with the staining/waterproofing too, I assume? Go get some deck furniture now!

Jesse James · « **Reply #26 on:** October 11, 2004, 04:18 PM »

That's nice how it wraps around there Jeff. It looks really nice.

We just got done putting a new roof on the back portion of the house this past week. I got a week off from school and had some things i wanted to get done... Instead I put a roof on.

Jeff · « **Reply #27 on:** October 11, 2004, 04:19 PM »

Thanks for the kind words guys!

We were very happy to get done over these last 6 beautiful weekends before the cold and rain and eventual snow arrive

Quote from: JediMAC on October 11, 2004, 02:49 PM

So you're all done with the staining/waterproofing too, I assume? Go get some deck furniture now!

Waterproofing yes, but they recommend letting the wood "age" for 6months before staining. So, next spring will be another round of washing, staining and water-sealing.

As for the Deck furniture, it is fully assembled and waiting in the garage. Can't actually put anything on it until after we get the City Inspector's final blessing/sign-off (should be here this afternoon to do the inspection).

Jeff

JediMAC · « **Reply #28 on:** October 11, 2004, 04:39 PM »

Quote from: Nataku on October 11, 2004, 04:19 PM

Waterproofing yes, but they recommend letting the wood "age" for 6months before staining. So, next spring will be another round of washing, staining and water-sealing.

Ah, that makes more sense. It definitely didn't look like it had been stained yet, but I figured you must've waterproofed it for the upcoming winter season, and you usually don't put on stain after waterproofing... 6 month waiting period. I gotchya. Cool. What color are you going to stain it?

Jeff · « **Reply #29 on:** October 11, 2004, 04:49 PM »

This is what we used to "weather-proof" the new wood...

Seasonite New Wood Treatment

Brand New Deck

"It's important that all wood, whether it's pressure-treated pine, cedar, or redwood, weathers properly before you apply a penetrating oil finish like CWF-UV for long-term protection. During this weathering period, excess water evaporates from the wood, and the mill glaze wears off of smooth wood, allowing the wood fibers to open up. Only after this happens is the wood porous enough to accept a penetrating finishing coat.

An immediate application of Seasonite to your deck (or siding and fences) provides a slow, steady, weathering period. The movement of moisture into and out of the wood is controlled. In addition, Seasonite helps maintain the wood's natural color and keeps it looking new longer."

Got the tip from Bob Vila himself on one of those wood-working shows on Cable! You put this stuff on to let the wood weather slowly. Then when you stain it in 6 months, it looks even better because the stain penetrates deeper and you won't hav eto re-stain quite as often to keep it looking great.

As for the color, it will probably take my wife all winter to decide which shade of red cedar goes best with our blue siding...

Jeff