Prince - Deck Building Made Easy: Step By Step Guide on How to Build Your Deck for All-Year-Round Use

Adding a deck to your house may seem difficult, especially cost-wise, but did you know that you can get value out of building one? Yes, thats true.

Additionally, some of the benefits of adding a deck to your home include having space for parties, family gatherings, close supervision for kids and pets, or simply a place to sit in and enjoy the fresh air or sunshine as you gaze into your surroundings.

According to a , the number of single family houses in the US that have decks has risen to 46,000 between 2010 and 2020. This means that deck building is becoming more popular.

If you are considering adding a deck to your home, you may be wondering:

• How do I go about it?
• How easy or complex is it?
• How long will it take?
• What deck style will you build?
• What are the materials required, and are they readily available and affordable?
• Do you need permission from the local authorities?

If you have these questions, keep reading this book because it will answer these questions and guide you on:

• How to identify the most suitable style for your home
• How to design it
• How to plan your budget
• The materials and tools needed
• The skills to help you complete your project successfully.
• And much more

The fact that you are here means you want an aesthetically pleasing deck thats durable, big enough for your needs, and that you can build yourself. Doing this requires you to plan well from start to finish, keeping in mind all the details for the project.

Some of the topics this book will cover include:

• How to measure your deck area accurately.
• Factors that determine your deck style
• The properties of different types of materials
• How to plan for your deck before you begin building
• How to budget for your deck
• And much more!

Whether this is your first time building a deck or you want to add to the skills you already have, this is the book for you.

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Before we get started, let us understand decks and the benefits of building one:

A deck is simply a flat outdoor structure mostly made from wood or timber and usually connected to a building or house. It is built from the ground up and elevated by footings, frames, and posts secured in the ground.

You may wonder, when did decks become an in-thing?

Decks were not that popular until the early 1980s, when homeowners with stylish ideas began to have decks built to their houses as a way of extending their living space. Before then, decks were simple and not thought of as much, with most used for grilling. In fact, they were so small that not much could fit in them. However, decking has evolved over the past two decades, making decks a much sought-after home-buying detail.

Although deck designs may vary depending on the owner, a deck has five key parts which are:

The deck foundation is the area that supports the entire deck. No matter how low or high your deck is, the foundation must be there, which means you must also build it properly. Without a proper foundation, your deck will not survive harsh weather like winter and rainy seasons because of the humidity changes; hence, the deck will be shaky and weak. Most deck foundations have the following two major parts:

• Footings : A footing is a hole you dig into the ground extending below the frost line and after that, fill it with concrete to support the deck or posts.
• Piers : A deck pier is concrete poured into the footings; it supports the posts.

The depth of your foundation depends on how deep the frost in your area is and on the local building code.

A deck framing is the part of the deck that supports the surface, railings, and deck stairs. The parts that create the deck framing include:

• Joists : The joists rest on the posts and run parallel along the deck to support the deck boards.
• Posts : Posts are usually attached to the piers and footings where they support the beams and underlying part of the deck. For added support, the posts are attached to metal brackets connected to the footings.
• Beams : These comprise the horizontal deck boards and play the role of supporting the joists and the rest of the deck framing.
• Ledgers : A ledger is a board that attaches the deck frame to the house.
• Blocking : These are small solid blocks attached between joists to support stair stringers or posts.
• Header joists : Commonly known as a rim joist, a joist header is attached perpendicular to the joists to support the end of the joists and fasten them to the board.

This comprises the deck flooring, the pieces of board attached to the joists to form the decks surface. Chapter 2 guides you more on decking materials.

The stairs are usually attached to the concrete foundation of the deck, and just like the standard stairs, deck stairs comprise of the following parts:

• Treads: These are the flat surfaces of the stairs you step on while ascending or descending the stairs.
• Stringers: These are the sides of the stairs that support the treads and risers.
• Risers: Also called the face of the stairs, the risers are the vertical parts of the stairs.

Finally, we have the railings, the decks guard rails that play the role of keeping people from falling off the deck. However, if your deck is too low or close to the ground, you may not need to add railings, but if you have kids and pets, it may be necessary to add them.

To keep kids and pets from squeezing through the railings, add balusters, the vertical components of the railings.

Here are some reasons why deck building is important for your house:

Being indoors can be boring at times, especially since you are already familiar with every detail of your house. On the other hand, you may not be up for the idea of a walk outdoors or may not feel like leaving the area around your house. If that is you, you may well understand the importance of building a deck for your house?

Whether its summer, fall, or spring, a deck allows you to breathe in the fresh air, take in vitamin D, and spend quality time outdoors without fully leaving the comfort of your home.

If you understand style, you know well that a deck and style go hand in hand, especially with modern living. Decks have gone from the small and simple decks that could only fit a barbecue grill in the 1970s to the large, modern, and attractive decks we have today.