The Basics Of A Floating Deck Area
"Floating decks" are so called because, rather than being attached to a building as are standard decks, they're just "floating" free out there, all on their own. Not only are floating decks easier to build than standard ones, but they're also less scary to build for DIY'ers. Here's what I mean:
When you attach a deck to a building, you need to gain access to solid wood. This involves removing the siding of your house in that area (i.e., if your house is covered with clapboard, vinyl siding, aluminum siding, or beveled wood). For the non-carpenter, removing your house's siding is a pretty chilling proposition. Let's face it: Most of us take a "Leave well enough alone!" attitude towards our houses. We don't want to screw up anything..
Enter floating decks, which, as independent structures, obviate any need to mess with your home's siding.
Tools and Supplies to Build Floating Decks
Concrete deck blocks
Circular saw
Carpenter's square
Carpenter's level
Drill and drill bits
Exterior Screws
Extension cord
Chalk line
Mini-mattock or other small digging tool
Scissor jack (optional)
Pressure-Treated Lumber to Build a Small Floating Deck
10 2x4s 8 feet long
2 2x4s 10 feet long
18 decking boards 10 feet long, 5/4" thick, 5.5" wide
Scrap lumber for shims, guides, etc.
Before you buy any materials for the floating deck, however, I suggest you draw up a simple plan for it.
The best thing to do for starters is to create a small decking area. You might wonder, "What's the purpose of such a small deck? Why bother building it at all?" So let's discuss the site on which this small deck was built. You might have a similar problem area on your own landscape that cries out for a small deck.
As you exit the front door of the house in question and stand on the front step, a wooden privacy fence that separates the house from the neighbor's stands not quite 9 feet away on the right. Meanwhile, a large Eastern white pine tree, standing 14 feet away, dominates the area immediately in front of you and slightly to the right.
Have you ever tried to grow grass or flowers under a tall pine tree? Then you know that most plants just do not grow well in such an area: the pine tree simply drinks up most of the available water with its massive root system.
Consequently, prior to building the small deck, the area was just dirt and weeds -- a "problem area." Building a small deck here modified the area into one that is usable.
So how to begin? Well, the area was already level, so we simply had to lay down some concrete deck blocks, as shown in the picture. As said above, the deck will stand 9 inches high, and about 4 of those inches are from the deck blocks we used. The height of our small deck is similar to that of our front step (which it abuts), so the foot-traffic transition from front step to deck will be a smooth one.
Stick to these simple points and you will not go to far wrong.
When you attach a deck to a building, you need to gain access to solid wood. This involves removing the siding of your house in that area (i.e., if your house is covered with clapboard, vinyl siding, aluminum siding, or beveled wood). For the non-carpenter, removing your house's siding is a pretty chilling proposition. Let's face it: Most of us take a "Leave well enough alone!" attitude towards our houses. We don't want to screw up anything..
Enter floating decks, which, as independent structures, obviate any need to mess with your home's siding.
Tools and Supplies to Build Floating Decks
Concrete deck blocks
Circular saw
Carpenter's square
Carpenter's level
Drill and drill bits
Exterior Screws
Extension cord
Chalk line
Mini-mattock or other small digging tool
Scissor jack (optional)
Pressure-Treated Lumber to Build a Small Floating Deck
10 2x4s 8 feet long
2 2x4s 10 feet long
18 decking boards 10 feet long, 5/4" thick, 5.5" wide
Scrap lumber for shims, guides, etc.
Before you buy any materials for the floating deck, however, I suggest you draw up a simple plan for it.
The best thing to do for starters is to create a small decking area. You might wonder, "What's the purpose of such a small deck? Why bother building it at all?" So let's discuss the site on which this small deck was built. You might have a similar problem area on your own landscape that cries out for a small deck.
As you exit the front door of the house in question and stand on the front step, a wooden privacy fence that separates the house from the neighbor's stands not quite 9 feet away on the right. Meanwhile, a large Eastern white pine tree, standing 14 feet away, dominates the area immediately in front of you and slightly to the right.
Have you ever tried to grow grass or flowers under a tall pine tree? Then you know that most plants just do not grow well in such an area: the pine tree simply drinks up most of the available water with its massive root system.
Consequently, prior to building the small deck, the area was just dirt and weeds -- a "problem area." Building a small deck here modified the area into one that is usable.
So how to begin? Well, the area was already level, so we simply had to lay down some concrete deck blocks, as shown in the picture. As said above, the deck will stand 9 inches high, and about 4 of those inches are from the deck blocks we used. The height of our small deck is similar to that of our front step (which it abuts), so the foot-traffic transition from front step to deck will be a smooth one.
Stick to these simple points and you will not go to far wrong.
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