If you can be tired of mowing the grass or weeding the garden, perhaps constructing an outdoor deck could be the solution! There are two essential categories of decks which will be usually contemplated when expanding an extra living area to a home. The top level one fixed onto posts and the susspended one that is near to the floor. Planning permission and building regulations should be checked prior to a choice is made by the home owner. The building of a floating deck can add some extra space for summer outdoor living at a considerably reasonable cost, if done independently, or it can be constructed by a timber decking expert who has all the know how to do a great job.
The floating deck support posts are attached to a specifically designed area of concrete that lie on the floor (or "float") rather than resting on concrete posts. A susspended deck isn't designed to exceed a height over a metre off the floor.
before starting on the building of a susspended deck, it is a good idea to buy a plan, which is on hand from hardware shops. Also, planning permission and building regulations are best checked as well.
A susspended decking area is constructed up of two components: the frame and the actual decking. It differs from an acceptable decking area in that it is close to the ground. Also it uses only joists for the frame, whereas acknowledged decks are supported by posts and beams.
Once the plan has been chosen, the site will have to be first educated. The turf will have to be dismissed from the site. The soil surface should slope away from the house by approximately ten centimetres for every metre. After the new decking area has been completed, a weed preventer material or a large, heavy duty black plastic sheet will be used to cover the area to prevent any new growth of weeds.
The next step is to use string to mark out the four sides of the decking area area using a tape measure and some stakes should be placed in the four corners. Using pre-cast susspended piers, line them up so that the joists can be attached. The manufacturer should have a list of instructions that come with the piers. The joists are then positioned in the slots in the piers. Once the joists have been positioned correctly rim joists are necessary at each end of the joists. The frame must be level and square in shape.
Once the frame is fixed in place, a set of steps can be added. These should be fixed to the rim joists. Now the frame is ready to accept the floor boards. These should be added about three millimetres apart and should be at least five centimetres thick and are positioned across the joists. The timber decking boards should be fixed firmly with stainless steel or galvanized screws for long life. The plan should be checked for the specifications required for the installation of railings. The railings are normally fastened to the joists by twelve millimetre lag or hex bolts.
Author Resource:
This article has been written and researched by Paul Henderson, working inconjunction with the top decking fitters working in London, Surrey and Sussex.
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