How to Build a Treated Lumber Deck
You have made the decision to add a deck on the rear of the house. What do you do next? You can have it done by a professional but that will be expensive. You can build it yourself but where do you begin? It can be done inexpensively and you can do it yourself with a little time and effort.
Items you will need for a small six by six deck:
- Post hole digger
- Small level
- Power miter saw
- Circular saw
- Quick grip clamps
- Cordless drill and bits
- Four-by-four posts (All lumber is pressure treated)
- Two-by-six joists
- Four-by-six decking boards
- 3-inch decking screws
- Check for local building codes and get a permit if necessary.
- Determine a location for the deck.
- Layout the area and dig a support hole at each corner. This should go down further than the frost line. You can either use concrete or a pre-made footer in the hole for support.
- Place two of your four-by-four posts on the ground and attach a two-by-six. This will support the joists. The height is determined by where you want the final height of the deck surface to be. Place a second two-by-six on the backside that sandwiches the four-by-four posts between the two-by-sixes.
- Place the third four-by-four in a hole and attach a joist to it with the clamps to one side of the first two. Repeat with the fourth four-by-four post and clamp another joist to it. Check to make sure they are level. When they are level attach with three-inch screws.
- Use the level to make sure it is level and attach the rim joist. Add one more two-by-six underneath this one to complete the rim joist beam.
- Lay out the rest of the joists for installation. Space the joists on 16-inch centers for a sturdy deck and attach. On the rim joist end attach by screwing the three-inch screws through the rim joist and into the ends of the regular joists. On the other end of the deck towards the house you will be drilling pilot holes for placing the deck screws.
- Place the holes on each side of the joist off center to avoid hitting each other, as there is one on each side. This will complete the framing of the deck. Now just lay the deck boards and your deck frame is complete.