"Shannon Pate" wrote in message
...
Thats a lot of questions.... I'll number the answers to match.





4. The deck should be attached to the house with lag bolts.


If I may, note that quite a few decks have pulled away from dwellings due to
the use of lag bolts with fatal results, and as such, lag bolts are now
illegal in many areas for attaching decks to the main structure. I usually
install full thread 1/2" carriage bolts w/nuts flat washers on four-foot
centers (check local code) from the inside of the floor joist band outwards
long enough to reach through the brick and deck band, and then have the
masons brick around the bolts. Much easier than drilling through the brick
after the fact.

I agree with the others, given your level of expertise, a few dollars spent
for proper engineering and oversight would be well spent in this case. A
deck that high off the ground with a party of imbibed guests jumping around
is a recipe for disaster if it fails.

Furthermore, being this is new construction, make damn certain that you
don't pour the footings on fresh backfill. Dig/drill down to solid/virgin
soil as needed. Important!

Have you considered a suspended poured slab over a bricked wall with large
open arches underneath? No wood to treat and not much more expensive than
an all wood deck with an upscale appearance that will last the life of the
house. Just a thought.

Good luck!!

s