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ups.com...


On Jan 27, 12:51 pm, "Jan" wrote:
I would like to get some input on a deck that I am thinking about
building. First of all , I am a 64 yr old lady who will be building
this thing myself, if I go thru with it. I have limited skills, but
am sure I could build a box like deck. My question is, would it be
fesible to do it.

I want to build a 6' x 16' box like deck directly on the ground,,
(think of a pallet like structure only bigger). I feel like I can do
it, but am wondering about how long the wood would last placed
directly on the ground in Tennessee. I would hate to go to the
trouble of building this thing, just to have it rot in 5 yrs or so.

Any observations, pros and cons, would be appreciated...

I would price out your deck material (pressure treated ) , and then
paving blocks.

If you used blocks about 2' square thats only 24 blocks.

You can lay them on a sand bed or even very fine gravel or just level
the dirt .

Those blocks are quite heavy but if you have a helper its certainly
doable.

Oh, hell yes. Almost anything is better than a ground level deck with
inaccessible dead spaces. It will rot at some point, and something will
take up residence in there. (crawly things, things with tails, flying yellow
things, etc.) If the paving stones frost-heave, you can just pry them up,
regrade, and put them back down. And nobody else mentioned it, so I will- if
you have any utility or waste line feeds under there, trapping them under a
deck will double the cost of any repairs to those.

aem sends...