On Jul 17, 1:06 pm, wrote:
I am going to build a deck across the front of my house. It will be 8
feet from the door to the steps, and 12 feet long. I have 8 foot deck
boards because I was able to get them really cheap. But if I run them
the 8 foot width of the deck, the boards will run from the door to the
steps. Somehow this seems wrong. In other words, when I go up the
steps toward the door, I'd be walking the length of the boards. It
seems that the boards should go the 12 foot length of the porch, thus
when I go up the steps, I will be walking from board to board as I go
to the door. This seems like it would look better. Sure, I will have
to splice the boards, but it just dont seem right to run them from the
door to the steps.

Is this correct? Is there a correct way to build a deck? I have not
yet built the framing, so I can go either way.

Josh

The common sense way is to run the planks from dooor to steps. If
(maybe when) the boards warp there is far less chance of your bride
stubbing her toe and falling flat with a load of groceries in her
arms. Porch floors are commonly done this way (mine is) and I see no
reason why decks should be built with alleged 'appearance' first and
safety second as the criterion. From the standpoint of just looks, the
spaces between the planks form a nice line that leads the eye from the
steps to the door in a sort of welcoming aspect. So the artistic side
gets my vote. HTH

Joe