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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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Decking - how to fit the posts
fee standing decking (i.e. not fixed to wall of house)
20 foot x 12 foot, blinking heavy it will be I'm using 9" x 1.5" joists and I can hardly pick each one up as they are currently 15 foot long I propose to use 15 posts each 4"x 4" with 5 foot centres the deck will be raised slightly approx 1 foot off the ground allowing space under the joists as the gound is not level So, question is, do I 1. sink the posts into concrete? 2. dig down to hard stuff, chuck in a breeze block and free stand them on this (as per Tommy Ground Force) or, is there another way (3)? ta in advance -- Vass ................... '02 YZF-R1 |
#2
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Decking - how to fit the posts
Vass wrote:
fee standing decking (i.e. not fixed to wall of house) 20 foot x 12 foot, blinking heavy it will be I'm using 9" x 1.5" joists and I can hardly pick each one up as they are currently 15 foot long I propose to use 15 posts each 4"x 4" with 5 foot centres the deck will be raised slightly approx 1 foot off the ground allowing space under the joists as the gound is not level So, question is, do I 1. sink the posts into concrete? 2. dig down to hard stuff, chuck in a breeze block and free stand them on this (as per Tommy Ground Force) or, is there another way (3)? ta in advance I have just completed a very large deck, however one face of this was fastened to a house. The posts were dropped into holes roughly 2ft deep and concreted in which produced a very solid fixing! There will be other people with other ideas but this is what worked in my situation. HTH Gerry |
#3
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Decking - how to fit the posts
Vass wrote:
free standing decking (i.e. not fixed to wall of house) 20 foot x 12 foot, blinking heavy it will be I'm using 9" x 1.5" joists and I can hardly pick each one up as they are currently 15 foot long Sounds like you already have them, but they are way over spec for what you are doing. A 6 x 2 will span around 8 - 10 ft. I propose to use 15 posts each 4"x 4" with 5 foot centres the deck will be raised slightly approx 1 foot off the ground allowing space under the joists as the ground is not level I'd agree with 4 x 4 posts, but I don't reckon you will need that many. Still, it isn't gonna fall down! So, question is, do I 1. sink the posts into concrete? 2. dig down to hard stuff, chuck in a breeze block and free stand them on this (as per Tommy Ground Force) I've built bigger decks than that, and I use a combination of methods; Use a post hole digger http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/501584 to get a nice round hole, go down about 16 - 18", drop half a brick in the bottom, drop in post & fill with postcrete. I do this for the posts at corners and around the edges of the deck. For extra support in the middle I use 600 x 600 standard paving slabs (around £2:50). Drop these in place & level them, post stands on this, cut post to height & bolt joist to it. I've recently started using these http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...31526&ts=86105 to bolt joists to posts and fix noggins. You need a good drill driver - min 14.4v with gearbox or a mains driver to put them in, but they are fast and bloody strong! -- Dave The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk 01634 717930 07850 597257 |
#4
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Decking - how to fit the posts
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
.uk... Vass wrote: free standing decking (i.e. not fixed to wall of house) 20 foot x 12 foot, blinking heavy it will be I'm using 9" x 1.5" joists and I can hardly pick each one up as they are currently 15 foot long Sounds like you already have them, but they are way over spec for what you are doing. A 6 x 2 will span around 8 - 10 ft. I propose to use 15 posts each 4"x 4" with 5 foot centres the deck will be raised slightly approx 1 foot off the ground allowing space under the joists as the ground is not level I'd agree with 4 x 4 posts, but I don't reckon you will need that many. Still, it isn't gonna fall down! So, question is, do I 1. sink the posts into concrete? 2. dig down to hard stuff, chuck in a breeze block and free stand them on this (as per Tommy Ground Force) I've built bigger decks than that, and I use a combination of methods; Use a post hole digger http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/501584 to get a nice round hole, go down about 16 - 18", drop half a brick in the bottom, drop in post & fill with postcrete. I do this for the posts at corners and around the edges of the deck. For extra support in the middle I use 600 x 600 standard paving slabs (around £2:50). Drop these in place & level them, post stands on this, cut post to height & bolt joist to it. I've recently started using these http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...31526&ts=86105 to bolt joists to posts and fix noggins. You need a good drill driver - min 14.4v with gearbox or a mains driver to put them in, but they are fast and bloody strong! Excellent, thanks for the tips Dave -- Vass |
#5
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Decking - how to fit the posts
"Vass" wrote in message ... "The Medway Handyman" wrote in message .uk... Vass wrote: free standing decking (i.e. not fixed to wall of house) 20 foot x 12 foot, blinking heavy it will be I'm using 9" x 1.5" joists and I can hardly pick each one up as they are currently 15 foot long SNIP I've built bigger decks than that, and I use a combination of methods; Use a post hole digger http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/501584 to get a nice round hole, go down about 16 - 18", drop half a brick in the bottom, drop in post & fill with postcrete. I built my deck a couple of months ago. about 3.6 x 5.4m (3.6m cos of timber length of course, although it did also happen to fit). I did not dig holes for the posts. Everything is fine and solid as the weight of the deck holds everything down, BUT if I was doing it again I definitely would concrete in at least the main corner posts. I found that not doing this caused everything to move out of square every so often, with all the hammering and general bashing about. The middle posts can just sit on a block or a couple of bricks. In fact in a few places I just stacked up old bricks with a slate top bit. By the way, I bought a big pack of coach bolts from screwfix and they were great for screwing joists together and for holding warped joists in position once the warp had been corrected. Hope you get good weather! Alistair |
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