I'm planning to build a low, floating deck in my backyard. I live in
California in a flat area nowhere near any hillsides. I've seen at my
local Home Depot, concrete piers in either 10x10 or 12x12 sizes, each
with metal brackets already fastened which will accept either a 4x4 or
4x6 post. The base of the pier is wider than the top of the
pier...sort of like a pyramid without a point at the top. Can I forgo
using a concrete footing and just place this type of concrete pier on
gravel tamped in a 6inch deep hole? The deck will be about 16 x 16
foot square and not attached to the house. Any advice on the topic is
greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Java wrote:
I'm planning to build a low, floating deck in my backyard.
I live in
California in a flat area nowhere near any hillsides. ... Can I
forgo
using a concrete footing and just place this type of concrete pier on
gravel tamped in a 6inch deep hole? The deck will be about 16 x 16
foot square and not attached to the house. ...

If the ground never freezes, there aren't any earthquakes in your
part of California and the local codes permit it, then maybe it
would be OK.

I'm not clear on whether footers would be better or worse in
an earthquake. Without footers the deck may walk some distance
away from where it was built, but might hold together better.

Probably your local building codes do not give you any choice,
mooting the issue.


--

FF

Where in California?
Are you planing on getting a permit?

Dave
So.Cal.

"Java" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm planning to build a low, floating deck in my backyard. I live in
California in a flat area nowhere near any hillsides. I've seen at my
local Home Depot, concrete piers in either 10x10 or 12x12 sizes, each
with metal brackets already fastened which will accept either a 4x4 or
4x6 post. The base of the pier is wider than the top of the
pier...sort of like a pyramid without a point at the top. Can I forgo
using a concrete footing and just place this type of concrete pier on
gravel tamped in a 6inch deep hole? The deck will be about 16 x 16
foot square and not attached to the house. Any advice on the topic is
greatly appreciated. Thanks.




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Java wrote:
I'm planning to build a low, floating deck in my backyard. I live in
California in a flat area nowhere near any hillsides. I've seen at my
local Home Depot, concrete piers in either 10x10 or 12x12 sizes, each
with metal brackets already fastened which will accept either a 4x4 or
4x6 post. The base of the pier is wider than the top of the
pier...sort of like a pyramid without a point at the top. Can I forgo
using a concrete footing and just place this type of concrete pier on
gravel tamped in a 6inch deep hole? The deck will be about 16 x 16
foot square and not attached to the house. Any advice on the topic is
greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Is this type of footing allowed under your local code? Usually building
codes are pretty explicit about what is necessary and sufficient for
foundations and footers. If the code allows it then I would guess it is
sufficient albeit I'd be surprised. What you describe would never fly
here in the frozen northeast, and I'd guess the bearing surface is too
small on almost any kind of soil even absent frost unless you use a lot
of them. A roof or pergola on top would increase the requirement. Your
building department should be able to tell you how big the pads need to
be to support a given deck area.

Roger

Actually, I used these deck blocks up here in Alberta, with no issues. So
long as your deck isn't attached to the house, there shouldn't be a problem.
I forget how many of them I used, but I think my deck was approximately the
same size as the OP. I used the Deck Block website to find out how many I
needed.

We don't live at that house anymore, but we were there for at least two
years with the deck, and there were no issues that I can remember. The only
item I can remember was that it would have been nice to anchor the railings
to the wall of the house to solidify things somewhat. But of course, that's
a no-no for a floating deck.

Clint

"Roger" wrote in message
...
Java wrote:
I'm planning to build a low, floating deck in my backyard. I live in
California in a flat area nowhere near any hillsides. I've seen at my
local Home Depot, concrete piers in either 10x10 or 12x12 sizes, each
with metal brackets already fastened which will accept either a 4x4 or
4x6 post. The base of the pier is wider than the top of the
pier...sort of like a pyramid without a point at the top. Can I forgo
using a concrete footing and just place this type of concrete pier on
gravel tamped in a 6inch deep hole? The deck will be about 16 x 16
foot square and not attached to the house. Any advice on the topic is
greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Is this type of footing allowed under your local code? Usually building
codes are pretty explicit about what is necessary and sufficient for
foundations and footers. If the code allows it then I would guess it is
sufficient albeit I'd be surprised. What you describe would never fly
here in the frozen northeast, and I'd guess the bearing surface is too
small on almost any kind of soil even absent frost unless you use a lot
of them. A roof or pergola on top would increase the requirement. Your
building department should be able to tell you how big the pads need to
be to support a given deck area.

Roger

On 5 Apr 2005 12:43:34 -0700, "Java" wrote:

|I'm planning to build a low, floating deck in my backyard. I live in
|California in a flat area nowhere near any hillsides. I've seen at my
|local Home Depot, concrete piers in either 10x10 or 12x12 sizes, each
|with metal brackets already fastened which will accept either a 4x4 or
|4x6 post. The base of the pier is wider than the top of the
|pier...sort of like a pyramid without a point at the top. Can I forgo
|using a concrete footing and just place this type of concrete pier on
|gravel tamped in a 6inch deep hole? The deck will be about 16 x 16
|foot square and not attached to the house. Any advice on the topic is
|greatly appreciated. Thanks.

First and foremost, I'm sure your local gummit has a say so in this.

Absent that, if you use enough of them to support the load you would
probably be okay, except.....

I would really be afraid of liftoff during a windstorm. Other than
the dead load of the materials, you have nothing anchoring this thing
to the Earth. A cursory look would suggest that a 747 would never
leave the ground, but with enough lift....

For example, I have a PU truck and fifth-wheel trailer. When I first
started towing I threw a bunch of 2 X 4 offcuts in the truck to use as
leveling blocks. Imagine my panic when I was doing 60 mph on the
Interstate and heard a banging from the rear. A quick look in the
mirror revealed an airborne 2 x 4 beating the hell out of the
underside of the trailer overhanging the bed of the truck.

"Roger" wrote in message
...
Java wrote:
I'm planning to build a low, floating deck in my backyard. I live in
California in a flat area nowhere near any hillsides. I've seen at my
local Home Depot, concrete piers in either 10x10 or 12x12 sizes, each
with metal brackets already fastened which will accept either a 4x4 or
4x6 post. The base of the pier is wider than the top of the
pier...sort of like a pyramid without a point at the top. Can I forgo
using a concrete footing and just place this type of concrete pier on
gravel tamped in a 6inch deep hole? The deck will be about 16 x 16
foot square and not attached to the house. Any advice on the topic is
greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Dig a little bigger whole and set them in some concrete. Yes, it should be
fine in most areas of California.
I'd probably use 9 or 16 of them, but that will depend on how you are going
to frame the rest of the deck.
-j

Java wrote:
I'm planning to build a low, floating deck in my backyard. I live in
California in a flat area nowhere near any hillsides. I've seen at my
local Home Depot, concrete piers in either 10x10 or 12x12 sizes, each
with metal brackets already fastened which will accept either a 4x4 or
4x6 post. The base of the pier is wider than the top of the
pier...sort of like a pyramid without a point at the top. Can I forgo
using a concrete footing and just place this type of concrete pier on
gravel tamped in a 6inch deep hole? The deck will be about 16 x 16
foot square and not attached to the house. Any advice on the topic is
greatly appreciated. Thanks.

As several folks here have already said, go talk to the county
construction permit folks. Get a copy of the code and go by that. Even
if you are not planning on getting a permit, do it anyway. You are just
in the planning stage, right? A lot depends on type of soil, rainfall,
snowfall, temperature, and on and on.

That said, you don't want this thing moving either horizontally (quakes)
or vertically (wind). Thus I would suggest going down a couple of feet
and anchoring the pier in that much concrete. With luck you should be OK.

mahalo,
jo4hn