Living Large: THE NEW DECK

It all started with 9 concrete footings to support the 3 beams for the 12 ft by 12 ft deck. The footings needed to be level with each other and at the same distance below the surface of the existing deck. It took a lot of time to put in the sauna tubes and build and set square forms around the top of each tube to hold the concrete. We timed it so that we could use some of the extra concrete from one of the garage foundation pours.

After the footings were set, we built the beams which were three 2 by 8 inch boards fastened together. We were able to use some leftover boards from the garage footing forms although we had to clean the concrete off them using the pessure washer. It worked so well that the contractor thought we were using new boards.

Next came the deck joists inside a square frame. We set them at 12 inch centres to provide plenty of support if we decide to put a hot tub on the deck in the future.

The deck boards were next and I put one coat of stain on them before we screwed them down.

Stuart designed and built 2 sets of steps, one from the existing deck to the new deck and one from the new deck to the lawn. We built a concrete support pad for the lower step and landscaped around the perimeter of the new deck.

To add some character to the deck, Stuart designed and built an L shaped bench to go in one corner. He spent a lot of time and effort making very precise cuts for the angled corner and to keep it all level. We put it together upside down and then set it in place.

I put a final coat of stain on the deck boards, steps and bench at various stages of construction. It took a while as the stain can’t be applied in direct sunlight if it’s hot and needs to have 5 hours of no rain after application. With all the unsettled weather in June, finding the right time to do the work was a challenge.